“Honestly, Christian Pulisic doesn’t have the same impact as a winger that he does when he plays centrally.” This was AC Milan boss Paulo Fonseca’s take on the forward’s preferred position, hinting that the USMNT and Mauricio Pochettino might be underutilizing Pulisic’s talent by placing him in a less effective role. While we’re unsure how this affects Mr. Captain America, Pochettino seems to be paying attention to Fonseca’s tactical insights, particularly when it comes to deploying Pulisic’s teammate for both club and country, Yunus Musah.

At least, there’s something that the former Tottenham manager is agreeing to follow the advice of Fonseca, who rather seems to have understood the dynamics of the Rossoneri stars. Regarding Musah, Pochettino is looking to make some kinds of tactical adjustments ahead of the CONCACAF Nations League quarter-finals opener vs Jamaica. This comes from the mouth of Fox Sports reporter Doug McIntyre on X, who claims that for the November camp, Pochettino has specifically picked just two natural fullbacks, that is, Jedi Robinson and Joe Scally. 

Why? Well, that’s because there are other few names that the 52-year-old manager believes can also play on the exact same positions. Pochettino is aware that Yunus Musah was used as a right-back by Paulo Fonseca during the recent 3-1 victory from AC Milan against Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League league phase match at Bernabeu. Well, not exactly as a right back, but the Rossoneri’s system usually changed from 4-2-3-1 to 5-3-2 or 5-4-1. Hence, playing with five saw Musah drop to a fullback.

Notably, the 21-year-old himself didn’t think of ever making this tactical shift. Speaking to Sky Sports after the Madrid game, he said, “I was surprised when the coach told me I would play; I didn’t expect it. It was a very good match. Credit to Vinicius, who is an exceptional player, and we had to double mark him with a five-man defense; we were also very attentive to the depth.” 

Mauricio Pochettino should get the best out of Yunus Musah for USMNT via Paulo Fonseca way!

Starting off, Yunus Musah delivered an impressive 88% passing accuracy, completing 21 out of 24 passes. He created two chances and showcased his dribbling skills with a perfect 3/3 successful dribble. Musah’s vision was on display with 2 out of 3 accurate long balls, and he held his ground defensively by winning both of his tackle attempts. His efforts included three clearances and five recoveries, along with winning six duels.

As for his preferred position, Musah says “My ideal position is box-to-box, number 8. But I can also play as a wingback.” Regarding his preferred position, things didn’t work out quite well, especially during the Napoli clash, which AC Milan had lost 2-0. Then again, it must have not worked out quite well. As for his role in the USMNT, it remains to be seen whether Mauricio Pochettino will be seen using Yunush Musah as a right-back in the upcoming clashes.