Sunday Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Juve got to admire Ogbonna
ANGELO OGBONNA has saluted his old teachers at the School of Juventus – as he looks to hand Liverpool’s strikers a lesson this afternoon.
West Ham fans will tell you that Ogbonna’s performances in central defence alongside Craig Dawson have been the bedrock of the Hammers’ rise in the Premier League this season.
But the 32-year-old Italian is quick to acknowledge that he learned much of his craft from Andrea Barzagli, Leonardo Bonucci and Giorgio Chiellini during his days alongside them at Juventus.
“I have a fantastic relationship with all of those Juve players,” Ogbonna said. “I really grew up with them, they taught me a lot.
“Each of them taught me one part.
“Chiellini is a fantastic leader, maybe the best of the three. He is very aggressive, he reads the game very well.
“He’s composed, not only when he is on the ball, and that helped me to read the game, to read the situations.
“Barzagli is the one who never talks but is always there for everyone.
“And it’s very important to recognise the personality of Bonucci… even if he makes a mistake, he has the personality to come back.”
Ogbonna joined West Ham in 2015 and, while it hasn’t always been plain sailing since then, this season the Irons are flying.
He said: “There is a real unity, a real togetherness. Since the manager came in, everything changed. We are united, we try our best.
“Everything comes from the basics, everything comes from discipline. Everyone is doing what they have to do, even the young lads.
“Even when we have a day off, everyone comes in. They want to do their job, they want to do something important for the club.
“You can feel it in the club now, there are more ambitions.”