I AM Norwegian and there never was a truer statement. And the way Pulisic moves in the box is as sloppy as day-old-lutefisk.
Pure filth from CP on both the goal and the pass to set up the Hernandez choke. CP is a transcendent player for Milan. He is the best player on the team and has been for well over a full season. Alexi Lalas was correct in claiming that he is a top 25 player in the world. He is arguably THE TOP PLAYER IN SERIE A. Every game, this guy delivers. So much so that he makes Leao and Hernandez look like bums.
So far in his career Pulisic has not had much luck with coaches. He is finally being trusted with a top roll on a top team and he has apparently decent coaches both on his club and on his national team and that is something he has not had ever before in his life. I hope he continues to be trusted by both club and country and avoids injury. This is also the first time in his career that he has had coaches looking to field a team that brings out the best in him. It is unfortunate that both his teams have real weaknesses in their defense. I also do not understand why he does not take 90-95% of penalties for both club and country. I do not remember him ever missing a PK. But I will admit my memory can be a bit flawed at my age.
Pulisic has a Donovan-esque PK record. 10/10 so far. Looks like we have a controversy about the PK takers for Milan. Fonseca confirmed after the match that Pulisic is Milan's designated penalty taker. If I recall, Pulisic was put in that role in like March after a bunch of Milan PK misses last season, and then never had to take a single one that season. He took one earlier this season and then handed a second to Tammy Abraham. Today, it looks like the problem was that Theo Hernandez took the ball on the 1st PK, and since he was team captain, Pulisic went with it. And then Abraham grabbed it for the 2nd PK. I noticed that a lot of Milan fans had spotted Abraham taking it from Pulisic, but the initial one being taken by Hernandez had gotten less immediate attention. Maybe Pulisic was too passive? But how far is Pulisic going to protest when the structure is already broken by the team captain?
Pulisic's penalty record - 8 for 8 in his career in adult competitions: October 2019 – USA-Cuba – Nations League A March 2021 – Northern Ireland-USA – international friendly June 2021 – USA-Mexico – Nations League Final March 2022 – USA-Panama – World Cup qualification March 2022 – USA-Panama – World Cup qualification September 2023 – USA-Uzbekistan – international friendly October 2023 – USA-Ghana – international friendly September 2024 – Milan-Venezia – Serie A By my quick count, I've found another two in penalty shootouts - 1 for 2 in these: February 2017 - Dortmund-Hertha - DFB Pokal August 2021 - Chelsea-Villarreal - UEFA Super Cup
1st, Pulisic is a MUCH better soccer player that Donovan ever was or ever hoped to be. Pulisic hustles virtually all the time while others he gets compared to seemed to stop playing when things went a little bad. But you could be very correct that Pulisic is too passive in his interaction with teammates. If he is the coaches choice for PKs and any player, captain or otherwise, tries to take the ball from him he should resist. It is detrimental to Milan to have failures take PKs and that not only hurts the team but also hurts the individual players. But I understand that even Pele did not like taking PKs. He once said the a PK was a cowardly way to score. But for both his own good and for the good of his team he really needs to assert himself and DEMAND the ball on every PK unless his coach has directed otherwise. Milan lost because the players that took the PK simply choked and the GK made the right guess but that was the easy part. I saw exactly where the kickers were trying to go before their kick. Even, at my advanced year, wwould have had a 50/50 shot at saving those telegraphed PKs. I know that Pulisic wants to fit in and he wants his teammates to like him but that is his one true weakness. He just needs to assert himself and allow nobody else to take PKs unless his coach says not to. Also it would not hurt for him to grow another 5 inches and add 50-60 pounds with that. He does get knocked around in traffic a bit too much but he has, probably, attained his full height and he cannot add much bulk to his frame without losing some quickness. The lack of bulk is one reason he has problems centrally.
He’s taken pretty much every important one he’s on the field for when with the US. The only one I remember him not taking was when Haji Wright has his debut with the national team and he wanted to do him a solid by letting him have it.
Pulisic was beaten on the first Fiorentina goal. His own goal was well taken. The streak continues. The penalties from Hernandez and Abraham were good penalties, they just did not beat world beater David De Gea. I think Fiorentina had researched tendencies and they guessed right.
