Malik Tillman

I wonder if everyone is more dangerous from center channels. Certainly ostensibly wide players like CP and Dest are.

 

Pulisic's career productivity is about the same for his starts on the left and centrally.

 

One interesting thing about MT is that he combined effectively for Gs/As with his mids/wings as much/more than with LdJ or strikers. That has a lot to do with PSV's system, but MT was pretty ecumenical in effectiveness, combining with Veerman (3), Saibari (2), Lang (2), LdJ (2), Till (1), Junior (1), Flamingo (1), Bakayoko (1) and Perisic (1) for G/As last season (incomplete list, but gives the idea)

 

You said “playing” in the central channels. I interpreted that to mean the place from which they are most dangerous, not where they start in a formation. I agree that Pulisic is best cutting in from the left.

 

A beast against Ecuador, 6 chances created and the assist and all the usual box score filling defensive work.

Must srart

 

Stop talking about Gio.

 

Baller

 

Looked great.

 

Hoping for the Tillman Balo chemistry to flourish for years to come.

 

Most exciting thing to me is that while the anonymous performances are still happening with his big club periodically, for the US he's been consistently good since June, even the supposed pratfall against El Tri in the Gold Cup Final was rated tied for the 2nd best field player in said match. He's basically been an engine for us since June. A HUGE development with Reyna's career careening off the road over the past four years.

 

Top performance from him. I watched the Spanish broadcast and they had Balogun as the MOTM but for me it was Tillman.

 

I’m on the fence. They both bossed the hell out of that game.

 

Yeah, that was some special stuff out there against that team with that defense. Slicing and dicing.

 

I felt like he was intimidated/deferential in his starts with the a team.
I feel like the GC this summer where it was pretty much where Tillman goes the team goes built the confidence for him to realize “I’m as good or better as anyone in this shirt”. And if that order or events was by design by Poch he’s a ********in genius

 

Tillman is a force.

 

Gio and Musah might have been the biggest losers last night. Man its going to be awful tough for them to get a roster spot now. And frankly that's pretty amazing. Can you imagine saying 2 that 2 years ago? Wow how the depth in midfield has grown.

 

The depth has grown, in part, because Reyna and Musah have become depth players.

 

I was at the game. Balo was causing nightmares for a top defense. They just could not cope with his change of direction and pace. MOTM was Balo for this dude.

 

He benefitted immensely by Tillman’s ubiquitous involvement and facilitation. It was no accident that the US scored on a Balogun goal facilitated and assisted by Tillman.

The play that led to the equalizer began with Tillman pressuring the keeper into a turnover, facilitating a give and go with Tessman to break the last line, and then snapping a fantastic assist to Balogun.

 

Tillman was good but Balo's movement dominated the game. IMHO.

 

Ah, so that’s why you posted this in a Tillman thread.

 

I didnt see the signs and warnings. Thx.

 

Fotmob has Tillman winning the battle 8.0 to 7.5
Sofa has Balo winning the battle 7.6 to 7.5

I just thought both were excellent, they clearly couldn't handle either of them, and Tillman clearly had his concacafed shoes on, he didn't come in soft at all, the intensity was there for everything save the goal celebration lol (and I kinda like his been there, done that, relaxed approach to celebrations).

 

I think for most people that had Balogun as MOTM, it was not entirely about actual actions or what would be covered by fotmob but more about how the defense had to react to him and the pressure he was applying.