Malick Thiaw has been named the MVP for February in the fan vote on acmilan.com. The German defender has been brilliant of late, starting four games and making a cameo appearance in the derby on the 5th.
One stat stands out; we didn't concede a single goal with Malick on the pitch in February. Overall, this season, AC Milan have conceded 0.5 goals per game in the league with Thiaw on the pitch, and 1.6 without him. He has nailed down a starting berth since Pioli switched to a back 3, which helped the Rossoneri out of a rough patch of form.
In the first half of the season, Malick made two starts in November: the 0-0 draw in Cremona and the 2-1 win at San Siro against Fiorentina. He also made cameo appearances against Hellas Verona and Spezia. Since the start of February, no Serie A defender has won more duels than Thiaw in all competitions (11, level with Danilo). The German, in the same time period, made more defensive clearances (20) than any other AC Milan player and only Giroud (19) won more aerial duels than him (13).
He has brought physicality and fresh legs to the Rossoneri's backline over the past month and has shown himself to be more than up to the task in the Champions League too. He made his full debut in the competition on 14 February and was tasked with containing a talented Spurs forward line. He absolutely aced the test and Malick has certainly cemented himself in the hearts of the Rossoneri's supporters. Keep it up, Malick, this is only the beginning!
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