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Christian Pulisic’s red-hot form continues, and the AC Milan talisman is statistically one of the best forwards in Europe at the moment.
La Gazzetta dello Sport (seen below) begin by asking: how many things can you do in an hour in Milan? Take a trip to Lake Como or Switzerland, sweat it out in the gym, start learning a foreign language, or maybe play an instrument.
Every 64 minutes, Pulisic prefers to score a goal. In Italy, no one manages to do it at this rate, at least in Serie A. It’s no coincidence that the Milan forward is nicknamed Captain America, a superhero who is always ready to rescue the team.
That being said, the best definition came from Massimiliano Allegri’s assistant Marco Landucci after the brace against Torino that kept the Rossoneri at the top of the table. He remarked in a post-match interview with Sky that Pulisic ‘is a sniper’, and nothing could be more true.
The omparison
Despite being plagued by physical problems recently, Pulisic has nevertheless risen to seven goals in nine league games, drawing level with Inter’s Lautaro Martinez at the top of the scoring charts.
Yet, it’s his scoring rate that’s astonishing: only Harry Kane – one of the world’s strongest and most prolific centre-forwards for years – has scored at a better rate than Christian in Europe’s top five leagues among those who have found the net at least five times.
The Englishman at Bayern Munich is scoring a goal every 59 minutes. Yet, it must also be said that injuries have limited Captain America of late, the Bundesliga isn’t exactly Serie A defensively, and the team Kane plays for create and score a lot more.
Furthermore, the American isn’t a natural striker. Under Allegri, he’s moved from the wing to a second striker, but still tasked with defending and offering plenty of variety. When Landucci calls him a sniper, he probably has some indicative statistics at hand.
One above all: Pulisic has scored seven goals with 14 total shots, ten of which were on target. In practice, if he hits the target, it’s a pain for the opposition. Landucci himself said after Milan-Lecce in the Coppa Italia: “When Chris shoots, the goalkeepers sound the death knell.”
Thus, Kane aside, the former Chelsea man outshines strikers of the calibre of Barcelona’s Lewandowski (a goal every 80 minutes in La Liga), Manchester City’s Haaland (a goal every 86 minutes in the Premier League), and Real Madrid’s Mbappé (a goal every 87 minutes in La Liga).
The right to dream
In Italy, Pulisic is clearly the leader among players with at least two goals. For example, Lautaro – who shares the top scorer ranking with Christian – is averaging a goal every 151 minutes. However, that’s not the only statistic that rewards the Milan man.
Nobody has been as prolific coming off the bench, despite Pulisic being a starter. With his brace against Torino as a substitute due to a fever, the American has now scored three goals off the bench. Vlahovic (Juventus), Felici (Cagliari), Scamacca (Atalanta) and Ndri (Lecce) are each on two, with others each on one.
Thanks in part to Chris’s performances, Milan fans are beginning to dream of going for the Scudetto. However, a single player’s high impact doesn’t always indicate a winning team. Pulisic has scored 31.8% of the Rossoneri’s total goals so far.
In Serie A, only Pellegrino at Parma (4 out of 10) and Mandragora at Fiorentina (4 out of 11) have a greater impact on their team’s goalscoring potential. It’s no coincidence that they don’t play for a top club.
This is why Allegri often talks about getting goals from other areas (midfield) or in other ways (set-pieces). Against Torino, even Adrien Rabiot – his protégé – has begun to please Max. The comeback against the Granata began with a great strike from the Frenchman, and more will be needed.
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