Comments

1. LDT had an assist on Celta Vigo’s 1st goal v Getafe. It’s cool that he has teammates who can finish his passes unlike last season w/ Heracles. Starting in LM at either the wide or the central midfield in a predominantly 4-4-2. Was starting in LM in a 4-3-3 for Heracles.

   Reply

2. Man Eupen is really bad

   Reply

3. Musah and Pulisic making an impact for AC Milan
   McKennie and Weah starting for Juventus (on the same side of the field)
   Tilman (scored) and Dest starting for PSV (on the same side of the field!!!)

   These are good times for the USMNT players!!!!! Hope their playing time and these comraderies here and there translates to good performances on the field when they all play together.

   Reply

4. Captain America himself. Not only did he come in to save the day for AC Milan with the only goal of the game……but also was first in line to volunteer to go in goal when Mike Maignan was given a red card (and Milan had no subs left). An absolutely selfless showing of maturity and dedication. Words of Pioli himself:

   ““Pulisic wanted to go in goal because he’s probably done it in the past, but we were facing a free kick and I told him he was too short (5ft 8in/173cm). As Milan’s tallest attacking player, it was left up to 6ft 3in Olivier Giroud to fill Maignan’s XL green jersey.”

   Talk about ownership and leadership……proud of you kid!!!!!

   Reply

   • Bizzy, this is the worst example of leadership you could’ve posted. A person who volunteers for a job that they aren’t qualified for is either over zealous or gullible and has nothing to do with being a good leader. What you just proved is how very little awareness CP has. He’s too short to play GK, so let’s volunteer for the job anyway?! This is what children do. Grown men don’t follow that nonsense, lol. Men tell children to go sit down and stay out of the way. Man, a lot of us have not been making any sense with these comments as of late.

     Reply

     • Pulisic’s second sport is basketball. He allegedly can dunk a basketball.
       I doubt he thinks he’s too short for anything.

       Having said that it was pretty clear towards towards the end that there might be a number of set pieces and the point of the 6’4″ Ollie in goal is that he understood that the physicality involved was about to get ramped up big time. Giroud has the body and, as a target guy center forward the awareness to deal with it and now he can use his hands.

       Pioli made the right call.

     • Ok 2 think,
       you are indeed clueless or have never been part of any strong team or organization, sorry to say. That’s how leaders are evaluated on many teams, groups, organizations and elite units (especially the Military). A good leader will step up confidently to take on the task at hand when something needs to be done, and not leave it to others around them to act. As a leader, you need to be confident enough in yourself and your abilities…….enough to take yourself out of your comfort zone, overcome your fear and try to take responsibility / control of the burden in front of you, especially in a big moment with a lot on the line.
       Followers do not step up in big moments only leaders…….and I bet you his coach has mad respect for him.

     • “Followers do not step up in big moments only leaders…….and I bet you his coach has mad respect for him.”

       In the big moments what you want from your leaders is that they do the right thing.

       Pioli , the manager after all, was the leader here, and he made the right call.

       No one ever questioned Pioli’s respect for Christian. That doesn’t mean Pioli is going to let CP make a mistake and play keeper in this situation. High level athletes often believe they can do anything. It is why they are high level athletes.
       That does not mean they are always right.

       Leaders save their followers from themselves. CP is lucky to have such a leader as his manager.

     • Vacqui,
       Hahaha, Pioli is the manager for a reason……he makes the final assessment then the final call, but selected or not, what does that have to with Christian Pulisic stepping up as a leader?? Nothing….
       To have a young player with the mentality of taking it upon himself, and believing in his abilities to help his team during a rough patch …..is pure leadership.
       I’m struggling to see what your comment is even about

     • bizzy,

       “I’m struggling to see what your comment is even about”

       Pulisic made a brave but foolish gesture. You praised him for it and that was a bit over the top.

       Pulisic did a vital part scoring the goal. Now he can let the rest of the team do their part in making his goal stand. He doesn’t have to do it all himself. It’s a small but very important leadership lesson. We’re a team and we help each other, we pick each other up. It’s not all about you.

