Fullkrug jokes about Serie A defending: "There's a reason Catenaccio comes from Italy"

"It's crazy because the difference between the leagues is a lot. I didn't imagine before but it's a big difference. The Premier League is of course very physical, but a different physical. It's very intense in the moments. In Italy you have the feeling it's more volume, so it's not less, it's different. Of course in Italy and in Serie A every team knows how to defend. There's a reason Catenaccio comes from Italy (laughs)."

"If they defend for a long time, they know how to defend and it's difficult to score a goal. I think you can see that also in the games, but the biggest difference is that in Italy the teams really defend together. It's not that one defender is better, or in England they're better, or in Germany. Here, it's like the teams defend with 10 men and a goalkeeper, and no-one is waiting up front or outside waiting to counter-attack."

Niclas Füllkrug scored his first goal for Milan, the winner against Lecce shortly after coming off the bench. Füllkrug adds physicality, aerial ability and strong hold-up play to Milan's attack. He contrasts league defending styles: the Premier League is very physical with intense moments, while Italy emphasises defensive volume and collective organisation. Serie A teams generally defend together and make it hard to score when they sit deep. Scoring first is especially important for Milan because being favourites forces opponents to open up and creates more chances to break compact defences.

Read at SempreMilan