France head coach Didier Deschamps has admitted that Theo Hernandez has had a difficult start to the season at club level, suggesting that the results AC Milan have obtained are not helping him.
Theo has been the subject of many headlines over the past three days in the Italian media, after his disastrous birthday night against Fiorentina in which he gave away a penalty, missed a penalty he shouldn’t have taken and then got sent off at full-time while wearing the captain’s armband.
Moreover, today’s edition of La Gazzetta dello Sport spoke of ‘the great frost’ involving the left-back, who is wanting €8m net per season plus bonuses to renew with Milan but is not convincing the management with his performances and his behaviour more recently.
Deschamps spoke at a press conference on the eve of the challenge against Israel and he was asked about Theo amid all the headlines about him in Italy, with his comments relayed by MilanNews.
“It has been a complicated start to the season. I already spoke to him about it, he has done better than this and he knows that, naturally,” said the coach.
“Theo Hernandez is happy to be on international duty, which is true for all players coming out of difficult periods at their clubs. It is not his best moment. He has some responsibility for that too, but there are many factors.”
“He has some responsibility for that too, but there are many factors.”
Folks mocked us when we said we’ll be seeing the likes of Leao and Theo dissatisfied with Maldini being sacked. Pioli was the last remnant from previous management holding them together under certain values Milan stand for but now he left too.
All these Wall Street clowns made is a toxic environment where players are seen as assets with price tags first. There’s no one helping them on a personal level. It’s what a Sporting director does, he works with his players making sure they are content in their life. And now? They’re sending a scout to Milanello to impose himself as somebody important, like he’s going to solve everything with his almighty presence. It’s really embarrassing. And everything around this club is just depressing.
What’s embarrassing is how these very well paid stars act like kids who fight over who takes a penalty. If these grown up millionaires need someone like Maldini to baby them daily, they don’t deserve to play futbol at the highest level. Players like Tomori and Abraham are cancer on this team, they care more about helping each other than helping the team and we see the result of it every game. Theo another example of overrated clown who thinks he is the best and don’t have to work anymore, same with Leao.
I don’t see other clubs needed babysitters like Milan does.
*needing
Or I dunno, maybe Beckham is walking Messi to the trainings every day by his hand and telling him he’s a good boy.
And Deco is calling each night to see if Lewandowski’s pillow is alright. But who on Earth is making sure Haaland is doing fine? They don’t have any legends there. How’s that possible? Is he a senseless robot? Does he take antidepressants?
There is drama on the red half of Manchester as well
Giggs & van Nistelrooy aren’t holding their players’ hands before going to bed? Roy Kean isn’t reading bed-time stories for them?
*Keane
How refreshing to have some honest insight from a respected football legend. Zlatan would be like “Théo is happy, thanks Redbird, I’m the boss, honk honk”…
Pretty sure a sporting director works on the sporting side of the club not on the personal side of the players.
Maldini did that because he had nothing else to do
Another precious opinion from flyingturtle.
At least i don’t cry about how Theos feelings are hurt because he isn’t paid enough..
Fûcking ridiculous
Send him a message and don’t call him up to the fixtures then, Didi.
No way. Théo is exemplary with France and Deschamps only wants players with good attitude. His current situation at the club is a consequence of the toxic atmosphere, not a cause.
Theo is one of the players who created this toxic atmosphere, another one is Tomori and Abraham. Some players are upset because Maldini was fired and now are taking it out on the management by not putting the work in. This is not how professionals should behave and it’s clear that Milan players don’t care about Milan. You can blame the management all you want but reality is that these players are the ones who signed the contract to play for Milan and they get paid a lot of money to do it – regardless if Maldini is there or not.
Man, I know this is an exciting time for disruption with data and algorithms but players are not robots yet. The “professionals” are human beings with feelings and ambitions and that this is why managers/coaches with great leadership skills are so valuable. Unlike “professionals” like Scaroni, Zlatan or Fonseca clowning around. Please explain how Théo and Tomori have been models for years, showing grinta, dedication and giving everything on the field, and suddenly they’re thugs.
