Frenchman Theo Hernández has become, over the years, one of the most dangerous left-backs in football today. Not only because of his physical display, which allows him to be decisive both in defense and in attack, but also because of the maturity he now enjoys and with which he has led his Milan for most of the season, becoming a fundamental support of the ‘ rossonero group.
Milan will play this Wednesday to find the quarter-finals of the “Champions” after eleven years of absence from this phase of the competition, in which it seems to be the most important game so far this season.
One of the main culprits of the Italian team being in this position and one of the big arguments that Milan fans have for believing that their team can get a ticket to the quarter-finals is, without a doubt, the former Real Madrid player, who has three goals and four assists in all competitions.
And it is that this Milanese champion of the “Scudetto” cannot be understood without Theo Hernández (Marseille, 1997). A dagger in the left lane, aggressive, incisive, with great power in the run, associative and with a nose for goals. His technical qualities make him an excellent attacking left-back and his physical qualities make him a very difficult player to beat one-on-one, leaving the left flank of the rivals’ attack practically deserted.
The opposite of defense. When he joins Rafael Leao in attack, they form an almost invincible duo, the teams are aware of this and bring together several players to avoid their combinations.
But Theo Hernández that does not stop him. And it is that he achieves an average of almost nine individual progressions with the ball and nine releases in each game, according to data from ‘BeSoccer’. He does not care that these are not fruitful actions, he takes a stand and tries again. It’s a constant hammer against the rival’s defensive frame.
The serious result crisis that Milan experienced at the beginning of this year 2023 led to a tactical change in Stefano Pioli, who had to use the blackboard to provide collective support for the individual problems that the Milanese backbone was going through, including Theo himself. .
The coach opted for a line of three defenders, with Theo as left winger. This gave him more offensive freedom while relieving him of some responsibilities by having the area covered. Pioli ensured that the France international could act freely in attack, aware of his player’s absolute superiority on the green to tip the scales in any game.
It cost him a game, a painful “little hand” from Sassuolo to Giuseppe Meazza (2-5), but Milan regained confidence with a victory against Torino (1-0), with the help of Theo himself , and moved on to four wins in a row, including the Champions League Round of 16 first leg against English Tottenham in which the now winger again showed differential in both areas.
Theo also set new records in this position. He took advantage of the wide range of possibilities offered by the line of three to appear in the central corridor and clear the ball for his team, generate superiorities in attack and leave the wing free for Leao to enter.
Far from this player who was doubted as a professional, with extra-sporting episodes that eclipsed his career as a footballer, Théo now lives a moment of sporting fullness and footballing maturity which coincides with his best physical moment. The combination of these two things has made him, at 25, a total footballer, the one everyone looks for in attack, the one everyone trusts in defense and the one everyone relies on in the most difficult times.
Milan reached the second leg of the round of 16 with the lowest possible return, 1-0 in the first leg, but after another defeat in Serie A against Fiorentina (2-1) -with a goal from Theo- , which has generated new doubts in a Milan team that is once again clinging to its special support: a Theo Hernández whose pulse and legs do not tremble in big meetings, with enough personality to throw d immediately the team on the back to the left-handed profile.