“What is said in the locker room stays between us.» Mike Maignan probably knew his wishful thinking when he went into the mixed zone yesterday after the Blues’ defeat against Italy at the Parc des Princes (3-1). The Blues’ goalkeeper did not take this disappointment well and warned his teammates.There is no need to worry. When you lose a match, it is not the end of the world. We all have a role to play on the field. We know that we must do better, this French team must win. We are not going to look for excuses, we are going to question ourselves and move forward.»
Hugo Lloris’ successor didn’t necessarily show it in front of the cameras, but he was pretty angry. He had just given his teammates a dressing down in the locker room. According to The Teamthe Milanese arrived very annoyed in the locker room, directly after the final whistle, exasperated by what he had just seen. With a closed face, he waited until everyone had returned to take out his anger on the group, and let out his four truths to the whole team. He even went so far as to interrupt the debriefing of his coach, who stressed “lack of effort» and the «few races“, the newspaper explains.
Maignan lights up the group
The tone suddenly became much more serious with the goalkeeper, known for his powerful voice. He accused his teammates of star behavior, without ever naming anyone. He even hit hard by stating in broad outline:that barely two Italian players would currently have a place in the French team but that they had at least shown desire and aggressiveness“, sums up the sports daily. This speech of remonstrance lasted two minutes. An eternity that no one tried to cut, especially not the usual leaders that are Kylian Mbappé and Antoine Griezmann.
The captain and vice-captain walled themselves in silence imposed by the solemnity of Mike Maignan’s speech. It must be said that the two world champions completely missed their match, once again after a Euro already failed. Even if he is not directly targeted, Mbappé does not only have close friends in the French team. His attitude is sometimes criticized, his annoying behavior does not always go down well. This also confirms the skyrocketing in the locker room hierarchy of Mike Maignan’s leadership status. After the words, actions are expected against Belgium.
