Why Pulisic is at his best with Milan, and are Barca doing enough to protect Yamal?

Welcome to a new season of Onside/Offside! Luis Miguel Echegaray shares his point of view on the latest headlines in the soccer world, including standout performances, games you might have missed, what to keep an eye on in the coming days and of course, what deserved extra love and criticism. This week: Christian Pulisic‘s time in Milan, Chelsea under Enzo Maresca, a preview of Man United vs. Tottenham, and the need to protect Lamine Yamal.

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ONSIDE

In Milan, Christian Pulisic has finally found a home

It’s a Tuesday night at the iconic San Siro stadium as AC Milan kicks off against Liverpool in their Champions League opener. It hasn’t even been three minutes of action and Christian Pulisic has already scored. Running down the right wing with dogged determination, the 26-year-old American picks up the ball and drives toward Alisson’s goal. His Milan teammates call for the ball as they enter the box, but Pulisic only has one thing on his mind and places it on the far post as the Brazilian goalkeeper has no chance to stop it. 1-0 to Milan. Liverpool end up winning the game, but Pulisic’s goal (his third of the season in all competitions) is not forgotten.

Five days later, in the same historic ground, comes another massive test against a major opponent — and this time, it’s personal, because it’s against Milan’s mortal rival, Internazionale. What makes matters worse, Milan has not won the Derby della Madonnina in their past six straight attempts, so something has to give, especially as this season has not started too well for the Rossoneri under Paulo Fonseca.

At the 10th-minute mark, Pulisic steals the ball from Henrikh Mkhitaryan and once again, like the Tasmanian Devil from Looney Tunes, the Pennsylvania native drives towards goal with tunnel vision. Four Inter players crowd him, but they can’t get the ball from him. It’s a Messi-esque run. Pulisic slots it past Yann Sommer, giving Milan fans déjà vu with another early lead.

This time the rot against Inter is over. Milan wins 2-1 and throughout the game, Fonseca’s gamble of utilizing Pulisic in this aggressive strategy pays off. He now has four goals and two assists in all competitions. But the interesting thing is that Pulisic has been doing this even before Fonseca’s arrival, which was this summer after replacing former manager Stefano Pioli.

— Lega Serie A (@SerieA_EN) September 24, 2024

So you can’t call it a sudden burst. In fact, last season under Pioli, the only time Pulisic didn’t score or assist for the club was a time frame of five matches between January and February. His first campaign for Milan ended with 15 goals and 11 assists. He was involved in nearly 30% of the team’s goals. Despite the change in manager, the productivity has not slowed down. If anything, it’s gotten better.

Part of the reason for Pulisic’s success is the system, especially in baiting which is a focal point of Fonseca’s style. When Milan has the ball, they invite pressure. They ask for the opponent to press, and when it does, Milan pounce. Pulisic, who loves to be direct going forward, thrives on this. He also doesn’t need to worry about covering width when Milan doesn’t have possession as he is encouraged to be more central to Álvaro Morata, and that allows him to be more of a second striker and get involved in goal-creating chances.

But the other reason for his great form is off the pitch. Pulisic has embraced Italian football culture. His passion has been reborn thanks to Serie A.

“Being in Italy this past year, and just seeing the passion of the fans and walking around the city, the feeling that you get … it’s different,” he told CBS Morning this summer, during Milan’s preseason tour. “It’s tough to find something like that in America at the moment, it really is special, so just to be part of this historic club — you know, I’m really lucky.”

He is in a place that has welcomed his game, and the feeling has been reciprocated. So here’s to the boy from Hershey, Pennsylvania, who has finally found his home in northern Italy.

Under Maresca, Chelsea finally have an identity

There’s a storm brewing in regards to Chelsea’s ownership battle and, given they are stockpiling players with over 40 members in the squad, it’s not like the west London club hasn’t got things to deal with. But at least, the product on the pitch is looking promising.

I have to tip my hat to manager Enzo Maresca. I thought it would take time for him to figure this out, especially as it was his first ever season as a Premier League manager and he was entering a circus.

But on the pitch, at least so far, Maresca has given this Chelsea squad an identity which is suited for the personnel. Since losing to Man City in the opening weekend, Chelsea are undefeated in the league and currently on a three-game winning streak in all competitions. They are the second-highest-scoring club in the Premier League after Man City and the goals are coming from everywhere.

Let’s begin with Nicolas Jackson. The Senegalese striker has now scored four goals and assisted two in six league appearances. What’s even better for Chelsea is that Jackson is also helping others flourish as he and Cole Palmer have become a tenacious duo, combining for 10 goals since the beginning of the year. It’s the highest productivity in the league by two players.

But it’s not just about them.

We all know the talents of Noni Madueke, but it has often been in fragments. Not this season. The 22-year-old winger has been electrifying, scoring three goals, while Christopher Nkunku has also gotten on the scoresheet and gaining confidence. And how about Jadon Sancho? He has three assists in three consecutive league matches for the first time since his Dortmund days.

