Michele Di Gregorio is proud that Bournemouth ‘mentality does not change’ even against Milan in the Europa League, describes the difference in England and denies Bologna rumours.
The Italian goalkeeper made the move to the Vitality Stadium over the summer, on loan from Juventus with option to buy, and had only his second start for the club in this evening’s 3-0 victory.
It was decided by a pair of penalties from Justin Kluivert and Marcus Tavernier, plus a late Amine Adli free kick, after Mike Maignan’s red card 28 minutes into the match.
Di Gregorio enjoying Bournemouth
“We were at home this evening, we knew it was an important match against a top level team, we all know Milan, but our mentality does not change,” Di Gregorio told Sky Sport Italia.
“Bournemouth insist on being aggressive, facing every opponent with our ideas, our way of playing, and regardless of the incidents, we would’ve had that attitude.”
Milan had no shots on target, so Di Gregorio had a quiet night in only his second appearance for the Cherries since the summer loan move with option to buy from Juventus. Did he need to do some warm-up exercises under heavy rain?
“I felt a bit cold in goal tonight! But when a goalkeeper keeps a clean sheet, it is the work of the collective, so I have to thank my teammates for that.”
Now that he has come to the Premier League, why do the English teams have such strong starts to matches compared to the Italian tendency to study their opponents?
“I think the big difference is here that every game is played with our own ideas of football, which means attacking and a different intensity to Italy. That leads to more open games and it doesn’t matter who you are up against, whether it’s the top of the table or rock bottom, you can risk defeat.
“Everyone here has their own ideas and they stick to them, no matter the opponent.”
Although he is a goalkeeper, how has Di Gregorio adapted to the cultural shift of working in an English team?
“It was a big change for me, there is certainly a difference in the training methods, but I feel the intensity is the biggest difference. Their grit, determination, attacking to win back the ball immediately, that’s extraordinary to me.”
The Juventus-owned man left amid a flurry of criticism, so is there anything he misses and does not miss about Italy?
“Even if I am here, I still see some of what is said in Italy, and I am sad that things don’t change or improve, but this is football now and we can only stay within the rules of that game. Fortunately, so far me and my family don’t miss anything yet, we’re very happy here, so it’s all OK.”
There have been reports that new Bologna coach Raffaele Palladino has called Di Gregorio for a potential January transfer back to Serie A.
“No, we have a good rapport and he might watch the games of those he worked with at Monza, we are fond of each other, but there’s nothing more than that.”