If Tomori can win the First Division championship, I will not quit running 10 kilometers per game

Milan Circle

Milan sports newspaper exclusively interviewed Milan centre-back Tomori, who talked about his progress with the team this season, the role of key players such as Olivier Giroud, Menion and Ibrahimovic, and finally expressed his desire for a Serie A title.

Everyone knows that you have a degree in business administration, have you also taken the course "How to Succeed in Milan"?

We've achieved great results and we don't want to stop at all now and we have to keep going down the path we're on because the way we're playing has clearly paid off and we hope to get ourselves something to celebrate at the end of the season. (Refers to Serie A champions)

You've gone from being a catcher to being the master of destiny, how has that changed within the team?

Ranking at the top of the list gives us a clearer idea of what we think, and we are very focused on ourselves and what the team aspires to achieve. The team has a clear strategy and we've been following it, and that's why we're in our current position. Next we have to hold on and if we can, we have to come up with a higher intensity and focus, that's the basis of everything, we've proven that in the race against Napoli, we all understand that only by going through the road ahead can we get to the end of the line we want to go to, and from now until the end of the season, every game will become more and more decisive.

Milan will not meet direct competitors for the next fixtures, which is why Milan fans are holding their breath, but you have also slowed down against Salenitana and Udinese, what does the team think about this?

It's a simple question, not all games can be won, and we've worked hard, but football is one thing, every team can cause us different problems, but I'll tell the Milan fans one thing: we take every game very seriously, no matter who we face in the table, we know that any opponent can create a threat.

Milan's record against Inter, Napoli and Juve is 2 wins, 3 draws and 1 loss, will this statistic make you feel at ease? Are there any opponents that make you particularly worried?

Inter is a good team, Napoli is also very strong, and I also like Juventus and Roma, I don't think there is a team in the league that thrives, if you say it, anyone has their own strengths and weaknesses, including us, but we also have the characteristics to beat any other team. The order of the final standings will tell you who is the best team, and now we are at the top of the table and have gained strength as a result.

Do you think Milan have improved compared to last season?

There is no doubt that we all feel like we have grown, both individually and on a team level, with more experience than last year, and Pioli has been teaching us that players learn every day, that we learn from our mistakes and that we are better aware of our strengths. Milan are a great team, we also play in a holistic way, both ends of the line are excellent, and every player will sacrifice for each other, running all out on the pitch, to make up for the defense, we have energy, we have strength, we have our own identity.

Do you feel nervous in the locker room?

We know where we are and what the team's goals are, and we know we're in a defining moment and we can't have any distractions. And we have a lot of great players who can show us the way, Menion won the Ligue 1 title in the last season in Lille, Giroud won the World Cup, Ibrahimovic has a crazy mentality, in the coaching staff we also have capable and successful people like Deida and Bonera, when we train in this team, everyone will be very focused, we are young but also very determined.

In order to increase the team's motivation, Pioli printed out last season's standings and hung it in the Milan base...

Comparing with last season helps us to better understand whether the team is on the right path, Pioli has been inspiring us, and from this point of view, Milanello is a very symbolic place, because just walking around the corridors, you can see the picture of this team winning the championship, those are all successful experiences in the history of Italian football, if you want to find extra motivation, just come to milan base and see.

Or can talking to Ibrahimovic have the same effect?

Since I joined the team, Ibrahimovic has only repeated one word to me: win, win at any time, whether it's training or playing, from the dressing room to the pitch, we can always hear his voice, he constantly encourages us, which provides great support for us to be able to stay focused, he is the first to point out that we need to run more or strengthen our defense.

You mentioned another champion, Olivier Giroud, who you were teammates at Chelsea, and did you hear from him before he joined?

Of course, when we first heard the transfer rumors, we had an exchange. Giroud asked me how milan was doing, and I replied: It would be great if you could come to Milan. Because Olivier Giroud can help Milan win, he is a decisive player and the facts have proved that, Giroud is very experienced and he can help the young players.

The addition of Menion is also very critical, does he make you feel safe in front of the goal?

Mike has a lot of self-confidence, we communicate a lot on and off the pitch, we sit next to each other in the dressing room, he has an unbelievable mentality, we talk about everything, and recently talked about his experience in France, he told us about the season that led Lille to the championship, he said he didn't need to think about anyone else, just focus on himself and the next game, kick after kick, just think about the opponent in front of him.

Have you ever wondered how you would be prepared to celebrate if you won the First Division?

Haven't thought about it yet, but I'm sure I can come up with some great ideas with Salmakles... Now what we want to say is that if I had to run an extra 10km on the pitch, I would certainly not back down!