GdS: Time for waiting is over – Pulisic begins mission to re-conquer Milan positively

Christian Pulisic got his first minutes of the season in the comeback against Lazio, and he showed AC Milan what they had been missing.

According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, Ruben Amorim was right, not that it was too hard to believe. The coach revealed that Pulisic was decidedly angry after spending the first three games entirely on the bench.

When a player finds himself in that situation, he has two options: sulk or take that anger onto the pitch and transform it into constructive energy. The former Chelsea man – who will turn 28 in a few days and is therefore in his professional prime – chose the second option.

It took him only one half at the Stadio Olimpico to remind everyone what he’s capable of generating in the attacking midfield, and to create a gap between himself and all the other players. He looked and looks a far more natural interpreter of the playmaker role than those who tried before him.

A strong statement

Many fans and pundits wondered why the Portuguese coach waited so long to give Pulisic his first minutes. There had even been rumours of alleged disagreements. In reality, it was Amorim himself who clarified the situation on the eve of the trip to Rome.

He clarified: “He had an injury in the summer, and then in the first training session he took a knock and stopped.” This is the practical explanation. Then, however, there was an interesting addition from the new manager.

“I won’t remove anyone who is doing well just to put a ‘name’ on the field. This is my way of managing the group, and I will die with these principles. You have to understand the context and my history to understand why I make certain choices.”

In other words: Pulisic could have played earlier, but the coach chose the player who has so far given him the answers he was looking for in training. Amorim is merely telling the honest truth when he explains that he’s never chosen his line-ups based on a player’s price or profile.

Anger transformed

The part about Pulisic being angry is also interesting. It is a mental state that the coach wants to see transformed into motivation on the pitch. In any case, the Portuguese concluded: “Pulisic is important and will play a lot of games.”

Considering the struggles of Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Adrien Rabiot and Aleis Saelemaekers in those areas, this becomes obvious. Yet, Christian absolutely needs to get back to scoring, which he hasn’t done since last December 28th, against Verona.

The hope was that the World Cup would bring a new lease of life but the USA were eliminated in the round of 16 by Belgium, a match in which Pulisic sustained a serious injury, a microfracture to his tibia that ruined much of his summer preparation.

Pulisic, despite his lean and agile physique, has never been known for his rapid recovery from physical problems. Getting back into shape always takes time, and this is probably another reason why Amorim waited so long. The match in Rome, however, proved that the waiting time is over.