Massimiliano Allegri designated Rafael Leao and Christian Pulisic as his first choice front two, and yet the pair haven’t clicked.
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As La Gazzetta dello Sport report, there are only 12 games to go in the Serie A season and yet Leao and Pulisic need more time form a strike partnership worthy of their potential, at least based on the sample size so far.
Allegri made them his front two as he considered the duo capable of breaking down any defence, facilitating their team-mates’ runs, scoring goals while also creating others. The reality is that they’ve worked practically alone.
Despite a 2026 season where they’re failing to get going – Leao has only scored two goals against Cagliari and Genoa in early January, while Pulisic has yet to score – their seasonal scoring numbers are certainly not bad.
Why it isn’t working
Much of this is undoubtedly due to various physical issues. Often, when one was present, the other was absent, and vice versa. In recent weeks, both have suffered: Rafa has been struggling with a groin pain that began slowly and never fully resolved, while for Pulisic it’s been a season of one problem after another.
Since the summer, he’s been struggling with a painful ankle, followed by a hamstring injury and bursitis, the most recent problem on the list. So, the designated pair have only been able to share the pitch on a few occasions.
The match against Parma was only the fourth league game in which the two have started together. The feeling has remained unchanged: they’re driven to focus on individual play rather than linking up together.
Looking at the chances last night, Pulisic was denied by Corvi from a Saelemaekers square pass, while he spurned another chance that Rabiot set him up for. Leao hit the inside of the post, but that too was from a Rabiot cross.
The overall numbers are still on their side: both are on eight goals in the league. Christian averages a goal every 112 minutes, while Rafa has already matched his total for the entirety of last season, but the duo are designed to work together. Especially in matches like the one against Parma.