After a dominant performance against Parma, Juventus defender Matthijs de Ligt feels he is learning a lot from his defensive partner Leonardo Bonucci, as well as captain Giorgio Chiellini.
Juventus had Cristiano Ronaldo to thank as his brace gave the Bianconeri a 2-1 win over Parma, and De Ligt highlighted what a young defender needs to do to improve his game.
“We [De Ligt and Bonucci] talk to each other,” De Ligt told ForzaItalianFootball.com, as well as other reporters. “Bonucci is a really experienced defender and he knows how to play, I think that’s the most important thing.
“When you are young you want to rush into tackles and win all the duels. Sometimes it’s better to play with your head and I am trying to learn that from him. And it is nice to play that way.
“Chiellini is a bit different from Bonucci, but I try to learn everything from them. They have a lot of qualities, so it’s an honour to learn from them.
“I prefer to play on the right [side of defence], but the left is also ok.”
The win over Parma takes Juventus four points clear of Scudetto rivals Inter, though De Ligt wasn’t counting his chickens just yet.
“Parma did well today,” De Ligt went on. “They had a good game and have a lot of good players, so they did well and it was difficult for us. but in the end we won.
“Right now the table very good for us, but the season is very long and all the games are important.”
In terms of comparing Serie A and the Eredivisie, De Ligt feels that the depth in Italian football is the main difference.
“There is a lot of difference between the Eredivisie and Serie A,” De Ligt stated.
“The biggest difference is between the smaller sides because in the Netherlands the first four are really good and are the same level as Serie A, but the lower table sides are better compared to the Eredivisie.
“I think every game [in Italy] is a test.”