       I don’t think anyone here thinks Pulisic isn’t brave. As for leadership, what Pulisic did was show how impetuous and self centered he can be at times. What Pulisic did was not that big a deal but praising it sends the wrong message.

       Pulisic is still a young man and a young pro.

       People here criticize him for his frequent “hero ball” tendencies with the USMNT. He does that because he is young and impatient and sometimes just decides to try and do it all himself. That will change as he matures.
       Which is good because this USMNT needs mature leadership from all its vets but especially from Christian. So the sooner he matures, the better. I’m confident that Milan is a great step in his maturation process. It should make him a more thoughtful professional

       The hero ball stuff does not come out so much in Europe because he has more competent players and managers on his team.

     • Vacqui,
       ” Now he can let the rest of the team do their part in making his goal stand”
       that’s a followers mentality……kind of like the Diffusion of responsibility, that can only be overcome by individual that take charge and ownership.

       “Diffusion of responsibility is a sociopsychological phenomenon whereby a person is less likely to take responsibility for action or inaction when other bystanders or witnesses are present. The more bystanders present, the more likely an individual will expect someone else to take action and avoid taking any responsibility themselves”…….something a true leader who takes ownership in any given situation will not do.

       I don’t know why it bothers you that I praise Christian Pulisic but the kid is proving at a high level what it takes to be a future leader for AC Milan……and is stepping up when others around him are not.

     • “I don’t know why it bothers you that I praise Christian Pulisic but the kid is proving at a high level what it takes to be a future leader for AC Milan……and is stepping up when others around him are not.”

       Who were those others who were “not stepping up”?

       That’s ridiculous. Pioli had it under control. His job was to pick who would go into goal and he did that.

       Pulisic had his own job, he was still one of the 10 men on the field and had his defensive responsibilities during the the last few minutes.

       They needed him to be a defender not a keeper.

       You’re making Pulisic out to be a hero when he wasn’t. It’s nice that he was willing to help but that does not make him a hero.

5. McKennie’s form has been so good and Weah was brought in to be the RWB so finally they get on field together…and for the full 90! Well done boys! Way to force Allegri to get you both on the field at the same time. Although the line-up did look heavily roatated and with Pogba banned there will be an opening in the midfield for McKennie. Still it’s nice to see, especially McKennie, forcing Allegri into decisions with his form.

   Reply

   • “with Pogba banned there will be an opening in the midfield for McKennie.”

     Pogba has 2 appearances, back in August and early September, for Juve this season, one for 24 minutes, the other for 28. He’s missed the other games with “muscle fatigue”. He’s not looked good. We’re probably not going to see him for a while.

     I doubt he has been much of a factor when it comes to decisions on Weston.

     Weah and Mckennie were always going to wind up playing together again because Juve’s midfield this season was always going to need Weston back in there and Weston at RWB was more about Wes being outstanding as opposed to Timo not doing great.

     Reply

6. Probably got away with a handball, but counts just the same now.

   Reply

   • It was hard to tell if it came off the chest or the bicep. Great finish regardless

     Reply

   • I think if it was originally called handball it would have been a handball. But it wasn’t so woot! goal!! Pulisic had surpassed last year’s goal tally at maligant Chelsea in only 8 games.

     Musah seems to have really earned the trust of Pioli. It will be great to see him continue his development there. I wonder where that ceiling is?

     But that game was the typical old Serie A game. I think I dozed of three or more times. I’m glad I stuck with it though. After the 87th minute that was some of the craziest stuff I’ve ever seen. Apparently AC is selling GK jerserys with Giroud’s name on it. Would have been cool to see Pulisic with the gloves on but Giroud’s eyes-squinched-shut save was worth the first 87 minutes of watching the grass grow.

     Reply

     • Agree had it been ruled a handball originally not enough to overturn it. And about the dozing the first 87 minutes.