Take your orange glasses off for a minute. Tillman would be a better prospect for Milan than Reijnders was when he arrived. But, unlike Reijnders, who had to overperform his historical production for a season, all Tillman will need to do is maintain what he has been doing and he will end up being sold on by Milan for more than Reijnders is going for. No telling how things might work out for him if he does go to Milan, but the boots-to-fill are not as big as some of you think. And yeah, this is a Tillman thread. And Tillman is being linked to Milan in order to replace Reijnders. So it's a pretty relevant discussion. I mean, what else are we going to discuss these days?
Tillman has outperformed anything Reijnders ever did at AZ. It's not illogical to assume he can do the same when he moves to a better league.
You know I'm a pretty level-headed, consistent Tillman supporter (who I wager has seen more of his club games than about anyone on here) but Tillman having a bright future does not diminish Reijnders two very good seasons at Milan. My concern with Tillman at Milan is more about Milan than Tillman. I just don't think that kind of coaching revolving door, apparent backoffice intrigue and pressure on an unsettled team is necessarily ideal for a guy in his position. But barring injury anyone who picks up Tillman is likely to make some money on him. He's a very talented player who has slowly but surely improved his understanding of the game. I'd only expect that to continue.
German developed but U.S International. His success is not a reflection of our progress with youth development but I’m happy he is with the USMNT like other foreign developed players like Dest, Jedi, Johnny, Musah, Balogun.
I'd rather he stayed at PSV to begin with and certainly that over Milan. Another season in the CL shop window should elicit offers from better sides
Did you notice how much the total value of the AZ squad was, compared to that of Malik's PSV? Anyway, you're in denial about the qualities of Reijnders, which he displayed not only for AC, but also in the Orange Squad. I find it odd, that you're trumpetting something not shared by raters all over Europe, about him, just to lift Malik up. https://www.sportsdunia.com/football-analysis/top-10-best-midfielders-in-the-world Malik has not shown what he is worth to the US by your standards, while Reijnders faced the best countries in the FIFA top 10 and was influential and had impact for the Orange Squad. And to be elected as the Best midfielder of the Serie A is a bit strange, if he's what you paint him to be. I think the Poch would be over the moon if Malik shows on the pitch half of what Reijnders showed against France, Germany, Spain, Turkey and England.
It's a bit sad, if some need to diss top players in order to praise the one they like. I've been defending Malik in here numerous occasions and in the natioal team threads. So it's obvious I think highly of him, but he's nowhere the level of Reijnders (yet).
Much closer to four years, even. Why is it dissing Reijnders to say that Tillman can be as good as him? That could easily just be a vote of confidence in Tillman
Because he literally was dissing Reijnders earlier. Not simply comparing the two. There are number of posts arguing the TR is not that good.
I mean, we don't need to "see how" he does at Man City, as we've seen how he's done for 2 years at Milan - and AZ before that. I personally think he could have trouble at Man City as they're a bit off the boil and there's a lot of pressure after a pretty uninspiring (for them) season (after a ridiculous run of success.) But whatever happens, TR played among the most minutes for AC over the past 2 seasons, stepped up his goal scoring when needed and was all around impressive to most any objective observer. If Tillman transfers to AC and has 2 seasons like TR did, and transferred to one of EPLs top clubs for 35 mill, I doubt we'd see anyone but that one Tillman-phobe not rave it being a smash success of a couple seasons.
They are stylistically different, but Malik Tillman has the tools to be much better than Reijnders. During his first season at Milan, Reijnders was inconsistent and didn’t have a regular impact.
I have never rated Reijnders. He was bad last season and he was a detriment to the team this season with his lack of defensive effort and/or ability in midfield. He’s a guy that had a career year in goals. Milan realized it’s likely an exception and cashed in. The new manager will not want a midfield built around players that are so one dimensional. So out go Reijnders and — likely — Musah, since they are one dimensional and have some value. Say whatever you want about Tillman, but the guy is anything but one dimensional. He’s a playmaking goal scorer that gets stuck in. If he can stay healthy I do believe he would be a far better midfielder for Milan than Reijnders ever was.
We know. We know... lol. and, as we know, I like them both. Tilme will tell if Tillman can be as good or "far better" than TR. I think Tilllman is a very smart player who tends to build into situations a bit slowly - as does TR come to think of it. Tillman could be a more influential player than Reijnders, but "far better" is a high bar. It would quite awesome if he gets there. If he does, he's our best outfield player ever, which would be excellent.
Reijnders had a career year for himself and Milan had a terrible year for the team. Reijnders was a bad fit for their midfield. Is he a terrible player? Of course not. But he’s obviously not what Milan needed. Again, I think Tillman is much closer to what they need. I think Weston McKennie is another player that has characteristics Milan desperately need if they want to be able to get back in the CL spots with the attack going through Leao (or whoever they get to replace him).
please let me say, this is complete nonsense and a bizarre take. He and CP were clearly the best players on AC Milan.
I This same sentence could equally apply to CP then (TR and CP had almost identical seasons) - and if Tillman were to be "far better" than CP he's clearly the US' best field player ever. Which, again, would be awesome, but I'm not convinced this equation is based in reality. Anyway - we're dancing in circles. And only time (and a Tillman transfer to Milan) would solve this hypothetical so let's see what happnes to Tillman, who we both agree is a very good player with a bright future (as long as he stays healthy).
I think what Milan need is defense, defense, defense, and a DM who can help control and retain the ball. Also a good manger who can put his stamp on the team. The offense has been alright and TR is part of that.