AC Milan’s roller coaster of the season could take a turn in the right direction on Monday in the Supercoppa Italiana final against Inter, a match in which the focus will be on goalscorer Christian Pulisic to help the club win their first trophy since the 2020-2021 season. to keep watch. season.
Pulisic has been the model of consistency for Milan, despite a season in which Milan lacked form. He scored nine goals and five assists, including a penalty, in Friday’s semi-final against Juventus, Sergio Conceicao’s first game in charge since replacing Paulo Fonseca last week. The sense of reliability Pulisic provides makes him Milan’s most important player, although the stakes are just as high for the US men’s national team star. He will get the chance to lift his first silverware since joining Milan in August 2023, which was a transformative period in his career.
The Supercoppa Italiana wouldn’t be Pulisic’s first club trophy – he played in the 2017 DFB Pokal final which Borussia Dortmund won, while at Chelsea he was awarded winners’ medals for their UEFA Champions League and FIFA Club World Cup victories in 2021. Although These awards are important, they also feel like footnotes in an evolving career, in which the 26-year-old Pulisic went from a promising young talent to one of the the sport’s most relevant goal scorers.
How to watch the Supercoppa Italiana final
- Date: Monday January 6 | Time: 2:00 PM ET
- Location: Al-Awwal Park – Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- TV: CBS Sports Network | Live stream: Biggest+
- Chances: Inter-130; Draw: +260; AC Milan +340
Pulisic has barely missed a goal since joining Milan, scoring 24 goals and registering 15 assists. It was a necessary step for him too. Between injuries and the changing cast of managers at Chelsea, Pulisic failed to establish himself there and fulfill his potential. He wasted little time in a move to Italy, living up to years of hype and delivering a career-best club season in his first season at Milan. He was also quick to answer questions about whether or not he could keep that up, continuing to rack up goals and assists this season even amid Milan’s ups and downs.
It makes him the centerpiece of Milan, who enter Monday’s match in Riyadh as underdogs against Inter. Although the reigning Serie A champions have faced their own problems this season, they go into the Supercoppa final on a five-match winning streak, keeping a clean sheet in each of those matches. However, Milan are not incapable of producing a big result: they beat Inter in September, a surprise victory during a period of poor form, largely thanks to Pulisic’s first-half goal.
Such is Pulisic’s influence in Milan these days that he keeps them competitive on their worst days, but more importantly he leads the way on the days when they can score victories, big or small. The combination of his form and the status of his club means the standards by which Pulisic is judged have also changed. He has become a player whose trophies will become a notable part of his legacy in a way that has rarely been the case. for USMNT players. He seemed to realize that over the summer and admitted in pre-season that winning trophies was a priority for him this season.
“It’s more the team goals of what we want to win, what we want to achieve,” he said in July. “Our goal is to win trophies. We want to take the next step. We had some good moments last season and I personally had some good moments, but we continue to improve by helping the team in every way : goals, assists, but also just the way I work defensively and learn a lot more from the season and personally hope to improve after a good start, but there are many more things I want to achieve.”
As a result, a statement win on Monday is as important for Milan, who will be hoping to justify Conceicao’s appointment, as it is for Pulisic on an individual level. Both parties will hope this isn’t a defining feature of his time at the club when all is said and done. Milan would undoubtedly be keen to return to the top of Serie A as soon as possible after winning the title four years ago. However, every trophy counts for something, and the experience of winning one title often feels like a necessary stepping stone to winning others.