Ruben Loftus-Cheek, AC Milan's midfielder, was the protagonist of the first episode of 'Gameplay' on Milan TV and made some statements regarding his position on the field, among other things. Here are his words on the matter.
"I have played in various positions in my career, so I feel comfortable in any role. Over the years, I increasingly feel like a complete midfielder and it's more fun for me."
On his most important characteristic on the field:
"Certainly my physicality. I am robust, strong, fast, and powerful, and when I can combine these characteristics with my technical qualities, I can have a greater impact on the game."
On his first role, Loftus-Cheek:
"I started as a number 8, a box-to-box midfielder. I covered the whole field. Later on, I played in other positions, sometimes in defence when needed, or as a forward, but also on the wing. So yes, I've covered all roles."
If he would like to play in goal like Olivier Giroud did:
"Maybe. Perhaps one day I could do that too, but the only position I haven't played yet is left-back. So I would say that's the only role I haven't done."
Comparison of Touchmaps: between Torino and Roma:
"I had slightly different tasks. Against Torino, I played as an 8 on the right in a midfield of three. While against Roma, I played predominantly in the middle just behind the striker. They are slightly different roles tactically, against Torino my touches were mostly on the right, while against Roma, I tended to move from left to right."
On the Touchmap of the season (so far) highlighting his presence all over the field:
"This is the contribution I can make especially in midfield, where you need to be good at both defending and attacking. Sometimes you find yourself in the middle of having to defend and immediately launch into offensive incursions. Anyway, yes, I feel comfortable everywhere on the field, and I always try to find the position where I can be most dangerous."
On the importance of winning many individual duels in Serie A, Loftus-Cheek said:
"It's important in every competition: it's always a battle, especially in midfield, where you want to win those duels. Every time there are duels, I want to win as many as possible, using my strength and physicality, and this can affect the team's victories."
On matches with 100% successful passes:
"Precision counts a lot in the final third, and sometimes it's difficult to make the right pass and, above all, to do it well. It also depends on which area of the field you are in at that moment. You find yourself at a crossroads and have to decide whether to make a risky or safe pass, making the right decision is crucial. Do I like risky passes? It's one of the areas I need to improve, generally I prefer running and trying some dribbles, but sometimes I should try more key passes that can lead to goals."
On the work done to improve weaknesses:
"We are constantly working to improve, and with today's technologies, it's much easier. Just being able to review the game footage and discuss it with the coach on how to improve is a very important aspect. Then we are always on the field, which helps us a lot."
On his first assist against Torino:
"I didn't see Christian (Pulisic) immediately, but I noticed the great work done by Olivier (Giroud) who runs towards the near post freeing up space in the middle of the area. It was a great goal."
On Christian Pulisic and their understanding:
"We understand each other well, I know his movements. We got along very well, especially in the first part of the season, where we both played on the right. It's always a pleasure to play with him."
On the connection between him an Olivierd Giroud, and on exploiting the spaces the Frenchman creates (referring to the penalty earned against Roma):
"I love playing with Oli, he's a great player. He always comes to support you and is perfect for playing as a target man. My job is to find the spaces he frees up, even with a one-two, as in the case of the penalty against Roma. And that's precisely one of those occasions where he came to support me."
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