The virtual understanding is perfect. Christian Pulisic and Santi Gimenez are close and in sync, Santi calls Christian "brother" and wishes him well. You could call it a social assist, while waiting for the real test on the pitch. On Instagram, Gimenez celebrated Pulisic’s birthday with a message and a photo of the two embracing, two days after Christian turned twenty-seven.
The Bluenergy Stadium, Udinese’s home ground, is far more real, and it is the stage for the next league clash, Friulians against the Rossoneri. Here they are again side by side, both leading Allegri’s attacking play. Max expects the same connection in the penalty area. That is where the outcome of a match he called one of the most important of the season will be decided. For the occasion, he has chosen to stick with his "little devils." Pulisic is a versatile attacker with more technique than strength. Gimenez is an atypical striker. He does not have Ibra’s size, at 1.83 meters, nor Inzaghi’s instinct. He prefers to search for balls and spaces outside the box, contributes generously to the build-up, a quality Allegri values, and when he gets the chance he tries to strike. To give them trust, Max will take Ruben Loftus-Cheek out of the starting lineup. Against Bologna, the Englishman had supported Gimenez as a muscular attacking midfielder. For the first time this season he should start on the bench.
Pulisic, on the other hand, is back up again after coming on against Bologna. He had returned from US duty tired and banged up. "Christian was out for a while with his ankle, then he came back from the national team. He is strong and when he is on the pitch he is a decisive player," said Max. Decisive in terms of impact: in 104 appearances for Milan he has scored 34 goals, roughly one in every three games. With 23 assists he is also a generous player. Gimenez hopes to be on the receiving end of the next one.
It is Santi’s first time playing at Udinese, against their towering defenders: Kristensen at almost two meters, Solet at 1.92, and Bertola. Allegri’s plan is to beat them with speed and dribbling. That is also what he is waiting to see again from Rafa Leao, currently sidelined with no set return date.
Max wants Gimenez to be the one who surprises him. "He has had many chances, he needs to stay calm because he has always scored and will do so again." With Milan, he has six goals in 23 matches, the last two at home against Bologna last season. At Feyenoord he was a true scorer, 65 goals in 105 games. His Champions League numbers are also those of a striker, eight goals in 11 matches, one with Milan and seven in the Netherlands. This season he is still stuck on zero. He has hit the post several times, been caught offside, or missed the target. These are fixable details, maybe with the help of a teammate like Pulisic. Goals are also a matter of connection with teammates and self-confidence. With Mexico, where he faces less criticism, he often succeeds more. If at San Siro he hit posts and at Lecce he wasted chances, in Tennessee he scored. That happened ten days ago in a friendly between Mexico and South Korea at Geodis Park in Nashville, USA, when he netted a fine goal.
For this possible starting pair, Allegri is willing to leave Nkunku out from the start, keeping him as an option later. The plan is the same, a fast player with refined technique to avoid giving the opposing defense a fixed point of reference. This thinking also shaped Milan’s last transfer window. They were expected to sign a physical number nine, instead they brought in a lighter, talented playmaker. His impact was immediate, against Bologna he needed less than a minute to win the penalty that became the most talked-about decision of the start of the season.
Here's the AC Milan possible lineup, as per Gazzetta dello Sport:
3-5-2: Terracciano; Tomori, Gabbia, Pavlovic; Saelemaekers, Fofana, Modric, Rabiot, Estupinan; Gimenez, Pulisic.
