For about half a decade, and for the vast majority of his life revolutionary careerChristian Pulisic can confidently be described as a winger. He was a versatile striker who often wore the No.10 jersey, but he was not yet ready for the vaunted role of central playmaker. It would start largely to the left or largely to the right. He sometimes played a leading role, but sometimes bad. He was most often a peripheral figure – until now, in his small group season.
In just over three months, Pulisic has already contributed to 16 goals for club and country; he scored his 10th of the campaign on Tuesday, in AC Milan’s 3-2 Champions League win over Slovan Bratislava.
And he did it, for the fourth time this month, from a classic No.10 position – the position that has quietly become his own.
On Tuesday, he did it in transition. He teamed up with attacker Tammy Abraham and broke through the heart of the Slovan defense.
For the United States men’s national team over the previous two weeks, he excelled in a similar role and in several phases of the game.
In the first leg of a CONCACAF Nations League quarter-final against Jamaicahe drifted from his typical position on the left wing and floated between the Jamaican lines in search of space. In the fifth minute he found it and slipped a ball to Ricardo Pepi for the only goal of the match.
Four days later, during the return match, his new role seemed to crystallize. With Tim Weah on the left and Yunus Musah on the right, Pulisic played in the center of a 4-2-3-1. This time he spotted a gap in the Jamaican defense, rushed through and latched on to a pass from Weston McKennie to open the scoring.
He then doubled the United States’ lead with a shot from the top of the box – which deflected past Jamaican goalkeeper Andre Blake for an own goal.
And throughout his 68 minutes on the pitch, he looked dangerous, confident and free.
The positional evolution of Christian Pulisic
Pulisic, of course, is no stranger to central areas. He we played it often when we were teenagers. He was number 10 on the US youth national teams. He was a central creator in former USMNT head coach Gregg Berhalter’s early days. “I have played a lot in the middle and I am comfortable there,” he said in 2019.
But at Borussia Dortmund and then Chelsea, he was neither prepared nor confident for the responsibility that comes with a central role in Europe’s elite leagues. He wasn’t strong enough on the ball, nor smart enough off it, nor sharp enough in tight spaces. He was therefore sidelined and tasked with creating from less coveted areas and less dangerous positions.
In the meantime, with the national team, he still had the means a few freedom. But as the USMNT roster solidified around him, his role became more rigid. For years he almost invariably played on the left of a 4-3-3. In possession he moved inside, but his basic position was that of a winger.
SO Mauricio Pochettino has arrived; and in November, Pochettino started tinkering.
Simultaneously, in Italy, AC Milan manager Paulo Fonseca moved Pulisic into the middle. During his last four starts in Serie A and the Champions League, he played between two wingers, between an attacking midfielder and a second striker. He doesn’t go deep to win the ball, like some old-school No.10s would do; rather, he drifts in search of space and detects opportunities to rush behind the opposing defense.
In his biggest match of the season, at the Santiago Bernabeu, against Real Madrid, he created the goal by combining with striker Alvaro Morata and bursting into the half.
For the USMNT, he passed Pepi, but also provided the young striker with quality chances.
Whether in club or country, his movement has been diversified. His actions were dynamic and intelligent.
As a winger earlier this year, he was already playing the best football of his career. His return to a central position appears to be the next step in his ongoing development.
