MADE IN MILAN
Tomori has his sights on World Cup after picking the brains of Maldini, Baresi and Ibrahimovic
FIKAYO TOMORI enters the room with a bounce in his step. It has been a memorable few weeks for the central defender, who played an integral role in helping AC Milan win their first Serie A title since 2011 and earned an England recall for the Nations League fixtures against Hungary, Germany and Italy.
Tomori, 24, has earned rave reviews since arriving in Milan — initially on loan — 18 months ago. Gareth Southgate clearly likes what he sees.
Enriched by regular chats with technical director Paolo Maldini — and occasionally bumping into Franco Baresi — the former Chelsea defender appears to be on course for the World Cup.
‘Obviously I speak to Paolo — he is there every day,’ said Tomori. ‘He doesn’t say much, he leaves that to the manager, but sometimes we have a little chat and he asks me how things are going and speaks to us defenders as a collective.
‘I remember after the last game I saw Baresi which was kind of cool. Not just defenders but you see different legends just flying about. Every time it happens you think, “Woah, this is mad”.’
And then, of course, there is Zlatan. ‘He is 40. We knew we had a very good team but if he wasn’t in the squad then certain moments — when we were losing at half-time or not playing well — if he was not there, it would have been different,’ said Tomori.
‘He was always talking, before the game, walking up and down and talking, talking and talking.
He will talk to individual players and give them little bits of advice.
‘Even if he was not on the pitch he would be talking like he was starting the game and motivating all of them.
‘He was the only guy who had won with Milan and he was like, “Guys, if we win, be ready because it will go crazy”. It would have been different with him not around. He played a big part.’ Plying his trade in defending’s spiritual home certainly agrees with Tomori. It helps that he has embraced the culture, and learning Italian is a key to his success.
His displays have been exemplary. You don’t become a regular in an AC Milan defence if you have underperformed. ‘I think the way they are as defenders, I wouldn’t say it’s personal but it’s like, “I need to make sure what I’m doing is on the money and no one’s getting past me no matter what”.
‘They have that pride to be like, “I am the big defender”. Not in an arrogant way but just in football terms of wanting to be the best they can be.
‘Little things like the manager will tell me, “Make sure you are blocking a run” or, “Make sure you are not allowing this to happen or getting contact in the box”.
‘Being there and watching the likes of (Juventus centre backs) Leonardo Bonucci and Giorgio Chiellini, all these kinds of defenders, you see the things they do. They are very streetwise.
‘When I see that I want to try to put that into my game. Obviously they have been doing that for a very long time but being in Italy you definitely pick up those little things and you see those little things that they do.’
Tomori can look forward to a reunion with AC Milan team-mates Alessandro Florenzi, Davide Calabria and Sandro Tonali when England face Italy at Molineux next week.
Tomori felt England’s heartbreaking Euro 2020 final loss against the Italians last summer more than most.
‘I watched it in a hotel in Milan with one of my friends. I remember when Italy scored, I just had a face on and didn’t want to look too down like we were going to lose,’ he recalled.
‘But as the penalties were going on, it was difficult to watch. I can’t imagine what it would be like on the pitch. I couldn’t get out of there fast enough. I was near the Duomo (cathedral) so I guess in a way it was nice to see them celebrating. I was right in the middle of it but I just got home as quickly as I could.
‘Thinking about it — imagine if we were to win the Euros or the World Cup how big it would be. It is definitely a motivation. Every footballer likes to win but to see how a country reacts to it, it is something that motivates you.’