Chelsea’s extensive transfer business opened the doors for some of its talented players to leave Stamford Bridge and continue their football journey elsewhere. There were two such players who decided to leave the Blues, and both landed in the same place. Christian Pulisic and Ruben Loftus-Cheek left the London club after giving everything during the time these two spent over there.
AC Milan were unable to defend their Serie A title in 2022–23 and also lost their key midfielder Sandro Tonali to Newcastle United. They also needed a few other players who had the ability to win trophies at the club. This Chelsea duo has settled well in the team, and here is a look at some of the stats that show their contribution to the Rossoneri.
Englishman dominating the midfield
AC Milan have a completely new midfield in 2023–24. Loftus-Cheek and Tijani Reijnders are the two new faces added by Pioli to the starting 11. The Englishman has a different flare and has added more pace and energy to the team.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek has been impressive with his defensive attributes. The player wins 64% of his defensive duels and 83.3% of his aerial duels. This duel’s win rate is crucial for any team, as it often breaks the opposition’s momentum and leads to scoring chances.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek was not known for his creativity at Chelsea. He created only six goals in the last two seasons combined for the Blues. This season, the player has already had an assist in the first three games.
The 27-year-old midfielder has a decent accuracy rate of 87.2%. His passes to the final third have an even better accuracy rate of 93%. His one assist came from a low pass delivered into the opposition’s six-yard box. Loftus-Cheek likes to run with the ball and often penetrates the opposition penalty box. Stefano Pioli will expect more such contributions from the Englishman in the upcoming games.
Has Pulisic ended the right flank struggles at Milan?
AC Milan have been looking for a perfect player who could match Rafael Leao’s contribution from the opposite flank. They struggled for the whole of last season to find a perfect fit on the right wing. Christian Pulisic was added to the right wing, and it looks like the US international has cemented his place.
Pulisic has been creative from the right side and has attempted six passes to the opposition penalty box. The above viz shows that the player mostly carries the ball down the flank but also has the ability to go through the centre.
The USMNT player has already netted two goals for Milan in Serie A. He scored in his debut in Italian football against Bologna and then scored against Torino in the next match. The player has a high accuracy rate and will look to be more productive in the 2023–24 campaign.
This Chelsea duo has left an impression at Milan and is expected to get more game time. These two have also won a few major titles with Chelsea. Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Christian Pulisic look like the duo that Milan wanted.
Visuals via TFA data viz engine
