Three matches were enough during this first gathering for Mike Maignan to find his boss’ costume again. Without mentioning a radical metamorphosis, the Milanese goalkeeper is finding the light again after a somewhat dull period, marked by a mixed season at club and a World Cup without any real brilliance. On the pitch, the impression is obvious and Maignan once again becomes a dominant goalkeeper, sharp and master of his area. In eight days under the leadership of Zinedine Zidane, the Milanese displayed his entire range and was dominant in the clean sheets acquired against Turkey and Belgium. Calm, he was unable to do anything against Italy: author of a good match and several decisive saves, he was clearly not at fault for Bastoni’s equalizer.
This revival of form owes a lot to the framework set by Zinedine Zidane, under the spell of the performance of his last rampart. The coach makes no secret of it, he really likes the profile of the former Lille player. This is how Maignan left nothing to his replacements Jean Butez and Guillaume Restes, who remained on the bench while Maignan made three starts. This Sunday, Zizou even wanted to praise his goalkeeper at a press conference and insisted on his goalkeeper’s risk-taking: “Mike is very offensive, he is able to stay close to his goal but also to be high when we are positioned high. Against Italy, twice, he came out very high and I like that, it means that he is concerned by the game and by what we are doing.»
Everyone is under the spell of Mike Maignan
A new role of goalkeeper-libero which bears the seal of Fabien Barthez, his new goalkeeping coach. For the former Blues goalkeeper Grégory Coupet, who has long been in competition with Barthez, the connection is obvious as he explains in the columns of The Team this Sunday:what I liked above all was seeing him take up space outside the box. I think there’s a bit of Fabien behind all that. There is a desire among Zizou and Fabien to have a goalkeeper like in 1998, an outfield player in addition, close to the others. Fabien was a pioneer in this and I have the impression that this revival of Mike comes from there. (…) It’s great what he did outside of his 18 meters, to find such a mobile goalkeeper. The complicity of Fabien and Zizou means that the discourse is common and that frees the guard. In Italy, Mike works a lot on positioning in the 5.5m, and Fabien allows him to bring the French style up to date.»
Author of a high-flying rally, the 31-year-old goalkeeper reassures and shows that he is still one of the most reliable bosses of the Blues for years. From the top of his 51 selections, “Magic Mike” has regained his splendor and also confirms his excellent start to the season with AC Milan. Author of two clean sheets in five league matches, Maignan has regained confidence under the orders of Ruben Amorim, who also gives him the freedom to demonstrate his confidence beyond his surface. While the Blues are still finding their bearings in this new chapter, the PSG-trained goalkeeper is already establishing himself as one of the most reassuring pillars of the Zidane project.
