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Niclas Füllkrug has shed some light on what he perceives are the differences between the styles of defending in different leagues.
Füllkrug already knows what it takes to beat defences in Italy, having scored his first goal for Milan on Sunday night, the winner against Lecce that came within two minutes of coming off the bench.
Generally speaking, it is clear that the German can add something that the Rossoneri do not have already: physicality, aerial ability and also fantastic hold-up play, which should have already led to multiple assists.
As part of his meet and greet at the Milan Store on Via Dante, Füllkrug did a question and answer session in which he responded to some topics that fans wanted to know more about.
What is it like to play against Italian defenders, and more generally how does defending in Italy compare to Germany in England?
“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).
“It’s very, very important for us as AC Milan. Most of the games we are favourite in the games, so for us it’s always good if we score the first goal, because then the opponent has to open the game, has to try effect it, to attack.
“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. That’s for me the biggest difference.”
Tra le varie domande rivolte dai tifosi a Niclas #Fullkrug, oggi presente al Milan Store di via Dante a Milano, ecco quella posta da @Irishsara1980 del MilanClub Castelnuovo di Sotto. 🔴⚫️😀 pic.twitter.com/z6YocaZh2V
— Alessandro Jacobone – Milanisti NE (@NonEvoluto) January 23, 2026
English (US) ·