What I love about Chelsea is that due to the pace and agility of their squad, Maresca has made them a counter-attacking monster. Against West Ham, they showed their thread throughout, capitalizing on mistakes by the home side. Due to their rapid pace, football intelligence and depth (I haven’t talked about João Félix or Pedro Neto), they are so fast at penetrating the box, and because of their confidence, they put them away. And they’re doing it away from home, too. Chelsea have scored 10 league goals this season away from Stamford Bridge in their first three matches, which is something they have never done in the Premier League. In fact you have to go back to 1925-26 for that statistic.

Quite simply, Chelsea are confident, almost arrogant (in a good way) and loving every minute of it.

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OFFSIDE

On the overwhelming schedule, the rise of injuries and Lamine Yamal

I have been writing about the staggering schedules and lengthy injuries in the men’s game for a long time. Just under a year ago, Barcelona and Spain‘s Gavi was the focal point. By November 2023 — at 19 years old — Gavi had already accumulated 10,000 minutes for Barcelona and Spain since making his professional debut. Then, he suffered an ACL knee injury for Spain during a qualifying game against Georgia and was out until his return to training earlier this month.

A year later and more knee injuries continue to dominate the headlines, and it’s not just about Barcelona. They’re everywhere. Per a study from The Athletic, last season saw a 15% spike in injuries in the Premier League, and I have little doubt that this season, the figure will be higher. There was also a 55% rise in hamstring injuries on a four-season average. Some reports have stated that this season has seen 30 knee injuries in one month across the European game.

Now, here’s where I turn to Lamine Yamal, who at 17 years old, is arguably the best player in the game right now and shining for Barcelona. This season, he has started every game under manager Hansi Flick and has not been taken off before the 80th minute. On Wednesday night, against a physical Getafe, he played the whole game. Flick has stated that he doesn’t need a rest as the club has all the necessary analytical information to ensure that he is fine to keep going.

Now, obviously, the club has more information on Yamal’s work rate than yours truly, but this doesn’t alleviate my worry for the young superstar. After all, he is 17 years old and I think we often disregard a young athlete’s capability to endure game after game because well, they’re young. We feel that they’re indestructible. But they’re not, and what’s even more alarming is that the rise of serious injuries is growing on young athletes. A report by Sky Sports last year stated that for every ACL reconstruction being done to one young person 20 years ago in the U.K., there are now 29 times more operations.

In the women’s game, the numbers are worrying. A summer report by ACLWFC gathered 435 ACL injuries in top leagues since 2022. This year, there have been 94 so far.

My point is that Yamal’s brilliance needs to be protected. His minutes need to be carefully managed because we are living at a time when professional players are playing more games than ever, and age is not being considered as much as it ought to be. I want to enjoy Yamal’s genius for many years to come. I know that Barcelona and Spain fans feel the same.

Man United vs. Tottenham: Two sides of the same coin

In a perfect world, this would be the type of matchup that United and Spurs fans should look forward to. There is talent across the board, two managers with European and international pedigree and the promise of a good battle for a top-four spot. And yes, it’s early in the season, so it’s not like the writing is already on the wall but such is the voracious nature of the Premier League‘s title and European race that Manchester United (11th) vs. Tottenham Hotspur (10th) currently feels like a battle for a participation medal.

I don’t mean any disrespect. I am only pointing out that in a league with the almost-omnipotent Man City, a legitimate title-chaser in Arsenal, a high-flying Aston Villa, a strong, smart Liverpool, a newly-energized Chelsea and the continued presence of Newcastle United, it’s time for everyone to realize that the “Big Six” notion is a postcard from a photo album.

Things are not the same anymore and the power rankings are not what they used to be. Man City and Arsenal dominate the top tier but after that? The competition is plentiful and United and Spurs are currently at the bottom of it. Who knows what surprise package could also come from Brighton, Fulham or even Nottingham Forest? All are currently above United and Spurs.

The main issue for both is consistency. They have the exact record, just arranged differently. After five matches, they have earned two wins, two losses and a draw. Equally, both have rebounded after losing to their rivals but have also suffered from some worrying performances.

For United, they can’t score goals. They create chances but fail to find the back of the net on multiple occasions. Against Crystal Palace, they generated 15 chances but did not score on any of them, ending the game in a stalemate.

For Spurs, they are terrible away from home. Since Nov. 2023, no present Premier League team has recorded fewer away wins (3) than Tottenham, per Opta. Postecoglou’s Spurs are also the type of team that needs a lot of time to get going in a game. Now, that’s not necessarily a bad thing as only Man City — since the start of last season — have gained more points than Spurs from losing positions. But if you want to be a Champions League-worthy team, you have to do more than that. You can’t just be a comeback king. You have to control matches from early stages.

I am intrigued to see the reactions after this game because I think if either suffers a bad loss (mainly more for Ten Hag), the huffs and puffs of disappointment could grow into something bigger.

Final word

EA FC 25 is officially out today. Having departed from their FIFA license, EA Sports have released their second edition of the newly-named franchise. I have played it. It’s great. There are tweaks to the debut version and also major changes including Rush, a fast-paced 5v5 feature replacing Volta, the previous feature which allowed users to play street-style football.

Now you’ll know what happens if my wife divorces me, it’s because I’ll be spending a lot of time on Career mode trying to sign Jamal Musiala instead of cleaning our house.