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AC Milan boss Ruben Amorim is steering clear of the errors that defined his rocky spell at Manchester United—and that's welcome news for Christian Pulisic.
The typically inflexible Amorim stepped away from his three-back fixation to deploy a 4-4-2 at San Siro on Sunday and immediately reaped the benefits. Milan cruised to a commanding 3–0 win, ending a three-match winless run and recording only their second clean sheet of the campaign.
Amorim also handed Pulisic his first start of the 2026–27 season, and the American attacker rewarded his manager's faith with a goal just 14 minutes into the match. It was the first time Pulisic had scored for the Rossoneri since December 28, 2025.
Following the convincing win, Amorim offered a frank explanation for his sudden tactical shift—a stark contrast to his entire tenure at Old Trafford, where his refusal to deviate from his system ultimately cost him his job after just 14 months.
"I can't repeat my mistakes from Manchester," he said, via Gazzetta dello Sport. "If we don't have the characteristics to play a certain way, we have to adapt."
Perhaps no one in Amorim's squad is gaining more from the manager's newfound willingness to adapt than Pulisic.
Pulisic Nearing Much-Needed Resurgence
It's been a 2026 filled with struggles and disappointments for Pulisic. The 28-year-old closed out the second half of last season without scoring and eventually lost his spot in the starting lineup. He then headed to the World Cup, where he again failed to get on the scoresheet as the U.S. men's national team bowed out in the round of 16.
A persistent leg injury that was later diagnosed as a microfracture only made things worse, curtailing Pulisic's participation in both the summer tournament and Milan's preseason preparations.
The American soon found himself on the periphery of Amorim's plans, sitting on the bench for the opening three matches of the season. Amorim later admitted Pulisic was "upset" about his limited playing time, though the Portuguese manager showed little sympathy toward his player's frustration.
But patience ultimately paid off for Pulisic, much as Amorim's formation tweak did. The USMNT star netted his team's opener at the weekend, created two chances, and misplaced just three passes across his 69 minutes on the field. He looked liberated from the constraints of Amorim's rigid system and played with a freedom that was evident throughout the entire squad.
"The players had more freedom," Amorim said. "In recent games we were a bit too static, stuck."
Whether Amorim's back four proves to be a one-time experiment or a lasting change remains to be seen—he briefly flirted with the idea late in his Manchester tenure before quickly reverting. But the output he extracted from his key players the moment he chose to adapt is difficult to overlook. Had he taken a similar approach at United, he might have won more than just 24 of his 63 games in charge.
Pulisic Still Needs USMNT Redemption
Now that Pulisic appears to have Amorim in his corner, the forward must shift his focus toward winning over USMNT head coach Mauricio Pochettino. The Argentine left Pulisic out of his 28-man squad for the fall international window, adding further weight to the notion of a strained relationship between the two.
Pochettino made clear his priority is the next generation, calling up eight teenagers while leaving experienced names such as Pulisic, Folarin Balogun, Weston McKennie, and Tim Ream at home.
It hardly signals the end of Pulisic's international career, but it certainly leaves him with something to prove following a forgettable World Cup campaign.
A revival at club level would go a long way toward restoring his standing and potentially returning him to the center of Pochettino's thinking.