Olivier Giroud on why USMNT star Christian Pulisic’s is starring at AC Milan: ‘He plays with more freedom’

Christian Pulisic’s strong start to the season with AC Milan is not going unnoticed by Olivier Giroud, who said his former teammate is playing with a newfound confidence since arriving in Italy last year.

The U.S. men’s national team star has four goals and two assists in six games for Milan this season, at times a lone bright spot in a rough start to the campaign that has seen the team win just twice in that stretch. Pulisic’s strong form is a continuation of his first season in Italy, when he scored 16 goals and notched 10 assists as Milan clinched a second-place finish in Serie A.

Giroud, who moved to MLS’ Los Angeles FC over the summer, was Pulisic’s teammate at Milan last season and previously at Chelsea from 2019 to 2021 and recognizes a difference between their first spell as colleagues and their second.

“I think he’s got more trust in his game, more confidence,” he said Tuesday on CBS Sports Golazo Network‘s Morning Footy. “He plays maybe with more freedom and he’s playing every single game. He’s a very important player for Milan. At Chelsea, he was in competition with so many wingers and now he’s settling in really well at Milan. He loves the club and the city and I think he can do a great season this year … He deserves to win a trophy with this massive club so I’m not surprised that he’s doing well because last year, he really had a good season and he surprised me in the way he just adapted to Serie A.”

Life in Milan has proven much different than Pulisic’s four season spell with Chelsea. Though he played 145 games and scored 26 goals for the English club, his playing time was inconsistent as he dealt with a batch of injuries and managerial changes that made it difficult to establish any level of stability. In Milan, though, he slotted into the lineup quickly when Stefano Pioli was the manager and has maintained that spot under new boss Paulo Fonseca.

Pulisic played a crucial role in Milan’s 2-1 win over Inter on Sunday, scoring the game’s opening goal. The victory is being viewed as a turning point for Milan after winning just one of their opening five games, as well as a boost for Fonseca. Giroud said the tactical shift Fonseca introduced may have disrupted Inter’s strategy, a first sign that the manager’s strategy is paying off at Milan.

“I think Milan did really well,” Giroud said. “They played in a different position with a 4-4-2. We used to play in a 4-5-1, 4-3-3 so I think it was a bit new for Inter to face a 4-4-2 formation and they struggled. I’ve seen Inter struggle. It was a long time … Really happy for Milan and I’m sure the manager will need more time to set up his ideas and his philosophy.”

Pulisic is tied for third in Serie A’s golden boot race with three goals so far, one behind joint leaders Marcus Thuram of Inter and Mateo Retegui of Atalanta. His three league assists also leave him one short of the joint leaders in that category – Lazio’s Nuno Tavares, Napoli’s David Neres and Hellas Verona’s Darko Lazovic.

Milan now have a two-game winning streak in Serie A play and aim to make it three in a row on Friday, when they host Lecce.