Frank Lampard insists that he never doubted Christian Pulisic's ability to thrive in the Premier League.
Lampard has moved to set the record straight after claims from Salzburg manager Jesse Marsch that the Chelsea manager had been unconvinced by Pulisic after taking the Stamford Bridge helm.
Pulisic scored twice for Chelsea in a pre-season friendly against Salzburg in the summer of 2019, after which Marsch claimed Lampard revealed reservations about the USA forward.
Marsch claimed Lampard said of Pulisic "he's got a lot to learn so we'll see how he does" and that the Chelsea boss has had to revise his opinion of the ex-Borussia Dortmund star.
But Lampard rejected that idea and moved to explain the situation as he reassures the 22-year-old Pulisic he always knew the full extent of his talents.
"I did read the comments, I was surprised that Jesse had managed to read my mind as well as he thought he did," said Lampard, who saw Pulisic come on as substitute and score the final goal in Chelsea's 4-0 Champions League win at FK Krasnodar on Wednesday.
"He's recounted the conversation wrongly, so I have to put it right. Because it was a game against Salzburg where we played them and Christian scored two goals in pre-season.
"Afterwards, fair enough, Jesse came up to me and said what a talented player Christian was, which I knew and I agreed with.
"And I spoke about the fact that it was so exciting to see how he could develop for us with the talent that he has.
"That was the conversation. Jesse managed to put it across slightly differently.
"Maybe Jesse knows the feeling of American managers and coaches who travel into Europe, so maybe has things that I don't get.
________________________________________________________________________
Chelsea player ratings v FK Krasnodar
-
CHELSEA RATINGS: Edouard Mendy, 8 – It was a quiet game for Mendy against a team that offered very little in front of goal. The 28-year-old parried the ball when he had to and was comfortable dealing with the occasional ambitious strike. Communication was a stumbling point at times, it appeared. AFP -
Cesar Azpilicueta, 8 – Possessed a great deal of energy and deserves a strong rating after helping to record Chelsea’s third clean sheet on the bounce. Azpilicueta’s movement seriously helped Blues’ efficiency in midfield. AFP -
Kurt Zouma, 7 – Early on, he appeared to not be quite reading the game well. But he displayed outstanding levels of commitment when required and deserves to have another clean sheet to his name. AFP -
Antonio Rudiger, 7 – His link-up play with Zouma in the early minutes was concerning, but fans could hold few grudges with Rudiger in the second half in only his first appearance for Chelsea this season. AFP -
Ben Chilwell, 6 – It may have come as a surprise to some of Chelsea’s faithful that Chilwell wasn’t taken off earlier than he was. The full-back looked tired at times and in need of a rest. Furthermore, his link up play with Callum Hudson-Odoi did little to inspire the visitors’ play moving forward. AFP -
Jorginho, 5 – He gifted possession away in the opening minutes to allow Krasnador their first sight on goal, a moment that perhaps epitomised his overall performance. A missed penalty did him no favours either. AFP -
Mateo Kovacic, 6 – Started the second half by drilling a well-timed shot just wide of the hosts’ right post. But it was otherwise a quiet game for Kovacic who delivered a no-thrills performance. AFP -
Hakim Ziyech, 8 – A full Chelsea debut to remember for Ziyech as he scored a quality individual goal to take the game away from the Russian hosts in the final 10 minutes. Ziyech’s play and movement was superb, and he was rewarded with an intelligent late goal that fooled more than one home defender. Reuters -
Kai Havertz, 7 – His first touch was a great asset for the visitors as they controlled play in large parts of the game in midfield. Excellent close control allowed Havertz to quickly manoeuvre the ball around dangerous areas. Reuters -
Callum Hudson-Odoi, 7 – Had little possession in the first half, but grabbed himself a first Champions League goal when a scuffed shot somehow found its way through the legs of the home ‘keeper. AFP -
Timo Werner, 8 – Showed Jorginho how to take a clinical penalty when slamming a right-footed effort into the hosts’ left corner in the game’s closing minutes. Elsewhere, Werner thrived in pockets where he possessed a strong ability to keep the ball. His first touch and pace stood out. Reuters -
SUBS: N’Golo Kante (for Jorginho, 71'): N/R Was a steady influence in the middle when he came on, which was what Chelsea needed at a crucial point in the game. Reuters -
SUB: Mason Mount (for Kovacic, 71'): N/R The wide player worked diligently at both ends of the pitch. Reuters -
SUB: Christian Pulisic (for Hudson-Odoi, 71'): N/R Not a bad 19-minute cameo, the US international scored one goal and earned his side a penalty. AFP -
SUB: Tammy Abraham (for Ziyech, 81'): N/R Abraham only played the last nine minutes but he was heavily involved in Chelsea’s late onslaught, setting up Pulisic for the fourth goal. Reuters -
SUB: Emerson Palmieri (for Chilwell, 81'): N/R He had little to do after replacing Chilwell, but will be happy with a clean sheet. AFP
________________________________________________________________________
"But one thing I did get, I played in America for 18 months, and I will never underestimate the desire that American players have, to learn and improve and take on information, and understand the technical side of the game.
"So when you have that, which Christian has, and you have incredible talent, it was never in doubt for me.
"What Christian did was find his feet very quickly and have a breakthrough season in the Premier League where he produced more goals and assists than he had produced previously. So I thought his performance last year was massively impressive on his own.
"He will get better and better because he's a young player. But as a manager I never doubted Christian. And it's important for me to put that straight actually, more for Christian than anything."
The 42-year-old coach also praised winger Hakim Ziyech after the Moroccan international bagged his first goal for the London club and Lampard said he would keep rotating his squad to balance the workload and help his new signings settle.
"Hakim was very good last night, a big plus," he said. "The other players, particularly those in Europe, are finding the schedule heavy.
"We need options. We're also searching for relationships as newer players are learning about each other and how we play. There will be rotation at times. We need everybody."
Defender Thiago Silva, another new boy, will return to the side for Saturday's Premier League visit to Burnley having been rested for the FK Krasnodar win.
"Thiago is fit. Taking him out of Russia was a maintenance issue," Lampard. "He could have played if he had to but we had to put it in context of what is ahead of us."
