Rated 2/10, Malo Gusto Criticized After France's Defeat to Italy

Malo Gusto endured a nightmare evening in Milan on Thursday during France’s Nations League defeat to Italy (1-3). Starting at right-back, the Chelsea defender was substituted in the 77th minute by Saël Kumbedi, having failed to make an impact on the match.

L’Équipe gave him a rating of 2/10, the lowest among the four French defenders — none exceeded 3/10. The sports daily detailed a forgettable performance: Gusto was “too easily eliminated by Nicolo Cambiaghi on the equalizer (26th minute), caught out on the action of the first penalty he conceded (58th minute) and struggling in virtually every duel”. His “slight attacking contribution” was not enough to compensate for these defensive lapses.

Yet Zinédine Zidane refused to criticize his player at the press conference. “I spoke to him, he played his match. Yes, he conceded the penalty but these things happen. I don’t think we can say he had a bad match,” said the manager, preferring an overall assessment rather than individual analysis.

Gusto’s selection, who plays little at Chelsea this season, had already raised questions before kick-off. Zidane’s choices are also being questioned in other positions: analyst Walid Acherchour notably criticized the use of Warren Zaïre-Emery, confined to midfield when he regularly plays on the right at PSG. “There’s a kind of inconsistency in the selections,” he said, also citing Bradley Barcola’s start as the main striker.

France, which had taken the lead through Michael Olise in the 10th minute, ultimately fell to the Nazionale, leaving tactical questions and selection choices at the heart of the debate.