Some very positive news has emerged regarding Christian Pulisic’s condition, with the start of the season just a few days away.
Milan are preparing for their first competitive match of the new 2025-26 season. On Sunday evening, Massimiliano Allegri’s team will face Bari in the round of 32 of the Coppa Italia, scheduled for 21:15 CEST at San Siro.
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As MilanNews report and as the pictures from training show, Pulisic has recovered from the ankle injury he suffered during the friendly win against Liverpool in Hong Kong. The American has made a full recovery, joining the rest of the squad in both yesterday’s and today’s training sessions.
Pulisic did not fly out with the squad for the matches against Leeds United and Chelsea over the weekend, leading to fears that he could be set for an extended absence. However, it seems to have just been precautionary, which is a big boost for Allegri.
Serious question….Does Milan really need to spend big $ on a striker? It seems like a 3-5-2 is going to be the preferred line up. And Laeo is being used as a striker. If that is the case I see Laeo and Pulisic as the two man front line, with Gimenez as the Super-Sub. (possible Okafor as well) In a 4-3-3, Laeo, Pulisic, and Gimenez up top with Salad, Jimenez, and Okafor as subs.
Does Hjolmend really help this mix much? As a loan I think he would add value. But for 50MM Euros? Is the difference between HJolmend and Gimenez worth 50MM, or Hjolmend and Pulisic? or are you paying 50MM for a slight bump between Hjolmend and Gimenez, along with a bump as Gimenez replaces Okafor. Either way I think money is better spent adding another stud CB. I do not think either Tomori, and Gabbia, really have the ability to be difference makers on the pitch, and I would like to add talent that replaces them as starters either this season or next season after a year of learning.
I also worry that the 3-5-2 ultimately derailed Chiesa’s career at Juve (along with injuries) I hope it doesn’t do the same for Pulisic
Hoijlund numbers don’t seem feasible and I’m not sure why they are after him. BUT, they do need a second striker. If Santi goes down for any reason, we’re back to Leao being used as a 9.
i think he is going with 3-5-2 because we do not yet have viable rb and lb. supposedly, when we do, he wants a 4-3-3. We shall see, in either case, a striker with a different profile to Santi (or Leao) is surely helpful. Someone big that can hold up play.
It is worrying b/c it seemed like Allegri just didn’t care for Pirlo and pushed him out and then the thing with Chiesa. However, I’m pretty sure Pirlo has said that it was the Milan management not Allegri that pushed him out and Allegri did work with him at Juve. So, the concept of Allegri “killing” players maybe only half right. So I’m not too worried about Pulisic, his performances are undeniable where as Chiesa was struggling after that injury anyway. I liked what I saw from Leao as a 9. With him and puli it’s a classic big striker – tiny striker combo that we rarely see anymore. Leao’s secretly a monster 9, he has a great ability with heading the ball and he has more instinct in that area than he gives himself credit for. If the rumors are true that Allegri said that he expects 25 goals or it was something like 20 goals or maybe 25 goal contributions from Leao this season, I would assume that he wouldn’t expect a winger to score 25 goals but someone who is playing more central. I think if a proper striker comes, he’ll use the 433 mostly but if not I think he’s banking on it being Leao/Puli up top.
If he plays a 5-4-1 or 5-3-2, Pulisic doesn’t have a spot. Remember Allegri tried to play Chiesa at a right wing back.
Sorry, 3-5-2 or 3-4-2-1. They just end up looking like a 5 in the back. For Pulisic to be effective he can’t play the whole game at the 28 yard line.
Strategically things work better if Laeo plays as the striker. in both a 3-5-2 and a 4-3-3 He doesn’t like to track back, and that has killed our defensive structure. I also think he would open up the entire pitch if he played up top. No CB can run with him, and the idea of playing a high line against Milan falls apart, leaving lots of pockets of space to exploit. I do not think Gimenez, Vlahovic, or Hjolmend offer that sort of threat. I also do not think Laeo makes good back post runs from the wing, having him in the middle of the box forces him to make better runs.
Ya, it makes me think of Pato. If he were young right now, people would be trying to make him a winger but as a striker (without the injuries) he really could have been one of the best we’ve ever had. Having Leao drop receive the ball make a pass and then run in behind the defense is a terrifying prospect for any team to defend against. and imagine he’s passing to puli or Modric who will always see the passing lane. Then you have Pulisic who is very good at counter attacking up the middle, turn with the ball beat a few people and then has Leao to pass to who is 1v1 with a cb. If Leao meets Allegri’s expectations, it could be the change we need.
If Pulisic renews soon, that will tell you what his comfort level is with Allegri. My bet is that Max will make him more successful than anyone since Lampard did during the COVID re-start.
His first touch has been the best on the team, so facilitating centrally works well. More than that though (this is where Giroud, Leao and Puli were so good), he is the best on the team at making the run off of the ball that draws a center back to him. For sure Max knows this. That he is also responsible defensively will endear him to Allegri even more.
Renewal is the barometer. That said, a three back lineup doesn’t suit him like it didn’t suit Chiesa. If Pulisic doesn’t sign the renewal, he’s gone after the WC
Exactly, I seriously worry that Pulisic will be marginalized in a 3-5-2 built around counter-attacking long balls to Leão. I hope I’m wrong, but until we get a couple of stud CB’s we will probably default to the 3-5-2 which does not suit Pulisic‘s most valuable skill set. If Allegre has evolved passed his dinosaur Catenaccio tactics and allows Pulisic the freedom to use his gifted instincts then this could work. However, with a defense first style I don’t see Christian have as many goal contributions and that might force him to leave. Let’s hope we have Allegre 2.0 now.