Good question. I agree that management isn’t good at all, they are clueless but my point is that no matter the management, players should give their 100% because that’s what they get paid very well to do. I wish Maldini was still there running the show but he is not and he is not coming back under this management so we need to move forward. The coach has no authority but that’s not his fault, that’s on the management for hiring him. I just think the players can and should do better.
Side note: I am still not sure what Zlatan’s role is as it looks to me that he isn’t doing anything useful.
We don’t know what is happening. It started with Zlatan saying that Théo is happy. Maybe Théo asked for a pay rise, maybe he asked to leave because of the lack of ambition. Théo has been a champion for years. He fought for his starting spot, he fought to be called with France. He has been chosen vice captain by a Scudetto winning coach under the guidance of a football legend within the management. Years of dedication, grinta, great performances, availability. No reward. Yeah he’s getting paid millions but relatively he’s one of the lowest salaries when he’s with France. He watched his friend Pavard sign for an ambitious club and win the Scudetto while Milan is going backwards. He watched his brother suffering a serious injury that could jeopardize his career and his next contract.
I don’t understand the people asking for respect toward the club when the very same club sold longtime fan Tonali and is trying to get rid of longtime captain Calabria while shipping away Maldini or Colombo. No ambition, undervalued contract, club showing no respect to the players. I guess that’s enough to explain the current situation.
I don’t want to get involved with the for/against management discussion and I agree with you about the players , that they should give their all for the club regardless but Maldini being there was important, for some players more then others. There has been a lack of direction, cohesion and belief on a consistent basis on the pitch ever since he was dismissed.
He literally impersonofies Milan and that makes him hard to replace.
i don’t think they’re that upset about Maldini get the sack. player reaction by that time mostly just shocked by the news. nothing more.
it’s about who replace him. like you said, there’s lack direction, cohesion and belief, since then. that’s because redbird doesn’t fill the vacant Sporting Director spot with competent individual/director. milan is a big club with a lot of expectation. you can’t let an important position like Sport Director to just anybody. it will affect the whole team.
milan (the team) in current state is because those who work as if they are a sporting director is just anybody.
How old are these people that bring up the argument that Theo and Leao are unhappy because Maldini got fired, or because Pioli got fired so it’s understandable why they behave the way they do?
These are such a pathetic and childish arguments.
In football, just like in life, you will lose people that you are close to. It doesn’t matter if it’s a teammate, a coach or a director, or a colleague, a friend, or a loved one. You can’t be hung up for years. You gotta get your sh!t together so you’d be able to continue to be a functional person who will continue chasing his goals.
Theo, Leao, or whoever, if you are so upset about Maldini, go be with him. Instruct your agent to transfer you to the club where Maldini is at so you can be happy again. Sulking and moping around, throwing tamper tantrums, acting unprofessional and selfish will not bring Maldini back.
Instruct your agents to find you another club.
If you are not going to do that, or if there aren’t clubs interested in you, then start acting professionally and earn the salary you are getting paid. Stop acting selfish and actually be a teammate.
Forget about being a captain or a leader. You don’t have the facilities for that. How about just start acting as a good teammate instead of a selfish player with an inflated ego.
Stop costing the team points and games.
Milan losses a game because of 2 missed penalties and the conversation right away is about ownership.
Milan losses a game because of an individual mistake by Tomori and 2 missed penalties and the conversation is about the coach.
Milan losses games because of the “best” left back in Europe and the conversation is about how bad of a signing the right back is.
Milan losses a game where your “best” player was invisible, again, and the conversation is about Morata. There is an earlier article with title “Leadership, sacrifice, but lack of goals for Morata.” He basically missed half of the games because of an injury and has 2 goals so far. While the “best” player on the team gives you NO Leadership, LESS sacrifice, and even LESS goals, only 1.
Yeah those players are not at fault. Never.
I think we should start blaming the fans, too.
