Despite the critique of his on-ball composure and mistakes in front of his own goal, Youssef Fofana has seemingly come out the other side with a great outing against Torino.
The goal-scoring Frenchman was one of the key performers as Massimiliano Allegriโs side beat Il Toro 3-2 at San Siro. According to journalist Marco Pasotto, Fofanaโs confidence-boosting goal fixed three situations.
Firstly, the number 19โs weaving run and finish inside the box gave the white-shirted hosts a more imposing 3-1 lead early in the second half. Additionally, the โsurfingโ celebration in honour of Rafael Leao seemingly eased some internal frustrations towards the injured Portuguese winger.
Lastly, this goal helped the Paris-born midfielderโs reputation in front of goal. He now has his second strike of the league campaign, and next to his three assists, it gives him five direct goal contributions in 25 matches. Many in Milan will be hoping that this goal against Torino will boost his confidence, considering a steadily growing reputation for a wasteful streak in front of the opposition goal.
As Pasotto poetically summed up, Fofana โsometimes fumbles and bickers with that ball. Other times, however, heโs perfectly capable of addressing it informally, caressing him like the most polite feet on the team know how to do.โ
Fofanaโs goal has also helped serve him in an international sense, as comments to LโEquipe regarding his more advanced position caused a bit of a stir this week.
โWhen they tell you youโll play higher up, at first youโre even happy. In the end, I realised thatโs not necessarily what I want. I obviously do it for the team, but I really enjoyed being at the origin of the play, controlling the teamโs pace, winning balls back.โ
On whether heโll be in contention for this summerโs France side at the World Cup: โI donโt think Iโm strong enough. And if I look at the World Cup, I donโt think Iโd be considered for this role. I do it with the club, especially if weโre in contention for a title. But Iโm not convinced that this will help me for the future.โ
GIFNย |ย Max Bradfield
