Bologna forward Joshua Zirkzee says coach Thiago Motta has taught the squad to always look ahead and look higher. The talented Dutch youngster spoke with La Gazzetta dello Sport about the incredible season he’s having, explaining the key role that Motta has played in the teams 11-match unbeaten run:
You only seem to score beautiful goals: choose one. The brilliant one scored at Inter?
‘In the Coppa Italia I really liked the one scored against Cesena by faking the opposition defender. At Inter? At the end of the match Sommer and I spoke: he told me that he felt a bit guilty for having made a mistake, so I don’t consider it a perfect goal. So I choose the one that represents me in every way, at Sassuolo: heel control and a goalkeeper who has no ‘chance’. It all comes naturally to me. Yes, in Reggio Emilia it was all me, my qualities”.
You don’t seem to feel pressure when you play: is that the case or do you not feel it?
‘Before the match I feel it a lot: precisely because I don’t want to disappoint my coach, my teammates, the people who shout my name. Before I feel the excitement of wanting to do things right, the fire on me: when the match starts I am back to my old self and I express that fire in my own way’.
We called you a ‘nine and a half’: role, centre forward; quality, a ten. Do you agree?
“Yes, I like the idea. When I was younger I also played as a number 10, in Feyenoord’s baby team, or even as an 11 in Den Haag. Wherever Motta puts me, I stay. I like being able to play the ball, that’s it…’.
It’s understood… Last year we saw little of you: there was Marko Arnautovic.
“We had and have a great relationship: when I scored my first goal this season, the first phone call was from Marko. I’m not ashamed to say that I was happy when he went to Inter: a place opened up (smiles, ed). What did he say to me? ‘Now it’s your turn’. After the holidays I went back to training and I told myself: do whatever you have to do not to let anyone down. I think I’ve grown up. As a child I watched Ibra, Ronaldinho, Ronaldo the Phenomeno, Van Basten, then I played with Lewandowski and Arnautovic: but I never asked the latter two for opinions or tricks. I watched them. I absorbed notions, plays. And the rest I put in, of my own.
You have a lot of self-confidence: has that ever given you problems?
“I find that believing in oneself is an added value. But always with the idea of working well and improving. Yes, in the past it has led me to difficult moments: if I had something I didn’t like, I would tell my coaches to their faces. Always. If you asked an old coach of mine “how was Joshua?” he would answer “a good player, but a bit undisciplined”. In the past I didn’t control certain emotions, now I have grown up a bit. It still happens that I say something but the important thing is that after the training or the competition, friends like before. You grow in that too’.
Motta called you ‘the symbol of Bologna’. Why and how did you arrive at this compliment?
‘It’s a nice compliment, really. But it’s not just me here: we all know what we have to do and what we want to do, just as I know what my qualities are. This is a good group, do you know why? It can happen in a locker room that some people have problems: well, we talk about it, we confront each other, we give each other a hand, once a week we even all go to dinner. We’re an international team and Motta has taught us to always look ahead and higher. We are good together.
At the top is Europe.
“The road is long and you have to work hard every day. If you ask me what I prefer between making Bologna great or going to play for a big team soon, I’ll tell you that the right choice is the first: to make Bologna great. Then we’ll see.
Do you know that Bayern Munich, if they wanted you back, would have to shell out €40 million for an exclusive release clause?
‘Yes? Now I know… In Munich I became an adult, but let’s say that street football formed me: because it’s a duel all the time, you fight for yourself, if you fall on the asphalt you hurt yourself a lot and then you train to stand up, because you feel free to play. A school of life, of football, where you have to improve yourself every day. I never came home, like many children. And Mama Doris would get so mad. How many scoldings I got…’.
Other sports you play?
‘I like playing golf because it’s soothing: here in Bologna I haven’t done it yet. And basketball, although I’ve only played it with friends. The greatest ever for me? Iverson, but my dog’s name is Kobe, like Bryant. When I’m away from football I like the Playstation but above all walking with Kobe: me, him and our thoughts’.
What do you want to be able to dream of, when you grow up, football-wise?
“To get to play in the World Cup with my country, Holland, and to win the Champions League once again after the one I experienced with Bayern Munich: I’d like to lift that cup again; let’s be clear, even having a marginal role in the team…”.
Can you define Motta in three words?
“Good question. Motta is Motta. He always makes us look ahead or higher, but Motta is the coach. Full stop.”
Make an effort…
“Well… If you ask me what Orsolini is like, I say crazy, he plays crazy good and scores goals. If you ask me about Aebischer I say he doesn’t miss a ball, intelligent and a leader. If you want to know about Saelemaekers I say he talks a lot, ‘harassing’ and a great player. If you say De Silvestri I say leader, music and the most pleasant person in the world. But Motta is the coach. And that’s it.
And if we say Zirkzee in three words?
‘Funny, crazy, creative’.
