'Catastrophic' - French media savage Chelsea outcast Malo Gusto for disasterclass in Italy defeat

France suffered a disappointing 3-1 defeat to Italy at San Siro on Thursday evening, with Chelsea defender Malo Gusto enduring a particularly difficult night in the UEFA Nations League.

The right-back was repeatedly exposed by Nicolo Cambiaghi, who got the better of him in the build-up to Italy's equaliser before winning a penalty after Gusto brought him down inside the area. He was also criticised for his positioning in the build-up to the Azzurri's second goal.

Gusto's performance attracted widespread criticism from the French media, with several publications awarding him just 2/10 or below and one national newspaper delivering an especially damning 1/10 assessment.

What have the French media said about Malo Gusto?

Le Figaro were particularly scathing, awarding Gusto just 1/10 under the headline "Gusto trop mauvais" - Gusto 'far too poor'.

Baptiste Desprez highlighted how Cambiaghi repeatedly got the better of the Chelsea defender, writing that Gusto was "dévore par Cambiaghi" - 'devoured by Cambiaghi' - as France's defensive problems became increasingly apparent.

Le Parisien described his display as a "naufrage", or 'shipwreck', with the right-back receiving a 1.5/10 rating.

DNA were similarly unimpressed, describing his evening as "Le calvaire de Gusto" - Gusto's 'ordeal'. They highlighted his struggles against Cambiaghi in all three significant incidents, including the equaliser, the penalty and the cross which led to Italy's second goal.

Foot Mercato and So Foot also handed Gusto 2/10, while 433Foot described him as "catastrophique" - 'catastrophic' - after his involvement in two of Italy's goals and the penalty incident.

The publication also backed up its criticism with some particularly concerning statistics, revealing that Gusto won just two of six duels, lost possession eight times and committed three fouls.

GOAL France were comparatively generous, awarding him 4/10, although they still described his performance as "une soirée à oublier" - 'a night to forget'.

Can Malo Gusto recover from his international nightmare?

The criticism represents a significant setback for Gusto, particularly given that an opportunity to establish himself more firmly in the France team turned into an evening he will want to forget.

His lack of regular football at Chelsea was also highlighted by 433Foot, who questioned his match sharpness after limited opportunities at club level in recent weeks. The problems against Cambiaghi exposed both his defensive positioning and his ability to cope with direct opponents.

Nevertheless, one particularly poor international performance does not erase the qualities that have made Gusto an important option for Chelsea in recent seasons. At 23, he is still relatively young for a defender and has time to address the weaknesses exposed at San Siro.

However, the scale of the French media's criticism underlines how much work is required to restore confidence in his performances.

Gusto will need to respond with a more convincing display at club level, particularly if he wants to retain his place in the France setup rather than see other right-back options move ahead of him.