As a famous coach once said: ” We need volunteers, not hostages.”
Everyone who is unhappy, instead of creating a toxic environment that brings the club and everyone else down, LEAVE!!!
Exactly Adli was forced to leave the club against his own will, he was in love with Milan, you don’t see him mopping around at the rejection dude was given a chance at Fiorentina and grabbed it!! He may not have been suitable for us tactically but he had the right spirit
IF I go to my job and don’T PERFORM THE DUTIES I was hired for….. I will be TERMINATED AND REPLACED. ( think about that you spoiled millionaires) GO CP11 !!!!!!!
According to some logics here, Theo and Leao just woke up one day and decided to act toxic. Just for the sake of it.
It’s not about the environment this management set up in last two seasons, It’s not the fact that they won’t offer their players salaries they deserve according to their status and achievements at the club, it’s not even the fact that they are slowly dismantling the Scudetto winning team, making sure no one is irreplacable or unsellable and everyone is walking around with price tag on while they’re replacing them with worse acquisitions. They should shut up, bow their heads and be grateful to still play for this team.
I bet you lot do the same when new management comes into place at your work and start screwing with already established and positive work environment that’s showing results. You should be grateful for occasional tap on the shoulder by some random newcommer manager who’s dictating you without previous work experience at that level or knowledge of your work at the firm and would have no problems replacing you. You should shut it and bare the changes the new management are imposing although it does not work and it’s only making environment and results worse. But hey the balance sheets are better, profits are higher. Free pizza for everyone just to show our gratitude!
Could he they were toxic all along we just didn’t realise it. Or the club was good enough at hiding it. Or the veterans we had kept them in check.
You do gotta admit when ibra was in the team the “acting out” was minimum to bear non existing once he got injured the domino’s slowly started to fall..once he retired it got worse.
Now the only veteran in the team is a new comer Morata.
If a player isn’t happy he can just ask to leave the club, no more, no less. If Theo and Leao aren’t happy with RedBird (I’m not either btw), they could just ask their agents to look for other clubs and inform the management that they don’t wish to renew and want to leave the club. Leao is already earning 7M€ net per year btw and we helped him deal with his issue with SCP, an issue, if you remember that had nothing to do with us.
Leave the pitch out of it, don’t display your lack of happiness on the field and don’t act unprofessionally, and more importantly don’t disrespect the team and your teammates (Pulisic) that should be simple right ?
Sorry but I can’t justify the fact that Morata, Pulisic, Fofana,… are giving their best trying to get us to win, while Theo is getting himself red-carded and Leao is walking on the pitch because they are not happy.
Many criticized Kessié for wanting too much money, and in the end he decided to leave for free and the club got nothing, but how was he on the pitch ? Try to compare Theo and Leao right to 2021/22 Kessié.
This is not so simple from the financial part. Theo and Leao’s sale will need to fund other purchases to replace them so it’s paramount the club get their true valuation in transfer fees, surely no one thinks letting them go for free and just tearing up their contracts is an option. This becomes very delicate and the management should be working in advance to prevent this scenario happening, as it happened in the past with Kessie, Donnarumma & Calha.
Another way, but complicated, is to trade them for counterparts well before the past 12 months of contract .
What mean is , if the players wish to leave or the club wishes to sell them so be it , but it has to happen on the clubs terms and it’s not such a simple process of just telling them to leave.
In Theo’s case time is already ticking and in summer he will firmly be able n the driving seat. We will see if THIS current
management will be able to do better then the previous management in lost revenue.
I don’t think you understood the point of my reply.
I’m not trying to say that we “should” sell them or let them leave for free, nor that we should push them to leave, but I was pointing out that the desire of a player to leave is not an excuse not to perform well on the pitch, and certainly not an excuse to act unprofessionally.
Definitely agree with you on that and everyone else here . Kessie, as you pointed out , was exemplary to the last game and that’s how it should be .
I was just pointing out that things are complicated on many levels regarding exits and entries.