AC Milan are playing their first friendly clash of the pre-season this evening and the first half was a very successful one for the Rossoneri, finding the back of the net four times. And Christian Pulisic bagged two assists.
The Rossoneri opened the scoring after just five minutes as Pulisic managed to open up space on the left before putting it on a silver platter for Tommaso Pobega. The two combined again ten minutes later as the American sent a cross in with his left foot, making for a tap-in.
👀 Pulisic with the assist for #ACMilan's first goal of the pre-season.
📽 @Scout7Calcio pic.twitter.com/Wa7MaOQS7s
— SempreMilan (@SempreMilanCom) July 20, 2023
🤝 Pulisic and Pobega combining again for the second goal.
📽 @Scout7Calcio pic.twitter.com/0mxuZgKM8u
— SempreMilan (@SempreMilanCom) July 20, 2023
Junior Messias added to the just one minute later, in the 18th minute, with a strike from close range and Lorenzo Colombo then made the most of a defensive error by Lumezzane.
Bramka dla Milanu – AC Milan 4:0 Lumezzane #MilanLumezzane @FootballReprt
Colombo gets in on the act goal#SempreMilan #ACMPreseason #MilanLumezzane
Goal AC Milan. #ACMilan #USMNT pic.twitter.com/33diy16bN3— Sohaib Just That (@Sohaib_That) July 20, 2023
It should be added that the game format is 2 x 30-minute halves.
Those two very direct long through passes are exactly the sort of offensive moves where Pulisic is most lethal and which Tuchel and Potter absolutely refused to do in Pulisic’s last two years with Chelsea. They believed in controlling the ball and moving up slooooowly through a maddening series of short passes. This style allowed the opposing teams to regroup, pack the defense and then just hack Pulisic down whenever he got the ball, which was 100% the reason he was so ineffective the last two years with Chelsea.
Thank goodness Pulisic is finally with a team that plays a style that allows him to do what he does best. He can be an absolute assist machine with the right finishers around him
Pulisic was less effective in his next to last season with Chelsea for the reasons you mention, but also because he was often played out of his preferred positions – often as a wing back or striker. That said, I wouldn’t say he was ineffective that year – he ended in the top 20 in the EPL for goals per 90 minutes where he ended at 0.42 (and vs an xG per 90 of 0.34 – dispelling the talk he was inconsistent(… Sure, he missed some goals he should have made, but who doesn’t?