Pierre Kalulu, a right-back player who joined Milan from Lyon B 2 years ago, probably many fans think he is just a useless substitute, how can you think that he has become one of the brightest players in the team this year.
Basic information
Pierre Kalulu, 21, was born in Lyon, France, and is 1.79 meters tall, with his right foot, but his left foot is not bad. As a young man, he played for the youth team of all classes in Lyon, mainly playing at right-back, playing 52 games for the youth team, with 3 assists.
Milan career
Pierre Kalulu joined Milan in the 19/20 season, when the team had the same right-backs David Calabria, Andre Conte and Diogo Dalotte, who joined a year later, he was the fourth choice in terms of seniority, and at first he could only play occasionally in various cups, and then André Conte was abandoned, Diogo Dalot was replaced by a left-back substitute, and Pierre Kalulu naturally became a second right-back, and his chances of playing were greatly increased. Of course, it is also necessary to have excellent performance to appear in the eyes of the coach.
Milan opened the game
It was the second leg of the Europa League group stage between Milan and Sparta Prague on 11 December 2020. Milan have definitely advanced, so they sent all-mates to the squad. Coach Pioli asked Pierre Kalulu before the game if he wanted to make a cameo appearance at centre-back, and he replied, so he was entrusted with the task of playing Milan's first match as the left-back of 433. Pierre Kalulu faced unfamiliar positions, managed to keep a clean sheet with great talent and positional sense, and performed quite well (the opponent did not have many dangerous attacks, and he also managed to suppress the opposite double arrow). The good performance of the center-back position this time laid the groundwork for his future position change.
The league debuted
At that time, right-back Mateo Gabia was injured and retired from the line of fire after five minutes of playing against Parma on December 14, 2020, and Pierre Kalulu was ordered to be replaced, although he was finally tied 2-2, but in fact he had done his best, and the responsibility for conceding goals could not be blamed on him, and he performed well.
Developed to this day
Pierre Kalulu became a stable substitute for the team due to his outstanding performances, from the main right-back substitute at the beginning to the current third centre-back and two-back substitute (Alessandro Florenzi plays as a right-back, making Pierre Kalulu less chances in this position). In time, he should be able to become a superstar.
Technical features
Pierre Kalulu is extremely fast, good at keeping a close eye on opponents, strong interception, coupled with the aggressiveness of running with the ball, which makes him excellent in time assists and assists at right-back. His height of 1.79 meters to play the center of the defender is not at all disadvantageous, all because of the strong bounce force and accurate positioning. He is also not afraid to rush forward with the ball when playing in the middle, helping to organize, coupled with his innate defensive skills, making him fully qualified as a right-back, central defender and even the occasional left-back.
Pierre Kalulu has a great performance in any position and is so composed in the game that it is hard to imagine that he has never played an official game before. He has now become a super substitute in milan, a talented rising star with great potential. If he continues to maintain a stable playing time, it is not impossible that he will become the next Puyol or even Mauro Tassotti.