A Cagliari player punched Yunus Musah in the back of the head and no card was given 😳 pic.twitter.com/SJZHOKagUa— USMNT Only (@usmntonly) September 27, 2023 https://x.com/goonerbuzz/status/1707135941486461061?s=20
That was much worse than I imagined. If the system works, the offender will get a decent suspension. If it doesn't, and he doesn't, then what's the point (of having video review)?
Musah had a strong 61 minute appearance as a substitute in Milan's victory today over Lazio. September has been a very good month for him.
I’m enjoying the translated Pioli, I find his more open approach refreshing. “In my opinion, when Calabria had the ball, both Pulisic and Loftus always worked as short options, so whoever received the ball was easily markable. We should have gone deep with one of them. “Yunus has more insertion characteristics, a lot of running. He’s growing, I would like him to be a little more disciplined without the ball for how we want to work but we can allow some inattention for all the energy and quality that he put into the match.” This could really be that season of growth that takes Musah to a new level.
Musah can really ride a challenge. The ball gets real sticky once he gets foot on it, it appears extremely difficult to take it from him. Pioli's comments are interesting to me because I remember at one point thinking where the hell is Yunus and what the hell is he doing way over there. Good game from him, and I think he will get plenty of minutes if he keeps this up.
Reading the Milan threads about yesterday's match on Reddit, I've started to notice some non-US Milan fans question why Valencia fans were so negative on Musah. A great sign - let's hope it continues!
SempreMilan with an educated guess for tomorrow's CL match at Dortmund: Probable Milan XI (4-3-3): Maignan; Calabria, Thiaw, Tomori, Theo Hernandez; Reijnders, Musah, Pobega; Pulisic, Giroud, Leao. {Rade Krunic and Ruben Loftus-Cheek out injured} Edit: Corrected today to tomorrow.
Pulisic does come short a little too often sometimes, playing with his back to goal around midfield. Astute point there.
From the SempreMilan preview, expecting Musah to start … “The result tonight could well come down to some key battles, starting with the one between Yunus Musah and Marco Reus. Reus has been playing a more central role under Edin Terzic and he has scored three goals in the Bundesliga this season, making him arguably their main threat. Meanwhile, Milan are without both Ismael Bennacer and Rade Krunic who are the most natural deep-lying midfielders in the squad, so the task should fall on Musah’s shoulders. He has played as a No.6 for the USA and has performed well – a performance of maximum concentration is the order of the night.“
If he starts, this is a big f-ing game for him. I know he played in a WC knockout match, but I think this one would be "bigger" - have a greater resonance in his development as a club player, building trust with his coaches. Hoping for a coming out party for Yunis today. We will see.
I have to say this, while Pioli gets a lot of criticism from Milan fans (some valid some not so much) I think he's the perfect coach for both Musah and Puli. Pioli does a good job of balancing encouragement and criticism. When you see what he says about Musah he is always heaping praise but also is pretty blunt on what Musah needs to work on.
Starts https://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/match/2039109--dortmund-vs-milan/ Big opportunity for Musah. Hope it goes well.
Musah has a real chance to continue putting his stamp on his new club. It is clear that RLC is currently their first choice right-sided 8 but he has a legit injury history... so in steps Musah. <fingers-crossed> He has looked good for Milan so far.
He didn't get a ton of touches... but when involved he looked dynamic for sure. In this case, the lack of touches may have been a good thing because there were a lot of bad one from the midfielders/defenders in the 1st half. Milan lost a ton of duels in the midfield in the first half and more often than not when they won them they wasted the counter on a poor pass. Milan look a bit shaky right now. Hoping they can clean it up in the 2nd half.
Very solid game for Musah considering the circumstances/experience in the CL. He is still clearly about a 75 minute player as he nearly always runs out of gas near the end of a 90 minute stint. But I am impressed with his ability to play multiple midfield rolls on such a big stage.
He is so good but I really hope his conditioning can improve. It’s so noticeable anytime he plays more than 70 minutes - either huffing and puffing like he just finished a marathon, or just flat out cramping up and needing a sub. He’s not the same player late in the game when a second wind is needed. No harm no foul today though.