No shots, no dribbles, 20 turnovers: French media tear into Michael Olise after Spain defeat
Olise arrived as one of the World Cup’s standout performers, but Spain’s midfield dominance left him facing fierce criticism.
Michael Olise arrived at the World Cup semifinals as one of France’s standout performers, with five assists and a growing reputation as the team’s creative leader. But against Spain, the Bayern Munich midfielder was anonymous, overwhelmed along with the rest of Didier Deschamps’ side by the midfield dominance of Rodri and Fabián Ruiz.
It continued a worrying trend for Olise, who had also struggled in Bayern Munich’s Champions League semifinal defeat to Paris Saint-Germain just weeks earlier. Two of the biggest knockout matches of his career have now produced similarly disappointing performances.
French pundits admit they got carried away
One of the harshest reactions came from French broadcaster Daniel Riolo on After Foot (RMC), who admitted he had dramatically overestimated Olise’s level.
Riolo said the hype around the Bayern midfielder had gone far beyond reality. “We had Olise sitting at the same table as Platini and Zidane, and he’s not even in their kitchen,” Riolo claimed on After Foot on RMC.
He also acknowledged that, for the first time in two decades on the program, he genuinely regretted some of the praise he had given Olise over the past month.
Brutal ratings back up the criticism
French sports daily L’Équipe was equally unforgiving, awarding Olise a 3 out of 10.
The newspaper wrote that the Bayern Munich midfielder was virtually invisible throughout the semifinal and was completely overwhelmed by Spain’s defensive organization and relentless pressing.
The statistics painted a similarly difficult picture. Olise finished the match without a shot or a completed dribble, lost possession 20 times, won just 50% of his duels, and completed 76% of his passes.
His performance was ultimately cut short in the 72nd minute when he was substituted for Rayan Cherki, bringing an end to a frustrating night that contrasted sharply with the form he had shown earlier in the tournament.
Get closer to the game! Whether you like your soccer of the European variety or that of this side of the pond, our AS USA app has it all. Dive into live coverage, expert insights, breaking news, exclusive videos, and more. Plus, stay updated on NFL, NBA and all other big sports stories as well as the latest in current affairs and entertainment. Download now for all-access coverage, right at your fingertips – anytime, anywhere.
And there’s more: check out our TikTok and Instagram reels for bite-sized visual takes on all the biggest soccer news and insights.