Michael Olise Faces Backlash After Subdued PSG Display as Yamal Comparisons Resurface

Paris Saint-Germain’s 5-4 aggregate victory over Bayern Munich in the Champions League semi-finals has placed Michael Olise under a harsh spotlight, with the French winger’s performance across the tie drawing widespread criticism on social media platform X.

Olise, 24, was largely neutralised throughout the contest, with PSG head coach Luis Enrique deploying a deliberate tactical approach to contain the right-sided attacker. By positioning Fabian Ruiz alongside Nuno Mendes to form a double-team on Bayern’s right flank, Enrique effectively eliminated Olise as an attacking threat for much of the tie.

The tactical shutdown prompted a surge of reaction online, with supporters arguing that Olise’s inability to beat the double-team exposed limitations in his dribbling profile. One user, posting under the handle @excellente_6, wrote: “Olise can’t carry the ball longer than 10 yards, his 1v1 is dependent on the defender committing first, not enough variety in his 1v1s to be a proactive dribbler, hence he plays with a one touch, Lucho has dropped Fabian next to Nuno & it’s been lights out for you peoples BITW.”

The discourse quickly escalated into direct comparisons with Barcelona teenager Lamine Yamal, who has drawn similar targeted defensive attention from opposition coaches throughout this season’s Champions League. Fans argued that Yamal consistently finds ways to break down defensive structures despite facing identical tactical approaches — pointing specifically to his performances against Inter Milan in last season’s semi-finals. “We saw Lamine Yamal’s semi-final performances against Inter Milan last season, Olise never reach that guy,” wrote @dizzy10_ on May 6.

Sentiment among other users was similarly critical. Popular football commentator Mark Goldbridge posted on May 6: “Olise putting in an absolute stinker at the worst time possible.” Others were more measured, with @Dansnewgen writing: “Olise another overrated player man, he’s great but the way you lot talk about him yh.”

The criticism arrives in stark contrast to Olise’s domestic statistics this season. The Bayern Munich winger has recorded 14 goals and 19 assists across 30 Bundesliga appearances in the current campaign — numbers that place him among the most productive attackers in European football by output. His individual form in the Bundesliga has been a central reason many observers had elevated him into conversations alongside Yamal as one of the continent’s standout wide players.

However, the argument put forward by critics is that elite-level performances in knockout European competition — particularly when targeted by sophisticated tactical plans — serve as a more definitive measure of a player’s ceiling. Yamal, still a teenager, has repeatedly delivered in high-stakes Champions League fixtures, which has reinforced his reputation as the benchmark for that position.

Bayern Munich’s elimination means their season will now be defined solely by domestic results, while PSG advance to the Champions League final where they are set to face Arsenal, who defeated their opponents in the other semi-final. For Olise, the manner of his anonymity across the two legs against PSG is likely to follow him into the off-season as questions about his ability to influence games at the highest level persist.