Theo Hernandez of AC Milan Parisi

CM: What is behind Theo Hernandez’s decline and how Milan plan to fix it

Photo by Claudio Villa/AC Milan via Getty Images

Many are wondering what happened to Theo Hernandez, given that he has not had the best of starts to the 2024-25 season with AC Milan.

Calciomercato.com begin their report by stating that the ‘devastating full-back who scored like a striker has disappeared’. Or almost, because there are still some flashes that he shows, but overall his performances have alternated between highs and lows that have made fans frustrated.

Theo wants to respond to the criticism on the pitch, and there can be no better occasion than the big game at San Siro between Milan and Juventus scheduled for Saturday at 18:00. Paulo Fonseca will field him as a starter after the international break, in which he started one of France’s two games.

According to France coach Didier Deschamps, the reason for Hernandez’s decline is linked to a psychological factor. He implied that the player must work on the mental aspect to return to being the top player he was before, to reset everything at the end of each match and start from scratch.

“Theo played the first match against Israel not at 100%. I don’t want to specify the problem he had, but he is not in the best condition and for this reason I left him out against Italy. It was better this way,” he said.

While he did have a slight knee issue, Deschamps hinted that Theo’s mental condition should be of concern. In many ways Milan are culpable because of the amount that he works: the defender takes the field every three days due to the lack of a natural and reliable deputy.

To get Theo to perform at his best, the solution could be to let him rest a bit in some games, to have him at his best in the big matches. To do this, the coach needs a proper back-up, and the January window could provide signs in this sense.

A name linked to Milan for the winter is Fabiano Parisi, who is being kept out at Fiorentina by Cristiano Biraghi and Robin Gosens. Fonseca likes the player a lot, a loan with option deal can be done. Theo Hernandez would have the opportunity to rest every now and hopefully return to his best.

Tags AC Milan Theo Hernandez

8 Comments

    1. Top players (ones who are compensated at 9M a year) play near 60 games a year. Stop it with the excuses. I don’t really understand how Leao and Theo can have the same exact problems with effort, focus and maturity but two wildly different narratives are being spun. I have to ask why is it’s Milan’s fault Theo is burned out but Leao is a lazy, spoiled, etc. Do we hold certain players to a different standard based on arbitrary reasons? Olie are you really so naive you can’t hear the double standard in your writing?

      1. “Top players (ones who are compensated at 9M a year) play near 60 games a year. ”
        Theo plays 50-60 games per year….so i guess by your logic he should be compensated at the 9m. Kool.

        “I have to ask why is it’s Milan’s fault Theo is burned out but Leao is a lazy, spoiled, etc. ”
        I don’t agree with any of the narratives tbh but one can explain the burn out….Theo plays more minutes. It’s quite simple. He’s played more minutes overall in the sqaud for years now.

        1. Come on you really so foolish you couldn’t infer the statement implies “play 60ish GOOD games”? You’re just twisting words. You’re whole picking apart an opinion by using semantics is the quintessential troll move. Besides what point are you making besides I’m wrong? Seriously what’s your counter? Or are you just trolling?

          All the top full backs have played similar minutes to Theo. Year by year it varies depending on international games and tournament progression. My point is I don’t think Milan should spend 9M a year on a player who can’t handle making deep runs into the CL and be available for must wins. Milan play in a competitive league, meaning each game is very important. If Milan need two FB backs then sell Theo because in the FFP world he’s too expensive to need a high end backup. If rotation is so important then Milan need to invest that 9M into two playable LBs not one who may or may not show up.
          Lastly I’m pointing out that SM is so biased in their reporting and very regularly plays into old tropes about players based clearly on subjective and loaded factors like attitude. The amount of articles published here that emphasize Leao’s perceived lack of effort compared with excuses for Theo is astounding and definitely lacks substance

          1. LMAO 🤣🤣🤣 you guys are hilarious. I basically said what you said and you tripped out. It’s like tripping out on your own argument. I don’t even know where you got “good games” from or that I ever infer that but yet you accuse me of twisting words??? Lol 😂. But thanks for the laugh I guess.
            You say semantics yet you’re the one over explaining yourself.
            Did u not say top full backs play 60 games?? LMAO 😂😂 I didn’t even need to twist anything. I basically wrote what you wrote 🤣🤣🤣 and based on what you said thought he might deserve the 9m per year.
            And no, apart from *maybe* Robertson, Theo has the most minutes for any left back in the world in the past 4-5 years. I can easily provide the stats so I know you dont want to go there. You guys are making up things in your mind.

  1. We have been reading for the last 3 years that theo needs an understudy …… was that not the reason why we bought Terraciano?
    Also i do not think that Theo is a defender. He cannot defend well at times; gets beaten too often by a clever and fast attacker; loses his opponent too easily and …. i really hate it …. falls so very easily under a tackle and stays on the ground to protest when ref waves play on!!!!!
    Think Theo is really and truly an attacking midfielder.
    What do you think?

Comments are closed

Serie A Standings

Live football scores . Current table, fixtures & results.