GdS: Summer doubts, present certainty – Maignan earns Milan more points with huge save
Every player must contribute to a winning cause, but what Mike Maignan did on Sunday night saved the result against Atalanta.
La Gazzetta dello Sport jokingly describe Maignan as ‘a goalkeeper with balls’ in a nod to what was his finest save on a night that started so well for Milan, and then begun to take a rapid descent in the 65th minute.
The moment when Milan almost threw away their three-goal lead came in the 83rd minute, when Zappacosta entered the heart of the Rossoneri penalty area without much effort – something we’d seen several times in the preceding minutes – and was 1v1 with Maignan.
The Frenchman closed the gap, coming towards him, and when the Nerazzurri winger shot, he positioned himself in the only way possible: trying to spread his legs and arms as wide as possible to block his opponent’s field of vision.
Zappacosta shot, and Mike blocked (with which body part we’ve already explained) what many thought was a certain goal. From there the Rossoneri just about saw the game out, but had they conceded who knows what result we could be talking about.
Mike still decisive
When Maignan cleared the ball, many celebrated as if it were a goal. Mike, however, was on the ground in pain, but he knew full well that he had saved Milan from a result that is difficult to explain after an overwhelming first hour.
These are points that the former Lille man brings to the table along with those who appear on the scoresheet, and ultimately they make a beautiful story when you think back to all the summer question marks.
Maignan left for the World Cup with his head full of worries, not knowing what kind of Milan he would find upon his return. Perhaps he also wondered if he himself was truly happy to come back after such a difficult year, we’ll never know for sure.
His contract extension until 2031 signed months ago more than adequately protected the club, but Mike is a proud and ambitious man. He wants to win trophies and he wants to play in the Champions League. Milan haven’t done either enough.
To the summer doubts about the Diavolo was then added the profound disappointment of the World Cup, with the sad parade of the third-placed play-off against England in which he found himself buried under the weight and shame of six goals.
Then came the controversy surrounding Franco Baresi’s funeral (the Rossoneri fans would have liked to see him present as captain). Finally, there was the controversy surrounding the extra holidays requested and granted by Amorim to him and Adrien Rabiot.
When Maignan returned to Milanello, the question marks vanished like a cloud of smoke. He made himself available to Amorim, met the new goalkeeping coach (he was very close to Claudio Filippi, brought in by Allegri), and began working without asking too many questions.
The save on Zappacosta wasn’t just worth two points. For this young and under-construction Milan, allowing three consecutive goals to throw the game away would have caused a storm, but Mike made sure no umbrella is needed.
