UEFA Champions League
Silky and so calm/calculating despite the intensity of the moment.
The footwork, the way he worked the space and Courtois, and then the delivery of that pass between defenders and across the goal, on a platter for Mount was just awesome.
thats the mental part exactly.
Courtois charged out....then hesitated. At that moment CP knew he had him in a pickle...does he come to CP or retreat. RM defenders see the same, so they "freeze" to cue off what Courtois does. That allows CP that 2 seconds to simply stand there and wait. It was a great move by Mount who also "read" the defenders cueing off Courtois and when he started to retreat, Mount cut across his defender who was static. He reacted faster than his defender and CP found the alley. But the awareness that defenders around him are hesitant, Courtois hesitant and so i can just stand here for a second or two...yeah beautiful shirt.
Watch Sergio Ramos to see what i meant....he has played for RM and SPain for liek 14 years now as defender....watch that slo mo overhead. As TC steps out, he freezes....the moment TC takes a step back, Ramos takes step toward CP...but that changed the angle/lane too and CP and Mount BOTH saw the same thing. Ramos didnt change his angle of defense and with TC retreating, opened a new lane. This all happens within a second, but CP processes and hits the pass. I love it.
When the game starts to slow down like that, its just beautiful to watch. As his prowess grows, just having the ball at his feet will cause defenders pause which changes angles and lanes for him. And it looks as though as that happens, he is also adjusting his game to fit that. There was another movement in the game where he dropped his shoulder and accelerated past his defender as he received the pass with his back to goal. Shirt like that tells you his game, his confidence and skill are growing.
I dont like to draw comparisons as i dont know whose game he mimics, but ite becoming apparent that his skill on the ball is way more advanced than we have ever seen from an American player. No offense to Dempsey or Donovan, but i think they would be the first to say that they didnt have the "on the ball" moxie that Pulisic has. And that ability changes EVERYTHING for the USMNT and how they play. Berhalter will have a problem ( a good one ) in selecting players to play off CP because they will have to adjust their game to his level. He sees things that many do not. If that can mesh for 2022, i do like our chances of a really good WC.