Milan’s Youssef Fofana reacts well to criticism with fine display against Torino | OneFootball

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 Allegri’s side beat Il Toro 3-2 at San Siro. According to journalist Marco Pasotto, Fofana’s confidence-boosting goal fixed three situations.

Firstly, the number 19’s 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 “surfing” celebration in honour of Rafael Leao seemingly eased some internal frustrations towards the injured Portuguese winger.

Lastly, this goal helped the Paris-born midfielder’s 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 “sometimes fumbles and bickers with that ball. Other times, however, he’s perfectly capable of addressing it informally, caressing him like the most polite feet on the team know how to do.”

Fofana’s goal has also helped serve him in an international sense, as comments to L’Equipe regarding his more advanced position caused a bit of a stir this week.

“When they tell you you’ll play higher up, at first you’re even happy. In the end, I realised that’s 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 team’s pace, winning balls back.”

On whether he’ll be in contention for this summer’s France side at the World Cup: “I don’t think I’m strong enough. And if I look at the World Cup, I don’t think I’d be considered for this role. I do it with the club, especially if we’re in contention for a title. But I’m not convinced that this will help me for the future.”

GIFN | Max Bradfield