AC Milan Fikayo Tomori has likened Premier League football to a basketball game compared to the more strategic American football-style Serie A that he has become accustomed to.
The young defender took a gamble on his career when he switched Chelsea for the Serie A 12 months ago, joining Italian side AC Milan on an initial loan deal that was made permanent in the summer.
A year later and Tomori is currently one of the first names on the teamsheet for The Rossoneri, the centre-back a prominent figure in a side that currently sit three points clear of city rivals Inter at the top of Serie A.
As a result, there was a widespread expectation that he would be selected by Gareth Southgate for the upcoming international friendlies against Switzerland and the Ivory Coast.
AC Milan’s English defender Fikayo Tomori celebrates after scoring during the Italian Serie A football match Juventus vs AC Milan on May 09, 2021 at the Juventus stadium in Turin. (Photo by Marco BERTORELLO / AFP) (Photo by MARCO BERTORELLO/AFP via Getty Images)
However, to many people’s surprise, he was not picked in the Three Lions 26 man squad, meaning that he will not be able to add to his 2 England caps to date until at least the summer. Given the 24-year old’s form, it feels like a significant injustice.
Style difference to blame?
Now, when asked about the difference he has found between the Serie A and the Premier League, Tomori has perhaps offered an explanation as to why, in Gareth Southgate’s mind, the 24-year-old was overlooked. This comes as he revealed that the Italian top flight is far more strategic, albeit at a slower pace.
‘In England, it’s more like basketball’, Tomori told the Guardian. ‘Everything’s end-to-end, there’s more intensity, a lot more happens reactively.’
MILAN, ITALY – MARCH 12: Fikayo Tomori of AC Milan controls the ball during the Serie A match between AC Milan and Empoli FC at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza on March 12, 2022 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Sportinfoto/DeFodi Images via Getty Images)
‘In Italy it’s more like American football’, the defender added. ‘It’s like you have ‘plays’. When the ball’s here, I need to be here. When the ball goes, I know I have to be two metres over in that direction, or be looking for this particular player …’
Whether this style difference played a role in Gareth Southgate’s decision not to pick the defender will never be known, but given his form, it seems a plausible explanation.
