CP's mom was also a college player and probably played a big part in laying the foundation for his skills.
Voltaire: "the perfect is the enemy of the good". Having parents who were serious soccer pros guarantees nothing, but it gives you a head start over most kids.
From what I remember he would play soccer non-stop as a very young kid and his parents would have to take the ball away from him at times. His dad's indoor team also had some Brazilian players who would show Pulisic a trick and wouldn't stop until he could replicate it it. So he did have help but most was an internal work ethic very few in any sport possess. Wouldn't be surprised if almost all of the greats in sports have that drive and work ethic.
I would say a key for Puli is despite being exceptional as a prospect here in the states, he didn’t suffer from the big fish in a small pond mindset as he repeatedly had experienced being in environments around other elite prospects overseas. Too many prospects here are insulated and think too highly of themselves as their only comparison is our player pool. Try training at La Masia three times as a kid like Puli. That offers true perspective as that’s your future comp if you want to make it at the top levels
two athletic parents who understood the game .... as a kid he had the drive to perfect his game in a way that his parents had to stop him from overtraining himself (he was/is very self driven) ... he had decent youth coaches that knew enough to let him be himself ... Hershey is not known for helicopter parents ... if you see some of his youth videos he was always playing up in age and size and was used to doing exactly what he did against Inter .... steal the ball ... drive with pace right at the opponent ... and with quick feet and skills it would require yielding a PK to stop him ... what he has learned greatly (credit to Chelsea) is the art of defending ... even given his small size ...
Leao' is a physical specimen and talent ... Puli simply has a better work ethic in the run of play .... so far which one is helping ACM win? To me ... it is a no brainer.
The Guardian declares it, so it must be true.............. Fast and furious: this is the best version of Christian Pulisic we’ve ever seen A selection:
Leao is very good for Pulisic. Leao is a wild card who makes defenses nervous and opens up space in the attacking 1/3 - 1/2 - And Pulisic is a more disciplined player who has become very effective at exploiting those opens. On top of that CP is playing with such confidence. Really fun to watch. Now if AC can get its act together it could be a really fun year, esp with Inter giving everyone a little room.
As soon as Morata returned from injilury, he's out injured again. At this rate, Milan would be lucky to have half a season's worth out of him. https://www.google.com/amp/s/sempremilan.com/cm-morata-suffers-muscle-injury-replacement/amp
As Pulisic and Royal partnership and understanding grow, the right side would be just as great of a threat as the left side for Milan. And perhaps become a more consistent threat.
(sigh) You're right - it wasn't from a free kick! Folks, don't grow old. The memory is one of the first things to get hazy...
Weird that he is having these fitness issues. When he was at Juventus, he was normally quite reliable. Taking off my Juventino hat, that's unfortunate for Milan. I feel that they seem better/more dangerous with him on the field.
I'm not convinced of that. You can't compare Leao to an empty space, you have to compare him to another player they could buy for 40-60M Euros. I like watching him when he is on his game but damn, how often is that?
The problem with Leao is Theo and Reijnders being out there too. You can't have Leao/Theo on the left, plus Reijnders in the middle, and have any chance of preventing goals. Those three just don't do defense. Maybe you could deal with two of the three playing, but definitely not all three.
Leao and Theo were both on the left when Leao won POY in Italy. Leao doesn't do much defending but the other 2 are quite OK at it
Well you could spend your 40-60M Euros on better midfielders and defenders and buy a cheap 10M winger. That would definitely hurt Pulisic as suggested by the original poster.
And CP has played with many other players on the oppo wing - any number of whom would be in an AC Milan starter price range. So we can compare. Leao may not be the "best" for CP, but it's hard to argue CP has not been producing well with Leao on the field with him.
I mean Muddy was what, 90 mill... so it's not like we don't have data points. And again, the point is not "only" Leao would be good for CP, but I do think having a guy on the opposite touch who likes to stay wide, is mecurial and dangerous, is good for CP, esp when he has to play wing. It shifts the weight of the defense to (their) right, makes them play off a bit, and opens space for CP. I think he is less effective when a team can clog the space between the 18 and 30 and collapse into a tighter packed formation - when there is someone who can draw out the wide defenders it opens space for CP that plays to his strengths.