AC Milan defender Malick Thiaw has reflected on his debut against Hellas Verona on Sunday and spoke about his adaptation to a new country, league and club.
Thiaw arrived in the summer on a permanent deal from Schalke 04 and the German defender ended up making two vital interventions that saved Ciprian Tatarusanu twice in the final stages of the 2-1 victory against Hellas Verona, which marked his first minutes for the Rossoneri.
The first was a sensational block at the far post to stop a shot that seemed destined for the back on the net, and then he was again on hand to stop a ball that was goalbound from a narrow angle on the opposite side of the box.
Thiaw spoke during an interview with Milan TV to take a look back at how he is settling in at the club so far and also to talk through his debut at the weekend, with his comments relayed by our colleagues at SempreMilan.it.
On his debut against Hellas Verona: “It all happened very quickly. I haven’t had much time to think, you just have to be ready. It was a moment of great pride for me and for my family, for how much I have worked. It was very nice, I liked it a lot.”
On the blocks he made: “In these situations you just have to think about how you can help the team win the game. And I had only this in mind.”
On being at Milan: “Every day I learn something new about this great club. The fans are fantastic, we are in a famous team not only in Italy, but all over the world and here you learn that people recognise you more than in Germany. I am very happy to be in this great club.”
On the differences between Serie A and Bundesliga: “Serie A is different from the Bundesliga, they are two great leagues, but in Italy there is more tactics. More work is being done on this aspect. Fast football is played, although when I watched games from Germany it seemed slower than the Bundesliga, but I realised that it is not so, it is even faster. So a very tactical and fast football, these are the differences with Germany.”
On making his San Siro debut: “For me, making my debut at San Siro is a goal and I hope to do it soon. In every training session I try to convince the coach to give me a chance, that he can count on me. He gives me a lot of advice: I get along well with him.”
On the Monza game: “There are no easy games in Serie A and Monza will try to have a great game, because playing against Milan certainly gives extra motivation, but we are preparing well and we will do our best to play a great game in front of our fans. and win the game.”
🗣️ "Every day I learn something new about this big Club"
A humble Thiaw speaks of his pride at being a Rossonero 🔴⚫🗣️ "Ogni giorno imparo qualcosa di nuovo su questo grande Club"
L'orgoglio rossonero di Thiaw 🔴⚫ #SempreMilan pic.twitter.com/oOMJ2xAYeX— AC Milan (@acmilan) October 20, 2022
