France’s World Cup dreams have been shattered after a 2-0 defeat to Spain in Tuesday night’s semi-final, with Michael Olise drawing significant criticism for his performance.
The Bayern Munich winger was largely ineffective throughout the match, and his poor display contributed to France’s disappointing exit from the tournament.
Get French Football News handed Olise a damning 2/10 rating, slamming the 24-year-old for making sloppy mistakes in possession at crucial moments.
France entered the tournament as one of the genuine favourites, boasting a remarkable array of attacking talent across their entire squad.
The likes of Kylian Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele, Desire Doue, Bradley Barcola, and Rayan Cherki made this French side one of the most feared attacking forces at the competition.
Given the quality available to manager Didier Deschamps, the expectation was that France would cause problems for any opposition they faced in the knockout rounds.
However, Olise was nowhere near his usual level against Spain, and it proved hugely detrimental to France’s chances of progressing to the final.
France still have the third place play-off to look forward to this weekend, but their tournament is effectively over following the semi-final loss.
With the competition winding down, attention may now turn to the summer transfer window and what the future holds for some of France’s key players.
Olise has been heavily linked with a move to Liverpool, with TEAMtalk reporting the Reds’ interest in the talented wide player ahead of a potential transfer deal.
Journalist Christian Falk has also written in his CF Bayern Insider column that Olise is unlikely to sign a new contract with Bayern Munich, which adds further intrigue around his future.
That situation could potentially open the door for Liverpool to make a move, though any deal would not come cheap given the player’s enormous talent and market value.
Bayern Munich will be reluctant to part ways with a player of Olise’s quality, regardless of one difficult night on the international stage.
When at his best, Olise is considered one of the most dangerous attacking players in world football, capable of changing a game in an instant.
His playing style has also led many to suggest he would be an ideal long-term replacement for Mohamed Salah at Anfield, should Liverpool pursue a deal this summer.
