After falling in Serie A against Turin foe Juventus last weekend, AC Milan were hoping to bag a first major victory in the Champions League this season, at a time when the Rossoneri had only two units in group F with two goalless scores against Dortmund and Newcastle (0-0). But on Wednesday evening, on the lawn of the Parc des Princes, the Milanese were quickly overtaken by reality and Paris Saint-Germain dominated the Lombard club without batting an eyelid (3-0). Even more worrying, certain players essential to the good level of the team were unable to respond, such as the French internationals of the French team, Olivier Giroud, Théo Hernandez and Mike Maignan, just like Pierre Kalulu who found the smell of big matches as a surprise starter. On different scales, these four tricolors disappointed on Wednesday.
If the Italian coach, Stefano Pioli praised the collective performance of his team after the meeting, the truth is in the score (3-0) quite heavy and especially in the general copy made by the Rossoneri but also by executives who are usually so precious and so regular: “We had a very good performance for 60 minutes, we played better than PSG. But after the second goal conceded (53rd), we took our foot off the gas and then started again. It’s disappointing because it was an important match that we played well.”, had nevertheless analyzed the native of Parma. And among its Milanese leaders, several are French and even international tricolors.
Theo inefficient, Maignan at fault, Giroud invisible, Kalulu in difficulty
Yet so valuable with a particular profile for stretching defenses and breaking pivot lines, Olivier Giroud had difficulty this Wednesday. Important for bringing back the Milanese bloc, it has certainly not been spoiled with opportunities. Despite obvious efforts, he could not direct his people often enough. The former Chelsea and Arsenal player did not really make an impact in the first half and his missed throw-in in the 43rd could have been costly for his team: “We played the match we wanted in the first half. We gave them problems in pressing, we recovered balls, but we were unable to be effective in the truth zone. Afterwards, Kylian makes a first feat. In the second period, this second goal hurt us due to a lack of rigor and concentration. At 2-0, it was difficult. The third goal is anecdotal. The result is heavy, we will have to put our ideas back into place. There is also a lack of efficiency, we will work on it”declared the top scorer in the history of the French team.
Rightly considered one of the best goalkeepers in the world for several seasons, Mike Maignan also suffered the blow this Wednesday evening against AC Milan by being at fault on the second Parisian goal. Indeed, Ousmane Dembélé’s off-center strike lacked power and the former LOSC goalkeeper could easily have, given his qualities, pushed it back better or even captured the ball. Unfortunately, the ball fell perfectly into the feet of Randal Kolo Muani who was lurking around the Milan cages (53rd). Although he made a few saves this Wednesday, Maignan was not always so calm in his decisions or his communication with his defenders. The same goes for Théo Hernandez who, contrary to his habits, was unable to provide the necessary fire and adequate pace on his flank. His offensive impact was completely sterile, which prevented the Milanese Diavolo from finding the net. Théo’s complicated performance did not make the task easier for Giroud and Leao, looking for dynamism in attack and help on the sides.
While he left Stefano Pioli’s plans after having been a fairly important executive, during the Scudetto season in 2021/2022 and even again last year, Pierre Kalulu is struggling to regain his status in the Milanese rotation. But at the Parc des Princes, the Italian tactician made a surprising choice: starting the French defender and leaving captain Davide Calabria on the bench. And the result was rather disappointing for the former Lyonnais, even if the task of containing Kylian Mbappé is never easy. He did not win any of his duels, being booked in the 62nd minute after losing a total of ten balls: “We started this match well and then, the situations and the opportunities made the difference in both surfaces. They were more decisive than us. They scored where we failed and then at the end, we discovered ourselves a little more and they therefore had more chances, which is what weighed down the result. We’re going to study our lack of efficiency cold, we’re going to slowly return to Milan and we’re going to take stock.”, analyzed Kalulu in the mixed zone. To see if the Frenchman will be returned to the starting 11 at San Siro on November 7.
