Manchester United defender De Ligt accepted an official interview with Manchester United at Carrington. He revealed the reasons behind his outstanding form at the beginning of the season and shared how he continues to improve by watching videos and...
Manchester United defender De Ligt accepted an official interview with Manchester United at Carrington. He revealed the reasons behind his outstanding form at the beginning of the season and shared how he continues to improve by watching videos and self-reflection.
Q: How do you feel about your start to the season?
De Ligt: To be honest, I feel pretty good. I'm happy with the way I started personally. I feel great physically and mentally. I try to help the team as much as possible in every game. Obviously, long term, we're not where we want to be yet, but I feel like we're improving as a team and hopefully over the next few weeks, we can get some good results.
Q: Why do you think you are in such good shape?
De Ligt: Well, first of all, a very important point is that I have gone through a complete pre-season preparation. I think pre-season is always very important for me personally and physically, and I think this is one of the first pre-seasons I've had in five or six years where I haven't had to deal with transfers, injuries or the European Cup. The last time was probably my last season at Ajax, which was actually one of the best seasons of my career! I think this is a very important event.
I feel that mentally and physically, I am in a very good state. I feel pretty confident. Obviously, my teammates and coaches helped a lot because they gave me that confidence. I think it also helps that I'm getting used to the Premier League now and getting used to the pace of the game. Overall, these are by far the most important factors in getting me to this level.
Q: Will you review your game videos for analysis? How is the review conducted within the team?
De Ligt: As a team, we always look back at the tape because it is important for the team, in order to improve as a team. Personally, I always enjoy watching the games back, usually on Dutch TV. I like to watch myself handle the ball and see what I could have done differently and what I did right, which is what I usually do. And, as a team, we also watch clips to improve as a team.
Basically, we just watch video footage. Most of the time, there are four distinct stages. The offensive phase is to organize attacks and create opportunities. The transition into the attacking phase, when you win the ball back and start the counterattack, and how you deal with that. Then comes the defensive phase, and the defensive transition. Those are the four most important phases in football, so we always look at clips of those phases to see where we could have done better or what we did well.
Q: Are you very strict with yourself?
De Ligt: I'm definitely very strict with myself, but I've become a little bit gentler because sometimes I used to be too harsh and that doesn't help me much. Now I think I'm slightly more balanced.
Q: Do your family and friends give you feedback?
De Ligt: They will, they will (provide feedback), but not too much, they just talk to me about the game. Most of the time, it's more about the flow of the game as a team and less about my individual performance, it's more about how well we're playing and whether we're winning. They know I know how I'm playing. There’s no need to tell me before or after the game how well I played or how I should have done it differently because they know I’m the most critical of myself.
Q: We noticed that you often put your arms tightly behind your back when defending in the penalty area. Why is this?
De Ligt: In my first three months at Juventus, when I was 19 years old, the ball touched my hand about five times in three months. I got three penalties and stuff like that. Since then, I have been very attentive to this action. Last season, I think I was very unlucky with the handball against Liverpool, where the ball hit my hand from about half a meter away. That's something I pay a lot of attention to, including blocking shots and stuff like that, keeping my body stretched out but putting my hands behind my back so that I don't get a penalty for handball.
Q: You are now 26 years old and entering the golden age of a defender. Do you think you still have room for improvement?
De Ligt: Yes, of course. I feel like I'm entering my golden years now. I think as a defender, your best years are usually around 29, 30, 31 years old. I'm 26 now and I think I've been through a lot in my career and I can use that experience to my advantage. Hopefully I can keep it up.
