Milan, Maignan also takes France: leaders everywhere

From France to France, to close the circle. Mike Maignan finds the national team again as leader, to roar again with Les Bleus after the injury at the end of September against Austria, in the Nations League. A calf problem cost him a World Cup and a good chunk of the season. After the farewell of the legend Lloris, he will be Deschamps’ number one: he will start with the qualifying matches for Euro2024, in Paris against the Netherlands and in Dublin against Ireland.

BLEUS CENTER

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The confirmation came a few days ago from the French coach: “The number one position is his. There will be a hierarchy, it’s important”. Maignan will be the new owner of France after the greeting of the former captain Lloris, who at the beginning of January had passed the baton to the Rossoneri’s 16th: “I don’t want to make it mine, I’ve always said and repeated that France belongs to nobody and we have to make sure that so be it, me first. I think the team is ready to continue, there’s also a new goalkeeper.” From Milan to the national team, a new leadership role arrives for Mike after the years spent studying behind Hugo’s back. Called up for the first time in May 2019, he made his international debut on 7 October 2020, aged 25. Balance? Forty-five minutes on the pitch and a goal conceded in Shevchenko’s 7-1 win against Ukraine. Then, another 4 appearances and 2 goals conceded, to date.

LEADERS EVERYWHERE

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Some Milan fans, taking a look at social media, commented with a joke. “And if the ‘all-goalkeeper’ started to lend a hand in attack too?”. The starting point is a video of the French training match that has gone viral in the last few hours, combined with the Rossoneri’s bad moment in the goal area. The goalkeeper snaps, burns his teammates and scores from an old-fashioned centre-forward. Then he rejoices, smiles and returns to the area of ​​competence. Maignan, the Rossoneri “sweeper-keeper”, is like this. When he can lend a hand, he doesn’t hold back. He is also a leader in detail. He is often spoken of as a “free-goalkeeper”, an added defender in the setup phase and pack leader of the rearguard when it comes to compacting to suffer.He is more than an extreme defender and Milan understood this well with the absence of the last few months, linked to the long-lasting calf problem with the national team.

REVENGE

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For this reason, the return as number one with France is a mix of revenge and definitive restart after the stop that cost the World Cup in Qatar and difficult weeks, complicated by the relapse. In an attempt to force, not to miss the big appointment. Maignan is preferred to Areola (reserve in West Ham) and Samba, from Lens. King of the clean sheets of last Serie A (17, alongside 21 in the season as French champion with Lille), he is a goalkeeper for Milan who produces points and qualifications, like against Tottenham (complete with compliments from Antonio Conte) . Now Deschamps is waiting for him to take action against France as well.