Milan youngster Pierre Kalulu says he has ‘learnt the importance of this shirt, this team, the history of this club.’ The 21-year-old has been a revelation since breaking into the first team, highlighted by his towering display in Milan’s 1-0 win over Napoli.
Speaking to Milan TV, the Frenchman explained how significant the win was for the team.
“It was pleasing because it was a tough game against a really strong team. That gives it extra importance, they are also direct rivals. It was nice to get that win.
I have learnt the importance of this shirt, this team, the history of this club, I knew it before but not the whole extent of it and I fully get how big this club is in Italy and the world, I’ve learnt the importance of working hard each day,” he continued.
It might seem simple, but you need to work hard every day to be at your best, to be competitive in every single game and to always be ready
I think I learnt from a young age how to be a modern defender. When I was at Lyon, earlier in my career, the coaching style at the whole club was focused on being a well-rounded player. Technique, speed, playing with the ball at your feet and reading the game. I was never just a centre-back.
I’d play a season at centre-back, then six months at full-back. There was always a desire to be a good footballer even in youth football that’s how I see the defender role in general. I’m never afraid when I go on the pitch, I just want to play football and play well.
Some games are more important, but to me, they are all the same,. Maybe the grounds with the better atmospheres make you wake up a bit more pre-match when the game starts it become instinctive, I just want to play like when I was a kid.
I was never that quick or strong as I kid. I’ve worked a lot on this since I was 15 or 16 and I am not a lot faster. I can still work on this but I think I’ve improved in all aspects as a defender, I can still improve.
In general, I always try to be in top form in every regard as a defender. Speed, vision of the game and also going forward.
It’s always good to stay humble because it will be a difficult game against Empoli. We’re at home but we know that every game in Serie A is tough because all the teams are different. We’ll work this week to be ready for Saturday.”
