USMNT legend Tony Meola has reacted to the Christian Pulisic penalty drama at AC Milan, with it “not in his DNA” to spark on-field arguments.
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American star is designated takerSaw team-mates miss twice vs FiorentinaBoss unhappy with on-field decisionsFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?
The United States international is the designated spot-kick taker at San Siro, but saw Theo Hernandez and Tammy Abraham step up and fluff their lines during a Serie A defeat to Fiorentina. Pulisic found the target in that fixture, but not from 12 yards.
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Milan boss Paulo Fonsea has spoken of his frustration at seeing players decide among themselves who would be placing the ball on the spot, with it made clear to all concerned that Pulisic – who successfully converted earlier this season against Venezia – is the go-to option.
WHAT MEOLA SAID
Former USMNT goalkeeper Meola has told from CBS Sports: “Christian Pulisic looks so much better today not having fought for the penalty kick. Now the manager has cleared it up. The last thing they need is another argument in the locker room right now. There are so many problems behind the scenes and he doesn’t want to become another problem.”
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Meola added on Pulisic deciding not to fight his corner, with Fikayo Tomori grabbing the ball from in front of him and passing it to Abraham when Milan were awarded their second penalty in Florence: “Moving forward, there might be another player that comes along and will say, ‘No, no, no, remember what the manager said? This is Christian’s, give the ball to him’. But he’s not going to be that guy. It’s like asking me right now to run a 100-yard dash in 10 seconds, it’s not just going to happen. It’s not in his personality, it's not in his DNA.”