Bennacer discusses working on his flaws, soul searching, Pioli and how Ibra ‘never holds back’

By Oliver Fisher -

AC Milan midfielder Ismael Bennacer has revealed that Zlatan Ibrahimovic ‘rarely holds back’ when pushing his team-mates as he revealed the background on Milan’s soul searching mission.

Milan will welcome back a vital cog in their midfield as Bennacer will finally return from absence this weekend, a report claims. Bennacer shook off his muscle problem last week but was unavailable for the game against Crotone at San Siro due to the fact he had a fever and bronchitis.

With Bennacer on the pitch, his team-mates will welcome back his technical ability, tenacity and his ability to spring attacks at any moment, and the numbers are quite startling regarding just how dynamic he is.

Bennacer gave an interview to the French agency AFP in which he spoke about a number of different subjects related to the Rossoneri, with his comments transcribed by MilanNews, starting with some comments on Ibrahimovic.

“Zlatan rarely holds back when he has to push his young Milan team-mates. Even if we sometimes see him screaming on the pitch, it’s better than if he didn’t say anything, because it would mean he doesn’t care what we’re doing right now,” he said.

“He is one who guides us a lot. With all the experience he has acquired, he tries to take us to the highest levels, always looking for perfection. He gives us a lot of advice. Ibrahimovic has become a standard bearer of a new generation of young talents.”

On what changed after the 5-0 defeat against Atalanta at the end of 2019, he added: “After that defeat, there was a lot of searching for the soul within ourselves and we came out of it.

“The coach knows how to manage the group, he is close to us, he always asks us if we are tired, if we are fine and so on. It brought that team spirit that we may not have had enough of before, and taught us how to wear this shirt. This is a good feeling.”

On being first in the table: “If we don’t do something this year, everything we have done before, from March onwards, will be forgotten. We must, for ourselves, try to make Milan the great club it was. All this also for the fans because it is very boring to play behind closed doors. They are not there physically, but they follow us. We must give everything for them too.”

On the hamstring injury: “This is the first injury that has kept me off the pitch for so long, but I have a good feeling with recoveries.”

On receiving fewer yellow cards this season compared to the past: “I work a lot on my flaws. I was a little too aggressive, I didn’t think. Under the guidance of Ibrahimovic, I learned quickly.”


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