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This is what he had to say:
Malen è tra i giocatori che più ha migliorato in carriera? Con lei è diventato un numero 9 come non mai.
"Malen solo per le squadre in cui ha giocato era un giocatore di valore. Quando vai in certi club così giovane, è perché hai dei mezzi. Il fatto di giocare centravanti è stato un motivo per convincerlo, lui voleva giocare in quel ruolo. Così è andata bene a tutti e due. Io ero stra convinto come mi è successo anche altre volte in carriera. Questi sono giocatori forti, non è che mi invento niente, cerco di far emergere il meglio di loro. Ma sono anche contento di Pisilli e degli altri che hanno fatto un bel percorso finora. Hermoso, anche. Non solo i giovanissimi".
The team really responded after the defeat in Milan. Are you satisfied with the performance?
“Yes, no doubt about it. The game got off to a great start after only three minutes. Serie A games are never easy. It was an excellent reaction by us. It wasn't straightforward, but we made our mark. These are three very good points for the league standings.”
Looking ahead to the future, what’s the consensus with the club’s management? A lot was talked about by Claudio Ranieri ahead of the game, including your Atalanta team and the subject of improving the young players.
“It would be better not to comment on Atalanta regarding young and old players. We got results there. We'll definitely meet with Ranieri next week. There have never been any disagreements with him.”
How does what’s been said affect you?
“I'm very happy with our 3-0 victory tonight. It's a great win and we’re good position in the league standings. Now we'll see what Juventus and Como do.”
You’ve dodged the question well…
“There’s no way for you to get around it – when I do this you can’t catch me out. I'm very focused on our performance in tonight’s match. We’ve got six matches left this season.”
Is Donyell Malen one of the players you’ve improved the most in your career? With you at the helm he’s become the kind of number nine he wasn’t before.
“Malen was a great player for his previous teams. If a player joins clubs at such a young age it’s because they must be good. Telling him he’d be playing centre forward was a way to win him over – that’s the position he wanted to play in. It’s worked out for both of us. I was absolutely convinced by him, as I have been on other occasions in my career. We’re talking about top players here - it's not like I'm conjuring things from thin air. I just try to bring out the best in them. I'm also happy with [Niccolo] Pisilli and the others who have been on good form. The same goes for [Mario] Hermoso, so not just our youngsters.”
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