2023-10-16 22:08:00
This is where it really started. There, he exploded in the eyes of the world. There, he opened his record with a breathtaking coronation of French champion in 2021. Mike Maignan will inevitably have a little pang in his heart when he enters the Lille lawn this Tuesday evening for this France – Scotland. “There are a lot of emotions, a lot of nostalgia. Coming back here brings back very good memories,” admitted the Blues goalkeeper. And if the Mastiff supporters who will be present in the aisles of the stadium this Tuesday can say that they are not surprised by the evolution of their former protégé whose talent was quickly noticed in the North, the former resident of PSG training center does not, however, return with the same status. Today, he is undoubtedly the boss in the Blues cage. And that changes a lot of things.
So far, it is indeed a dream succession. However, the challenge is significant. Mike Maignan must try to make us forget Hugo Lloris, the most capped man in the history of the Blues (145 caps). A mission far from obvious when you know the CV and history in the French team of the former French goalkeeper. But Cayenne’s “L’Aigle” does not disappoint. Better still, he impresses all observers once once more despite the weight of the costume. “We knew that potentially he had everything. But between wanting to be there and being there, you have to take the plunge, recognized Didier Deschamps on Monday. With his qualities as a goalkeeper, the man and the goalkeeper that he is, he assumes this new status.
“When we compare Clauss’ performance and the last ones from Pavard or Koundé on the right…”
A vocal leader listened to
Assuming is the least we can say. His penalty saved once morest the Netherlands in March (4-0) immediately set the tone, as did his fantastic save in the “money-time” in Ireland (1-0). Better yet: apart from the friendly match once morest Germany (2-1), the former last bastion of LOSC where he played from 2015 to 2021 had not conceded the slightest goal during his first official outings in as number 1 until the Netherlands’ score was reduced at the end of the match on Friday (1-2, 83rd). Before, he remained on five clean sheets during the Euro 2024 qualifiers. And can boast of being at the basis of the excellent career of the Blues, who accumulate successes in these qualifications while they have already validated their ticket to the next European Championship. “I stayed myself. I didn’t change, I stayed the same and I did what I know how to do best,” the Milanese simply responded on Tuesday regarding his adaptation.
Staying yourself is often where things can get stuck when you find yourself with new responsibilities following having remained in the shadows for several years. But with Maignan, Didier Deschamps did not take many risks. Because the former Lille player is a natural leader, who had already established himself as a bridge between generations and a voice that carries into the Blues locker room, which he joined for the first time at the start of the summer of 2019. And if his performances with Lille or AC Milan placed him among the best goalkeepers in the world in terms of performance, he did not have to force his personality to establish himself even more in the French group.
Griezmann: “He never hesitates to speak”
If the echoes of the French locker room praise a vocal leader who is listened to, it is enough to read the outings of his teammates in recent days regarding set pieces to understand the new status of “Magic Mike”, that the we saw his instructions passed with authority before the meetings in the videos broadcast by the Federation. “We changed our habits on set pieces, because he prefers one way of doing things (…) He never hesitates to speak and resolve a few things defensively,” explained Antoine Griezmann on Sunday in Téléfoot.
Same story with Youssouf Fofana: “Set pieces are an area specific to the goalkeeper. Mike does it very well. It’s true that before each match, he tries to remind, to put in everyone’s heads, where everyone should be in relation to the set piece, our positioning. He has the gift of reminding us, he does it very well, it’s also one of the keys to taking charge of this job.” Deschamps was clearly not mistaken. But if his new holder in the position appears as comfortable in his goal as in the locker room, the coach of the Blues nevertheless takes care to allow him to find his place calmly: “With the goalkeepers, I make sure to put the number 1 in the best conditions. (…) Mike, he’s not like Hugo, he doesn’t have as many selections. He needs to have these benchmarks”, explained DD regarding the rotation .
In any case, Maignan quickly established himself as an obvious choice in his new role. Through his stops, his charisma and his authority, the Guyanese appears as a guide and lookout for the French defense. It now remains to confirm this in a few months at the Euro, he who has never played in an international tournament following being a substitute at Euro 2020 then injured during the 2022 World Cup. Another milestone to pass. But Deschamps is surely not too worried regarding this question following such a debut from his new number 1 in goal.
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