Niclas Füllkrug got his first taste of action as an AC Milan player in the win over Cagliari, and he could play a bigger role against Genoa.
After his cameo in Sardinia on the day that he officially signed, Füllkrug is now also ready to make his debut at San Siro. In today’s edition of Tuttosport (via Radio Rossonera), they speak about the German striker and why he could be very useful to the cause, especially in matches like Thursday’s.
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The newspaper reiterates an important point: Allegri can finally count on a centre-forward with the right characteristics for matches like the one against Daniele De Rossi’s Genoa, which Milan have struggled in the most so far.
In games against sides in the bottom half (Cremonese, Pisa, Parma and Sassuolo) Milan couldn’t score so they had to commit bodies forward and got hit on the counter. Either that or they scored to get ahead but were unable to see games out because of the pressure they invited.
One of the things the Cagliari match showed is that Füllkrug could offer exactly what’s needed. He should be very useful in holding onto the ball at the other end of the field if Milan are ahead and need to control the final stages.
In the 21 minutes plus stoppage time he was on the pitch, Füllkrug grew into the game and by the closing minutes he was the main outlet. Furthermore, Rafael Leao and Christian Pulisic are not in perfect condition, so more minutes could be needed from him.
The Portuguese returned and was immediately decisive, but he’s not yet 100% fit. The American came on at the end against Cagliari, but was kept under control because he wasn’t at his best. All this leads us to believe that, in all likelihood, Fullkrug will also play against Genoa.
fulkrug leao / nkunku partnership would be nice i dont see fulkrug puli/rlc doing too wel
Do I understand you correctly? Are you saying you think Nkunku should start over Pulisic, or only if he isn’t fit?
In the final 20 minutes together Fullkrug and Pulisic interacted well together. Almost got a 2nd goal with the keeper saving a Pulisic strike after Fullkrug set him up.
Having a #9 who can win aerial battles and hold up play is a vital piece to have even if just off the bench. Never made sense why we got rid of both jovic and Abraham in the summer and replaced neither. Better late than never I guess…
Let’s see Fullkrug and Leao up front to start vs. Genoa and put Pulisic on the bench (painful, as I would like to see all 3 on the field). Most coaches would put Pulisic in a #10/CAM role, in place of Fofana. But the Frenchman appears to be Allegri’s binky.
Pulisic is still probably recovering from a knock and can be the 2nd half supersub for either Fullkrug or Leao, as they tire.
I get that for the upcoming game if Pulisic is still recovering but no way can you bench him. He’s arguably the best player on the team. It has to be Pulisic and Leao up front when they are healthy and then bring fullkrug on in the 2nd half.
But puli isnt healthy, so bring him on later. Unless you wanna see him go down for another 2 months on a new injury
Agreed. Pulisic was far less effective as a 10 than he is as a withdrawn striker. I have hopes that Leao-Pulisic together up front will (once they actually get on the field together) be very effective.
I’d like to see Jahshari in the mid instead of Fofana. It would give Luca a chance to move forward more in attack. And sign a good CB already. It might help us win the Scudetto.
Fullkrug just needs to anchor play. I don’t even care if he scores while he’s here so long as he puts Leao/Puli in the position to score.
I say we wait and see if Fullkrug actually returns to form from years past rather than anointing him a starting spot after 20 minutes of play. As fans we have a tendency to make dramatic leaps and ordain any new offensive player as the second coming of Ibra. If he does actually pan out I would assume we change formations to have all three as starters with Nkunku as the super sub for the rest of this season.
I didn’t mean that as a response to your post ACM, it was supposed to be a stand alone comment