Actually i was NOT talking about his USMT performances but the way he defers to others on his club team even though the ones that take the ball from him do not convert. His USMNT performance is just fine, mostly, and, now that he has a decent (probably) coach it becomes less likely that anyone will even try to take his responsibilities away from him on the USMT. He is the captain and he is unlikely to be supplanted unless he either is not playing or he has some knock keeping him from taking good free kicks. But his club team is not there. We have been told that he is the designated PK and corner taker for Milan but today he had the ball taken from hime twice and he allowed it to happen. That is much too polite for a player of his skill. He should have insisted it was his responsibility to take PKs. That is particularly true for the second PK after the first was badly hit by the team "captain." Forwards need a good bit of selfishness to be successful and that is one area Pulisic really needs to step up. He has already proven he is the best forward Milan currently has and he needs to assert himself whenever others, with no justification, try to take any free kick that should be his. Right now Pulisic is just too "nice" and that needs to end if he is to reach the level I think he should.
Good penalties are not telegraphed and both were. The GK did not even have to guess. Just about any GK in the world save the first one and on the second it was so easy to read that I think I might have had a 50/50 shot at saving it. Really good PKs are not just hit into the corner but are also lifted 3-5 feet. Had either of Milan's PKs been lifted 2-3 feet. A PK should be converted 90-95% of the time and the fact that they are not just means that the players taking them are not practicing them enough. Pullsic is very good with his PKs and of all the ones I have seen him take not on was telegraphed before he even hit the ball. Oh, the fact he was beaten on the first goal is not really important. He is a forward and any defense near the box he provides is just a bonus. Still it took a near perfect shot to find the goal after the move that beat him.
Fiorentina Milan 2-1, le pagelle della partita di Serie A - Sky Sport PULISIC voto 6,5 PAGELLE E TABELLINO FIORENTINA-MILAN 2-1: difesa da incubo, ma Abraham è il peggiore - Pulisic 6,5
I would agree that they did not do much to disguise the kick. If you drill the ball in the corner, though, no one will get it, whether it is "3-5 feet" off the ground or not. They were not particularly hard driven kicks. You either disguise or you drill. They did neither. I think you are just handing out free passes. He got beat. He's got to step in front of the attacker and trip or impede him. He cannot let him penetrate into the penalty area. That was poor defending.
Love the expertise here from posters who have obviously taken numerous penalties in high pressure situations. Thanks for your input.
Folks don't have to have taken a high pressure PK to know when they see a terrible one. Like Anthony Gordon this past weekend for Newcastle. Milan have an attacker in the form of his life who is really good at pks. [We've had good PK takers for the national team and bad ones. Donovan was really good. 51 of 56 for club and country according to transfermarkt. That includes some against world class keepers. Scored against Buffon and Navas in games that mattered, for instance.]
Are you sure? According to Transfermkt Kharin saved penalties against John Sheridan, Rob Lee and Andy Gray and conceded penalties against John Sheridan, Andy Gray, Eric Cantona, Ian Wright and Teddy Sheringham. 3/8 = 37.5%. Manuel Almunia saved 6/14 in the EPL for 42.9%. His overall record is a much less impressive 23%. Apologies for my nerdiness.
Just some simple national team stats: Donovan’s average goal came against a 1657.0 Elo point team and his average assist came against a 1679.5 Elo point team. Average strength of opponent was a 1710.4 Elo point team. He averaged .88 G+A/90. Pulisic’s average goal came against a 1585.5 Elo point team and his average assist came against a 1539.8 Elo point team. Average strength of opponent was a 1694.7 Elo point team. Has averaged .85 G+A/90.
Am I sure? No. I relied on this article, which is probably dodgy. https://stusfootballflashbacks.com/...alty-savers-in-premier-league-history-ranked/
Sorry, but I disagree. I get the sense your time watching the team is more recent. Were you watching the team 25 years ago? Donovan carried the team for many years with a much weaker supporting cast. Not to take anything away from Pulisic, but this take on Donovan is way out of touch with reality.
yes, I was watching 25 years ago. Donovan failed in Europe and had to run back home to the easier play in the USA. He was also too selfish and he made the teams he played on worse by simply not hustling when things went bad. He decided that MLS would allow him to take it easy and acted on that to virtually retire early. Yes, he was the best forward on the USMNT at the time but he could not use that to elevate the team even against the hideously weak teams we mostly played against. Being the best on a horrible team does not make him good it just allows him to play. But it does not really matter as his influence on USA soccer has dropped a lot. I expect to hear him produce a fairly good rendition of "If I Only had a Brain" during one of his interviews. But he was better at his position than any other USA player except maybe Pope or Reyna.
. You are entitled to your opinions, but I really don’t get the Donovan disrespect… “If I only had a brain…” Come on, man… You might not like or respect the guy, but the USMNT had its biggest breakthrough moments with him on the team. I don’t get the need to denigrate a guy that had a major impact on the success of the team and program.