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Comparing Christian Pulisic's first season at Chelsea to Eden Hazard

Chelsea broke the bank to sign Christian Pulisic as the most expensive recruit in England from Borussia Dortmund.

pulisic

Bengaluru, July 28: Chelsea broke the bank to sign Christian Pulisic as the most expensive recruit in England from Borussia Dortmund.

A deal was agreed in January last year but Chelsea were prepared to wait for six months to secure the services. There were concerns among fans that how would the youngster adapt to the toughness of Premier League football at a go, but after 33 games to his name, it is fair to say he has had a significant campaign.

Even though his involvement has been sporadic due to fitness issues and injuries, the US international has established himself as one of the best Chelsea players in his first season at Stamford Bridge.

The American winger was signed as a replacement of departing Eden Hazard and it is pretty inevitable that comparisons will be drawn.

The 21-year-old took up Hazard’s old spot on the left-wing, and like the Belgian, he dazzled the opponents with dribbling, luring them into mistakes, creating space for his teammates, winning penalties and scoring goals.

However, has he had a better individual season than the Belgian who arrived from Lille in 2012? Below we have compared Pulisic's stats in all competitions in 2019-20 to Hazard’s stats during his first season at Stamford Bridge.

Goals and assist

Hazard made 62 appearances in his first Blues season with 49 starts in all competition. He scored 13 goals and managed 19 assists as he helped the team lift Europa league.

Pulisic on the other hand, due to injuries could not rack up such impressive minutes under his belt, however, given he managed just 33 games in all competition, his scoring boots look to be more promising than the Belgian.

The 21-year-old has scored 10 and managed the same number of assists which is the highest goal involvement among all the Chelsea wingers or midfielders.

Minutes per goal

Hazard scored a goal in every 347.7 min in his first season, but Pulisic trumps it with one goal in every 229.9 minutes. Not only that Pulisic's combined goal or assist ratio per minute is also better than the Belgian. Hazard scored or managed an assist in every 141.2 minutes, Pulisic meanwhile has scored or assisted in every 114.95 min.

Key passes and dribbles

Hazard, however, was a better player in terms of creating chances in the side, with managing 2.2 key passes per game. Pulisic also has a decent number but much lesser than Hazard with 1.3 key passes per game.

But contrary to popular belief, Hazard's impressive dribble per game rate has been outshined by Pulisic who has dribbled past opponents 3 times per game, compared to Hazard's 2.1.

Overall, both the wingers seem to have enjoyed a decent start to their new campaign in England. Hazard although managed better fitness while Pulisic looks to be a better goal scorer than the former Blue player.

Story first published: Tuesday, July 28, 2020, 20:56 [IST]
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