Yunus Musah: A Talent at Atalanta (Olf AC Milan)

Center mid in a two man midfield.

 

I did not see this coming. This is the absolute best he has played since Valencia. Where did this come from? Desperation? Good job, Yunus.

 

Very good rating of 7.7 on FotMob, as well (grain of salt, but backs up my eye test. Only ranked higher were the keeper and two centerbacks (one of which was the goal scorer). Other stats:

- 53/57 passing (93%)
- 2/3 successful dribbles
- 3 tackles
- 5 recoveries
- 6/9 ground duels won
- 3/5 aerial duals won

 

Maybe they had to break him down to rebuild him?

 

Doubt it. Didn't he get to Atalanta really late? Plus, Atalanta had established starters in central midfield. This timeline is probably what always made the most sense. He's integrated into the system more, and there is a greater need for rotation with injuries, absences, fatigue, etc. at this point in the season.

One of the common issues with BS is that posters jump to conclusions way too quickly when patience/taking a much longer view on things is almost always the more accurate perspective.

 

Musah is another one of those guys who "suffers" from too much hype too early. It's crazy to note that he's 23. The same birth year as M Tillman, (almost) Pepi, Gio, etc. He's just been in the top-team, top-league squad discussion longer. Harder to live up to those expectations. If he'd transferred from Salt Lake or something to Atlanta folks would be demanding a call-up.

 

Data point is that Atalanta was up 11v10 for 87+ minutes after Genoa's goalkeeper was sent off in the 3rd minute.

Really hope Musah will be able to build off of this performance. De Roon is 34 and not getting younger, the position next to Ederson is there to be won!

 

MUSAH NATION WE ARE BACK pic.twitter.com/qqh80vncqt

— ًًً (@_captainpulisic) December 21, 2025

 

Hey! I paid good money for my Office Space Jump to Conclusions mat and therefore I get to use it whenever I like.

 

That's the only way most of us get any exercise - jumping to conclusions!

 

Its one game...I'm waiting to see more.

 

Musah vs Inter:

Man, I really want to fall in love again with this guy and he shows some of those flashes but geez so inconsistent.

Came in at the half in 0-0 game, played RWB. Hugged the far touchline and was fairly defensive focused in the positioning.

His first 3 possessions were fantastic, so technically smooth and confident and gliding by players. But damn the next 5 or so we're rough. 2 were hospital balls where fortunately didnt lose possession, one was a missed 1:2 that was barely ahead of the man, couple crosses that didnt clear the first guy.

The more concerning/unlucky play was him breaking free without the ball diagonally into space and the CB hits him perfectly for musah to do his thing but gets the 1st touch all wrong and loses it.

I havent watched him play in a while, rarely ever see him at RWB. Still obvious quality. Always looking to, dangerously, dribble out of danger. I applaud his style of play, just needs to be more consistent.

 

I think it was positive overall. The mistake on the first touch was a missed opportunity to break forward and could have been dangerous going the other way, but it happens. The weight of his passes wasn't always calibrated, but I think he was still pretty good overall. Had an excellent intervention inside the top of the box after one of the center backs was beaten which prevented a 1v1 opportunity, and was generally good in possession even though he needs to be sharper.

 

Forgot about that sweeping intercepted pass, that was well done.

 

Yunus vs Bologna

Came in at the 68th up 2-0. Started at left wing and then moved to right CM then sorta moved into a 2nd striker the the last 10 minutes. Not a ton of possession but was neat and tidy on each one. Did his shake and bake like always (Aaronson style) to give himself space to move the ball. It's cool to watch. Got fouled a few times and had good hold up play otherwise. Worked hard off the ball on both sides. Good cameo.

 

He was fouled 5 times in 22 minutes - with 17 touches overall

 

I will go check the tracker …

68' Nicola Zalewski is leaving the field to be replaced by Yunus Musah in a tactical substitution.

83' Nadir Zortea is penalised for pushing Yunus Musah.

84' Yunus Musah from Atalanta is ruled offside

90' Nadir Zortea is penalised for pushing Yunus Musah.

90+3' Yunus Musah from Atalanta is ruled offside.

90+4' Nadir Zortea from Bologna goes a bit too far there as the pulls down Yunus Musah.

Could this match have been a new low point for Nadir?

 

Oh, Tim, Tim, Tim....you really don't know the depth of the sighs you induce in me.

 

Musah starts!!! Atalanta (7th, climbing) visiting Pisa (T-19th, leaning into last place). My schematic places him at RWB in a 3-4-2-1.

 

Watched the last ~15 minutes of the first half. Musah was playing pretty high, more winger than fullback. Had a few nice runs with the ball but man, the game is...labored. Not a lot of quality on either side, 99% of the game in the middle third, no cohesive play, no sustained movements

Tough to watch as a neutral

 

Musah subbed off at 56'

 

IMO, you have just described Serie A.

I thought Musah was Atalanta's best player, not sure why they took him off but brought on their starting RWB.

 

Musah was the HT Feature. Match finished 1-1, both goals coming near the end. Musah was active and nearly had an assist in the first half. He came off as part of a triple sub at 56'.

Next up: Champions League on Wednesday, at home vs Athletic Club (Spain)

​

 

I watched his minutes. I thought he did fairly well. He’s still clearly out of position at right wingback, but he is serviceable there. Physically he excelled. I feel like he’s still missing that level of poise that would help him make successful attacking plays and improve ball security. Just a couple instances when his touch was hurried and he would have benefitted from a more confident assurance.