Milan – and their under pressure manager Paulo Fonseca – simply had to win Sunday’s Derby della Madonnina and Christian Pulisic ensured they did. The American’s dribble and finish to open the scoring against Inter after only 10 minutes set the tone for the Rossoneri. It was the highlight reel moment of the match and Pulisic was the best player on the pitch too.
Milan supporters are used to Pulisic being their best player by now. The winger registered 20 goal involvements (12 goals and eight assists) in his maiden Serie A season and has started this campaign in even better form, notching three goals and two assists in just five games. Fonseca has endured a difficult start as Milan manager, but it would have been much worse if not for Pulisic.
Seen as the brightest American star of his generation ever since his breakthrough at Borussia Dortmund as a teenager, Pulisic’s career path has meandered. Chelsea wasn’t the right club for his development. The only thing that outweighed the false dawns Pulisic experienced at Stamford Bridge was the injuries.
Ultimately, though, Pulisic has become the player we all thought he would be. He is the US’s best – maybe even its best ever. Landon Donovan and Clint Dempsey may have something to say about that, but no American has ever operated on the level Pulisic is at for Milan. He has never been better.
The numbers back this up. Pulisic’s current average of 2.8 key passes per 90 minutes is a career high, and only one player in Serie A is averaging more this season. His progressive carries are up (4.5 per 90 minutes from 3.8), as are his tackles (1.5 per 90 minutes from 1.2). It’s not just Pulisic’s attacking quality that is catching the eye, it’s his defensive work rate too.
Stefano Pioli’s transition-heavy approach was good for Pulisic as he settled into a new club – and a new country – last season. Milan liked to play into open space and that suited the American, who was frequently denied that room to work in at Chelsea. Fonseca, however, has traditionally favoured a more possession-oriented approach. There were concerns over Pulisic’s suitability.
Fonseca made comments about using Pulisic as a No 10 during the summer, moving him more into the centre of the pitch. This spoke to the Portuguese’s tactical uncertainty over the players he’d inherited, but also the importance of Pulisic to the Rossoneri. If there’s one player Milan would want to have more influence in central areas, it’s Pulisic. They want him on the ball as much as possible.
After starting Pulisic as a No 10 in the opening match of the season, Fonseca quickly returned the American to his usual right-wing position. Sunday’s derby, however, saw the American make an impact through the centre. Indeed, it was clearly designed for Pulisic to play narrowly and exploit the space behind the Inter backline. The ploy worked.
This tactic may not work so well against other opponents, but Pulisic also demonstrated his threat on the outside by scoring against Liverpool in the Champions League just a few days before beating Inter. While Milan would go on to lose to Liverpool, Pulisic’s goal to make it 1-0 saw Kostas Tsimikas brutally punished for vacating the full-back area. The finish was an arrow into the far corner.
At Chelsea, Pulisic was often guilty of taking too many touches. He would slow down attacking moves in a way that limited his own threat. Since joining Milan, though, Pulisic has quickened his play. He is making faster decisions and putting up better numbers as a result. At his current rate, Pulisic will break the 20-goal mark for the first time in his career this season.
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Fast and furious Pulisic is the best version of Pulisic. There is a fire that burns within the 26-year-old and it came out not just in the directness of the two goals against Inter and Liverpool, but the celebrations after them. Any time that fire is extinguished, so too is Pulisic’s ability to decide a match. He plays best pissed off.
Mauricio Pochettino will have watched Pulisic’s recent performances with interest. The Argentinian will take charge of his first camp as the new head coach of the US men’s national team next month and Pulisic, barring an injury, will be there. He is a central pillar for the USMNT. At a time when the development of several of the USA’s best players has stalled (see Gio Reyna, Tyler Adams and Folarin Balogun), Pulisic is bucking the trend, which is just as well ahead of the 2026 World Cup.
The burden of expectation has been heavy on Pulisic for years, but he is having no problem carrying it for club and country right now. It may have taken him longer to get to this point than was originally envisaged, but the US’s best player is also one of the best in a ‘Big Five’ European league for one of the biggest clubs in the world. Pulisic has made it.
