Yahoo Sports ‘It’s been a long time’ – Ambrosini praises Reijnders for taking ‘mental leap’
Massimo Ambrosini has praised Tijjani Reijnders given his recent explosion in form, stating that he hasn’t seen anyone shoot like him in Italy for a long time.
Reijnders’ first season in Italy was by no means a bad one as he became an immovable starter under Stefano Pioli, but he certainly was not at the level which he has been consistently this season, especially in terms of attacking output.
This is probably due to the trust that Paulo Fonseca has in the midfielder, along with forming a fruitful partnership with Youssouf Fofana. The numbers speak for themselves: in all of 2023-24 Reijnders had four goals and four assists, this season (after 17 games) he is already on seven goals, three assists.
Ambrosini gave a short interview to the newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport to talk about Reijnders and his important growth this season, with his comments relayed by MilanPress.
“He is definitely less shy. I think he has made another mental leap: he is more consistent and more decisive. And I am not just talking about the many goals he is scoring, but also about everything else,” he said.
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“The duel with Ederson? It will be a good test for both, as well as for Atalanta and Milan. Ederson is exceptional on a physical level, in the nastiness he shows in duels he seems like a defender, but then he also knows how to finish on goal in the other area.
“It’s a question of interpretation, attitude and application. Like Reijnders, the Brazilian from La Dea is a modern midfielder, especially because he is able to cover the whole pitch. Differences? The Dutchman from Milan has the final pass, the through ball almost like an attacking midfielder.
“And he knows how to score in all ways: with runs in behind, but also with shots from outside the area. Well, it’s been a long time since I saw a midfielder in Italy who shoots like Reijnders.”
