His difficult start in Italy has been good for Matthijs de Ligt. That concludes Keje Molenaar, former player of Ajax and Feyenoord and father-in-law of the twenty-year-old defender. Since playing football again in Italy, De Ligt has been showered with compliments.
De Ligt was accurate for Juventus on Friday evening in the won home game against Lecce (4-0) and received a 10 on Italian television afterwards. After his rough start full of handballs and defensive insecurities, he was still labeled as a capital bad buy. “You are God or nothing in Italy,” says Molenaar in de Volkskrant.
“It was good for Matthijs, a few shots for his head. At Ajax he grew up protected, as a boy from his own youth you can not easily do something wrong. The offensive playing style was cast in his head. In Italy you have to stay in your own zone much more. You are judged on defense, not on building. That’s why Matthijs went there too. Away from his comfort zone. “
Despite the return of Giorgio Chiellini after a serious knee injury, De Ligt is guaranteed a basic place under trainer Maurizio Sarri. Molenaar: “He has grown enormously as a person and as a player.” He thinks that the transfer fee that Juventus paid for De Ligt (75) initially did not help. “That price tag put a lot of mental pressure on it.”
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