Umtiti analyzes Diouf: defensive improvement is needed, but it won't be easy

The debut of Andy Diouf with the France shirt sparked discussion. Speaking to RMC Sport, Samuel Umtiti analyzed the performance of the Inter player in the match against Belgium, highlighting the difficulties faced by the young Nerazzurri in the full-back role.

“When you receive a long pass, you have to anticipate, position yourself at three-quarters. And in his case, it was clear that he was not used to that position, so sometimes he found himself facing straight ahead,” explained the former defender, who wore the Lecce shirt in Italy. “When he restarted play, or even when he was one-on-one, you could see that he was not a defender in the way he defended or tried to direct his opponent.”

Umtiti then emphasized that these are aspects that can be worked on, but also warned about the difficulties Diouf will have to face: “It’s about how you learn to defend and position yourself in certain situations. We saw him anticipate something and arrive late. It’s up to him to work on this individually, but it won’t be easy because he is a very offensive player, and putting him at full-back and teaching him to defend is not simple.”