The words ‘American revolution’ were often attached to AC Milan over the summer, not just because of the signings made but also because of the decisions taken by the management.
Calciomercato.com write how the American ownership of the club and now the stars on the pitch mean that Milan have never been so USA-influenced, and the results reward the direction taken.
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In the summer, in fact, Christian Pulisic and Yunus Musah arrived from Chelsea and Valencia respectively. The times of Sergino Dest and Onyewu are now far away, because the two Americans are at Milan to be protagonists.
The Rossoneri spent over €40m to secure them and are now rejoicing at the good things they are producing on the pitch, with Musah the latest to demonstrate his worth but also his character.
Yunus was born in New York but lived until the age of 10 in Castelfranco Veneto, where he played for Giorgione. He speaks Italian perfectly and this helped him integrate, while tactically he is clearly adjusting well.
Another all-round performance came against Lazio, a game in which Musah started on the bench but was sent onto the pitch by Ruben Loftus-Cheek’s injury.
In previous seasons the Englishman’s issue would have been very damaging, but with Musah Pioli knows he has a player he can put 100% trust into, even if they are different players with not very many comparable characteristics.
Musah covers different areas of the pitch and does it in his own way. If Loftus-Cheek is all strength and exuberance, the American is instead a perpetual motion, fast rather than powerful, also technically gifted.
If Loftus-Cheek prefers to break inside, his replacement tends to spread out to look for that flank where he has often played. A trend that also changes Milan’s way of playing.
Against Lazio, in fact, the former Arsenal man’s movements actually freed Pulisic who – all of a sudden freed from the constant double-teaming – was able to enjoy freedom that led to the first goal.
If Musah is the novelty, Pulisic is the certainty. Leao’s alter-ego on the right wing continues to clock in with a regularity he has never had in his career.
He is already on 3 goals in 8 appearances, proving that the decision to sign him was not just about the impact on the brand and the ability to exploit the American market.
A few minutes in Serie A were enough to show how the talent seen at Borussia Dortmund and glimpsed at Chelsea is still there, overshadowed only by the chaos in London that has been going on for some time.
Pulisic and Musah are also cornerstones of the USA national team too. The former boasts 62 appearances, marked by 26 goals and 16 assists, while the latter is also now a permanent starter for the States.
Coach Berhalter gave him his debut in November 2020 and from there he made 29 appearances, with both aiming to have a starring role for the next World Cup in 2026, which is in the USA.
Furthermore, the USA revolution takes hold off the field too. Under RedBird Capital, the accounts returned to producing a profit, something that had not happened since 2006.
The 2022-23 balance sheets closed with a positive of €6m, a clear improvement compared to the losses of over €66m in the previous year. The revenues are also growing, having exceeded €400m for the first time in club history. The ‘American Revolution’ is underway and going swimmingly.
I’m kinda bothered that red bird gets credit for lvling finances.. Elliot did the lions share of that in the last few years
Very true. The same goes for the sporting side as well. In general, RedBird (and new management) gets far too much credit at the moment. They inherited an excellent and successful project in all fronts: balanced accounts and more importantly, a protagonist, winning team, a safe environment for players to shine. Their job is way easier both on and off the field. The new transfers seems (very) good but try to image them 4 years ago. It’s very debatable if any of them would turn out successful.
I agree but they did also double some advertisement deals in the last year but again that can propably also be somewhat contributed to recent years improvements and not just them being business savy.
They had a good incoming transfer window and they seem to be very serious and active in their pursuit of a new stadium that’s where they will earn credit from me for the time being.