Mike Maignan remains one of AC Milan’s most decisive players, but in the last few weeks some concerns have arisen regarding his performance.
Tuttosport (via PianetaMilan) has a section on Maignan titled: ‘Anxiety, errors and a renewal that is not there: the Maignan case’. They believe that the Frenchman has been guilty of several goals that Milan conceded which he would normally keep out.
In Autumn some fingers were pointed at Maignan after the 2-2 draw against Napoli away from home, particularly from Giacomo Raspadori’s free-kick.
In the 2-2 draw with Lecce he was beaten by Roberto Piccoli ‘s 35-metre striker, later ruled out by VAR, then in two goals out of three conceded against Borussia Dortmund at San Siro he could have done better.
There are warning signs for Milan that Maignan is no longer as confident as in the past. The problem doesn’t seem to be physical, but mental.
Who knows if ‘Magic Mike’ isn’t having repercussions after what he experienced in Udine back on January 20th. After the racial abuse he got, the former Lille man let in goals from Lazar Samardzic and Florian Thauvin which seemed saveable for a goalkeeper like him.
A month earlier, on 22 December, Maignan had made a mistake on Antonio Candreva’s long-range goal in the 2-2 draw at Salernitana. Recently, he let them in from a narrow angle against Joshua Zirkzee (Bologna) and Luca Mazzitelli (Frosinone).
It should not be forgotten that Maignan was and is still is a pillar of Stefano Pioli’s Milan not only because of his miraculous saves but also his ability to help in the build-up phase and of course his vocal leadership.
For now though Maignan is experiencing a negative moment and the numbers show it. Milan hope that it will soon be overcome, especially with a tricky renewal situation on the horizon.
