Nice match from Musah. Love to see him getting his confidence back. His job was more defensive today but I'm sure we'll see some of his surging runs soon.
it was interesting to see someone who can physically match Vini's speed and yet not have mentally own him ...
Musah CONCACAF'd him. That is a pretty good summation of what happens to our fast guys in CONCACAF where most teams have fast physical defensive type players. Not easy to go up against them for anyone. I'm guessing most lack offensive skills at a high enough level to get a move to a top club.
For those who enjoy match analysis, Musah and Pulisic are featured quite a bit ... https://sempremilan.com/tactical-analysis-of-real-madrid-1-3-ac-milan "This is where it gets interesting. Milan – who played a 4-2-4 zonal approach all season – decided to play a 5-2-3 or a 5-4-1 shape off the ball, using the zonal system but with particular attention to Real’s talisman Vinicius Junior, Fonseca used Musah as the right wing-back to help Emerson Royal outnumber his compatriot 2v1 in a tactical battle that got very intriguing quickly. Musah’s strength is his energy which is why he would leap forward whenever Milan had the ball. Here we can see how wide he played to stretch the Madrid defense. One big positive was how Milan engaged in wonderful positional play with Pulisic and Musah showing positional awareness while the team played patiently and passed around Madrid." There's a lot more - with photos illustrating the positional ideas - fun reading (after a big win).
More praise ... https://sempremilan.com/why-musah-real-madrid-fonseca-thought "La Gazzetta dello Sport writes how Musah is the player that ‘every coach would like to have in his team’. Paulo Fonseca has discovered a wild card, someone who answered the call and helped tame the Ballon d’Or runner-up Vinicius Junior. To do so, the American used his three best weapons: reliability, adaptability and attentiveness. He was the tactical needle that allowed the Rossoneri to create a five-man line in the non-possession phase, which proved decisive in blocking off Real’s dangerous left side. The numbers bear witness to the success of the plan: Musah had 88% pass completion rate (including two key passes), three dribbles out of three completed, three blocks and six out of 12 ground duels won."
It seems Fonseca got Musah to play the way his other coaches wanted him to play without success. Props to Fonseca. It's about time. The savvy Italian media are nudging him along. Wish our soccer media were that good.
Don't know if I agree with one of his strengths being "attentiveness". He's usually guilty of a ball watching moment or two, which has been part of the reason why he's not had great success in high traffic areas in the middle. I think he falls into the trap that a lot of great players fall in to: as youths they were better and stronger and faster than their peers and they could afford to check out here and there. If he can stay locked in, he'll be a starter in no time.
He is still pretty young, and enough there for a coach to want to help him develop. He stayed pretty locked in on his assignments at RM and was instrumental in making life difficult for one of the most feared left sides in world football. It speaks volumes to me that Fonseca put him in that spot in the first place. He has the requisite skills and ability to be a squad player now, but if he cleans things up a bit and finds a final ball he has a really high ceiling. When dude is in beast ball carrying mode it is like some sort of dream for me and reminds me of how far we have come as a footballing nation.
We need to move this thread to the front burner and keep it there. Milan's crowded schedule ahead - two matches/week every week - should offer plenty of playing time. Up next: Sat Nov 23 Milan (T-7th) v Juventus (6th) Tue Nov 26 Milan at Slovan Bratislava (CL Matchday 5) Sat Nov 30 Milan v Empoli (10th) Tue Dec 3 Milan v Sassuolo (Coppa Italia) Fri Dec 6 Milan at Atalanta (2nd) Wed Dec 11 Milan v Crvena Zvezda (CL Matchday 6) Sun Dec 15 Milan v Genoa (T-15th) Fri Dec 20 Milan at Verona (T-13th) *** Short Winter Break ***
Until aged 9, when his family moved to London. The point still stands. Languages learned in high school and adulthood can and will be forgotten. The languages spoken as a child - in the streets, in the kindergarten, in elementary school - can be forgotten but will always be there, below the surface, waiting to be reactivated. Once awoken, they come back mighty fast.
Intersetingly Musah's crosses are getting more dialed in as the game goes on. The last couple have some swerve to them and have been dangerous. Maybe getting a run out there for Milan and the US is starting to lead to some consistency and improvement?
Mediocre from Musah but just a dreadful attacking performance all around. Can't say he was any worse than Leao, Morata, RLC or reijnders today.
A lot of 5's and 5.5's today - no one better than a 6. Musah (5.5): It was a good defensive display by the American and frankly, it was needed given how Emerson Royal struggled. In attack, however, he played way too many hit-and-hope passes (above all crosses) with no real destination.