Failed return - or at least not successful - for the Blues and Zinédine Zidane at the Stade de France. The France team conceded a draw (1-1) against Italy during the 3rd day of the Nations League, at the end of a frustrating meeting. Zizou's men, who remain leaders of their group with seven points, controlled the match but still lacked realism, even if Gianluigi Donnarumma had a lot to do with the French inefficiency.
If Michael Olise assumed his status by opening the score with a free kick, Ousmane Dembélé was again transparent, Da Cunha fell into line and Dayot Upamecano, as usual, spoiled an incredible performance by disconnecting his brain for the space of two seconds. We won't spoil it for you anymore, it's all in the notes we've prepared for you below.
Maignan (6/10): Following on from the two previous matches, Magic Mike was once again satisfactory on Friday evening. He saved the country with his first save of the match in the 8th minute in front of Moïse Keane, but failed to achieve a second miracle on Bastoni's breakthrough. Personality and some risk-taking in his kicking game and his exits outside the area. He is on the right track to return to his best level.
Upamecano (5/10): Dayot Upamecano or the art of spoiling XXL performances. Disgusted Pio Esposito with football by stifling him in each duel before getting lost, like the entire blue defense, on the two Italian corners at the end of the first period. A moment of panic that the Bavarian quickly made people forget by destroying all of Italy in one-on-one defense for the rest of the match, before committing the unforgivable by receiving a second stupid yellow card in the 85th minute.
Kalulu (5.5): Overall discreet, he won hands down his muscular duel with Moise Kean, who never managed to exist in the zone of the French right side's pitch. Without an offensive role on a right side already well animated by Olise and Cherki, he stuck to his defensive covering role with Jacquet and Upamecano when Truffert moved up on the left. Lost his footing like his fellow soldiers after the expulsion of Upamecano.
Truffert (5.5/10): Late for the huge Italian opportunity in the 8th. He owes his salvation to Mike Maignan. Rarely to his advantage in duels, he conceded several mistakes. Pulled off well to deliver two floating balls into the opposing area which had the merit of making the Italians panic a little. But overall, goodwill and running back carries aren't enough to fill the gaps.
Da Cunha (3/10): A brutal return to reality for the Como midfielder. Shy in the first half in a somewhat too stereotypical role as a withdrawn leader, he is the number 1 suspect on the crime scene of the Italian equalizer. His gross ball loss was avoidable by playing in first intention. Everything already has to be done again for the 25-year-old after his great performance in Belgium.
Rabiot (4.5/10): A bit of a mistake on the big Italian opportunity at the start of the match, fortunately his header was hanging there on a corner from the Nazionale a few minutes later. Suspect number 2 on Bastoni's goal, his full-axis sausage will serve as a mitigating circumstance for Da Cunha during the trial of the Blues' defense. Wasn't far from making up for it with a nice cross shot two minutes later. Not enough to put the pieces back together.
Cherki (6/10): Very present in the French midfield but almost too academic at times, he fulfilled his defensive role well by scraping balls from the press, but was often stubborn in offering calls three meters from Michael Olise. His complicity with the Bavarian nevertheless allowed the Blues to create an imbalance on the right, and materialized on the free kick for 1-0. The beginning of a technical complicity?
Gifted (5.5/10): Moments of magic like his magical Neymar-style control over a reversal of play from Da Cunha, or his double contact to open up the field on the left and launch a counter-attack after the half hour of play. But he lacked efficiency in his decision-making where it mattered most, in the finishing areas. Désiré Doué rarely strings together two consecutive high-flying performances, and he proved it again against Italy.
Olise (7.5/10): A frustrating slide after a good high recovery and a few passing inaccuracies to start the match, including a cross that crashed into Donnarumma's bar. His free kick also hit the iron, but this time in the right direction. It’s lucky that the posts are no longer square. It's lucky, above all, that Michael is quite a magician. What if he was the strongest?
Dembélé (4/10): Appeared for the first time in the 22nd minute with a blocked shot. Little found in position 9, he started to stall to feel the swelling. Author of an unforgivable miss on a ball released by Donnarumma at his feet in the 47th. In the French team, he is comfortable neither with nor without Kylian Mbappé. As Mister V would say: “still, that’s a lot, isn’t it?” ".
