Tiemoue Bakayoko claims Milan boss Gennaro Gattuso taught him how to become a ‘warrior’. “I probably didn’t have this fighting spirit before.”
Bakayoko has been a revelation in Milan’s midfield since arriving from Chelsea last summer, and the Frenchman credited Gattuso for his return to form.
“I arrived in Milan and met Paolo Maldini, a legend. It’s special being near him,” he told Bros. Stories.
Tiemoue Bakayoko claims Milan boss Gennaro Gattuso taught him how to become a ‘warrior’. “I probably didn’t have this fighting spirit before.”
Bakayoko has been a revelation in Milan’s midfield since arriving from Chelsea last summer, and the Frenchman credited Gattuso for his return to form.
“I arrived in Milan and met Paolo Maldini, a legend. It’s special being near him,” he told Bros. Stories.
“I was kind of star-struck. Walking in the office, seeing the trophies… Knowing about it and living it are completely different things.
“You feel like it’s not just any club, you feel like you’re at a wining club with a full trophy cabinet.
“The first weeks didn’t go so well. Everyone welcomed me well, the conditions were good to express myself.
“Sometimes you think adaptation is going to be quick and that you’ll be able to give 100 percent right away.
“But it didn’t go like that unfortunately and the fans weren’t so nice to me. My relationship with the manager? I didn’t like what he said.
“I’m not going to repeat it, but they were harsh words. Especially after I played 20 minutes in my first game, being tough right away…
“I didn’t like it, I told him and things are better now. I know his character. Gattuso is a warrior-type of manager and man. He wanted to pass this spirit to me, which I probably didn’t have before.
“This fighting spirit, I got it here. He’s like a father figure now. Our relationship is excellent. We talk about everything. Having such a kind of relationship with the manager is great.
“Milan’s a great city. It’s sunny most of the time, quite cold in the winter but sunny. The food is great here and that’s bery important to me.
“You can’t forget that it’s one of the best fashion cities in th eworld, so being in Milan is fun. My life is quite interesting besides football.
“The city lives football. You have two Milanese clubs and they’re enemies, that’s for sure. It’s interesting to meet people in the city, on the street.
“There’s a lot of passion, you have blue and you have red. You walk into the stadium, it’s blue one day and red the next, and that’s a good thing.
“Serie A is coming back, compared to what I knew about it at Monaco and Chelsea. I’d say it’s pretty similar to England or France but it’s as difficult.
“Tactical culture is very important. We train a lot without the ball. It’s very tactics-based and very important in the game.
“I like this League. As a player it allows me to show my qualities.”