Olivier Giroud is looking forward to play his first Derby della Madonnina and he wants to win with his teammates as he spoke to La Gazzetta dello Sport in today's edition:
"It is important match because having a 10-point lead on Inter would not be bad, even if there is still a lot to play. Let's say it will be a fundamental but not decisive match and Milan have the weapons to win it. Of course, the opponent is very strong, but if we play as we know, then we can win. We are Milan and we have seven points more, it must mean something. We need to have a lot of self-confidence. Respecting the opponent does not mean being in awe of them."
On signing for Milan and not Inter:
"In the career of a football player and in life there are the right moments to do the right things. Milan was the best choice for me. My family and I have a great time in Milan: the people are kind, they have a lot of passion for football, you live well. Free time is not much and with four children I am a very busy dad. I accompany one of my sons to football, my daughter to horse riding… We are enjoying the city and often relatives and friends come to visit us, as Grenoble is close. We visited the Duomo which is beautiful, we went to Lake Como and had a nice boat ride."
On studying the Italian language:
"I try to speak Italian as much as possible, yet there is still work to be done."
Giroud on his performances so far:
"I am satisfied because I had so many physical problems and then also Covid. I know I can give a lot more and Milan can do more too. I grow with the team."
On the opponents he fears the most from Inter:
"Lautaro is dangerous but Inter have many high-level players and the team is very good. But we have fate in our hands. If we do what we know how to do, we can win."
On his relationship with Ibrahimovic:
"We can be complementary, at least in some matches. For now Pioli is making other choices, but I hope to be able to play more with Zlatan in the future."
On Pioli:
"What struck me about coach Pioli? His energy. He transmits positive strength, but not only this: he is close to the players and if he has something to say, he says it. And tactically he is very good because he also knows how to adapt to opponents. He should improve in English and French (laughs ed) . I'm joking, among other things, his French is good."
Will there be a movie about your career?
"It was suggested to me when the book came out. But the time is not yet right. Maybe later, who knows."
On the chances to qualify to the next round of the Champions League:
"The arithmetic also says so. We have the qualities to do well, this is a well-designed team that will make their way and I aim to win a lot with Milan", said Giroud, "In the city and at the stadium there is a beautiful atmosphere, what we saw against Porto is the trailer of the film that we will live in the derby at San Siro."
