The defender interviewed by the British newspaper: “For Allegri it doesn’t have to be all good. I can improve, here there are defense masters like Chiellini and Bonucci. Giorgio plays as if he were reading a book …”
“The most important thing for me is to win. At Juventus, if we win 1-0 and play badly, I honestly think everyone will be happy. And if you play big and lose 2-1, you’re not happy. Each team has a certain DNA, which is different in each club ”. Mattijhs de Ligt has clear ideas about Juventus, and he doesn’t mince words – in an interview with The Guardian – when it comes to defensive line and game mentality: “If you defend very high and lose 5-0, 4-0, then yes … maybe it’s better to stay lower”. In Turin he works alongside two masters of the role, Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci, but he too has now become a leader.
Personal growth
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“I can definitely improve,” admits the Dutchman. “For example, Giorgio is now 37 years old, and right now he plays as if he were reading a book. He knows: ‘ok, this situation will happen, and then this will happen now’. And obviously he didn’t have that ability when he was 20. So, with experience, he learned. But it’s also a little bit of feeling, that something can go wrong or where your partner will pass the ball. It is something quite natural, and I believe that all good defenders in the world have this characteristic ”. Juve for him came after the Ajax process, which certainly taught him a lot: “When I was 15 I played as a midfielder. Then I became a central defender, but didn’t immediately understand what the team needed. Sometimes you had to kick the ball away, others you had to play it, over time I figured out what to do in every situation. At Ajax I was used to playing along a very high line, and it’s quite risky. At Juve it is a question of finding balance ”.
The role
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No regrets about what his role requires: “Dirty work is so important. And then it’s people who call it ‘dirty work’ I find it really cool. Sweep the ball away, win duels. I’m an old fashioned defender in this sense. Today many defenders are only in position, they cover the spaces. But I like it one on one “.
Merry
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In short, the Dutchman is working to become one of the most complete defenders in the world. “I always want to be the most critical of myself. I know exactly when I did something wrong – he says -. To grow, sometimes you have to admit that you have made bad decisions ”. De Ligt also spoke about Allegri and the centrality of him in today’s Juve. On the coach: “The greatest quality of him is that he understands that everything doesn’t always have to be beautiful. It’s about winning. And it is also the mentality of Juve. It doesn’t matter if you play well, only three points count. Step by step, we understand more what he expects of us ”. Thus, compared to his first period in Italy, “I am more confident, calmer. More capable of reading situations better than before “.
March 12, 2022 (change March 12, 2022 | 12:42)
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