🚨 Rayan Cherki on Michael Olise terrorising Belgium again: “Belgium must be getting tired of seeing Michael. After the last game against them, I actually joked with him about it. I gave him the ball around the middle and, honestly, I thought my job was finished. Normally you give somebody the ball there and move because you expect another pass. Michael started driving. One player came. He went past him. Another came. He kept going. At some point I remember thinking, ‘Michael, you know you’re allowed to pass the ball back, right?’ He didn’t. He cut inside and scored. Afterwards I told him, ‘Next time just tell me you don’t need me after the first pass.’ He looked at me and said, ‘But you got the assist.’ I said, ‘Yes, technically. I passed you the ball in another postcode.’ That was the goal that won the game. So before tonight, when I saw Belgium again, I reminded him. ‘Please, if I give you the ball this time, don’t disappear with it for thirty metres.’ He just smiled. Then Zidane put both of us on the bench. Belgium were winning 1–0 and I was sitting beside Michael thinking, ‘Maybe this time they finally get one peaceful evening.’ Around 60 minutes, the coach looked towards us. I told Michael, ‘Well, their peace is over.’ We came on together. Twenty minutes later Michael gets the ball and finds me. I score. First thing I did when he came over was tell him, ‘Finally. You gave it back.’ He said, ‘Now we’re even.’ We weren’t. Because then he scored himself. And then he scored again. Two goals and an assist after coming off the bench. I remember looking at him after the fourth goal and saying, ‘Michael, what exactly did Belgium do to you?’ He said, ‘Nothing.’ That might actually be worse. Because if he was angry with them, at least there would be an explanation. The funny thing is, next time France play Belgium, their coach will probably spend the whole week preparing for him. They’ll watch the goal from the last game. ‘Don’t let him drive through the middle.’ Then they’ll watch tonight. ‘Don’t give him space around the box.’ ‘Don’t let him find Cherki.’ ‘Don’t let him cut inside.’ Eventually somebody at the back will raise his hand and ask the only sensible question: ‘Coach, what if Zidane leaves him on the bench?’ And the manager will probably say: ‘Then for however long he stays there, we stick to the plan.’ Because Belgium have now tried Michael Olise twice. The first time he started and terrorised them. The second time he sat under a blanket for an hour, came on and terrorised them anyway. At this point, I don’t think Belgium need a tactical plan for Michael. They need Zidane to forget to bring him.”