It hasn't been an easy season for the club, but they now face their toughest test yet – surviving without Pulisic
The moment Christian Pulisic hobbled off the pitch during Milan's loss to Atalanta, the trajectory of season changed. Whether it changed a little bit or a lot? That's still to be determined but, right now, Milan will have to handle crunch time without the team's top attacking star.
Logistically, Pulisic was somewhat fortunate with his injury, which was diagnosed as a calf issue. No stranger to untimely injuries, Pulisic is set to miss a few weeks with this latest ailment. It is both a relief and a blow for AC Milan. The club will be losing him for some time, but that amount of time, thankfully, isn't wildly significant. Pulisic, if all goes to plan, will be back in early 2025.
The big question: what he'll return to? Even prior to Pulisic's injury, Milan found themselves in a tough spot in the league, struggling to compete at the very top of Serie A. Any bad results will be a damaging to their title chase, if not fatal. There's a worst-case scenario here where Pulisic returns to a Milan team that has fallen totally out of the top-four picture, and the knock-on effects of that would be staggering.
Pulisic has spent this whole season proving that he can be the star at AC Milan. Now, that he's on the shelf, it's up to Milan to prove that they can stay afloat without him. If not? That's the question.
GettyMilan's spot in the table
AC Milan always expect to be among the best, at the minimum, in Serie A. They're Italy's most successful club, with 19 Scudettos, seven Champions League trophies, and countless other accolades and awards.
Over the last few years, though, the level has dipped. They've won the league just since 2011, lifting the trophy in 2022. Last season seemed like a step toward contention, though, as they finished second in what has now turned into a wide-open Serie A race.
Gone are the days of Juventus' unrelenting reign. Now, several teams believe they can compete for a title, from traditional powers like Milan to this season's league leaders Atalanta.
Milan, though, are quickly falling out of that race. Following the 2-1 loss to Atalanta over the weekend, sit seventh in the league, 12 points behind the league leaders. Standing between them are also Napoli, Inter, Fiorentina, Lazio and Juventus, a group of heavy-hitters and Serie A elite.
The title might already be gone, with Milan on just 22 points through 14 games, but the question is now about the top four. Milan are nine points behind Lazio in that race, although they do have a game in hand.
Generally, Milan's season has been up-and-down but, when breaking it down, a lot of the ups have come from the feet of Pulisic.
AdvertisementGettyThe Pulisic effect
There really is no underselling how important Pulisic has been for Milan this season. With five goals in just Serie A, Pulisic is the club's leading scorer, one ahead of second-place Alvaro Morata. With his four assists, Pulisic is leading that category, too, level with Rafael Leao. No player at Milan has contributed to more goals than Pulisic, and that isn't a new phenomenon.
Last season, Pulisic was second on the team in goals, as his 12 trailed only Olivier Giroud's 15. Giroud, of course, is now in MLS with LAFC. When it came to assists, Pulisic finished level with Giroud with eight, with Leao's nine leading the team. In total, Pulisic contributed to 20 Milan goals. Only Giroud impacted the scoresheet more than the USMNT star.
The American has been huge in the Champions League, too. His goal against Liverpool is the only one the Reds have surrendered in Europe this season. His assist against Real Madrid continued his tormenting of the Spanish giants. No matter the competition, Pulisic is the main man. Even Zlatan Ibrahimovic is saying it.
"He is known for being 'Captain America', but he doesn’t like to be 'Captain America'. He doesn’t maybe see himself like a superhero," Zlatan said in the new Pulisic documentary on Paramount+. "He is playing low profile and with his feet on the ground, but you are 'Captain America'. I don’t give a sh*t what you say, you are. If that is more pressure on you, I don’t care. It is his own fault – if you weren’t so good, we wouldn’t ask anything from you."
Milan won't be able to ask anything of Pulisic likely until 2025, and there will be some big games between now and then. The question is obvious: how do you replace him?
GettyAn injury crisis
Milan, as one of the world's biggest clubs, has depth. They have plenty of players that can step into a starting XI and contribute. They probably don't have anyone that can do what Pulisic does, though.
Milan boss Paulo Fonseca, who has come under fire for the team's start this season, has options to replace Pulisic during his temporary absence. Seeing Pulisic as a No. 10, the manager said he'd rely heavily on Ruben Loftus-Cheek to pick up the creative slack from midfield.
"They are different players, but the role is the same and I want the same things," Fonseca ahead of the Champions League. "We can do the same things with Pulisic. In the Champions League the games are a little more open, so maybe there is a little more space for him".
That plan is already out the window, though. Loftus-Cheek was forced out just 28 minutes into Milan's Champions League battle with Red Star Belgrade, prompting Fonseca to turn to Samuel Chukwueze. The winger can start out wide opposite Rafael Leao but, without Pulisic or Loftus-Cheek, there really isn't a creative midfielder in the team.
Fonseca could also start two strikers, putting some combination of Morata, Tammy Abraham or Noah Okafor up front. That seemed like a great plan until Morata, too, was forced out with an early injury on Wednesday, with Abraham taking his place and scoring the eventual winner late on.
Even with these absences, Milan will likely be favored in their upcoming games, which only adds to the pressure on the team as they head into this Pulisic-less period.
Getty Images SportBig games on the horizon
Pulisic already missed Milan's Champions League win over Red Star Belgrade, a game that put them one step closer to the Champions League's knockout rounds. It's Serie A, though, that the club has to worry about. The American looks set to miss at least three Serie A games and, while it isn't quite fair to call them must-wins, they're pretty close.
Up first, Milan will host Genoa, who sit 14th in the league. That's the type of game they'll need all three points from if they want to contend at the very top. After that comes a visit to Verona and, with or without Pulisic, Milan cannot afford to drop any points against a team currently in the relegation zone.
And then, in the final game of 2024, they'll face Roma, a big club that is struggling in the bottom half of the table this season.
To open 2025, Milan will travel to Saudi Arabia for the Supercoppa Italiana, where they'll face Juventus in the semifinal. The hope is that Pulisic can be back by then, but by the time that game rolls around, where will be?
