In an interview with L’Équipe, Marseille forward Arkadiusz Milik discussed his determination and return to the team after a difficult start to the season out of the starting lineup. Having scored a hat-trick against Angers, the forward quadrupled his goal tally for the season.
On his goalscoring drought and lack of playing time, and whether he changed aspects of his game after coach Jorge Sampaoli publicly asked him to adapt to his systems
The last few weeks were mentally difficult for me. I was happy with the team’s performance against Angers, as well as my own. Being on the bench and not playing is obviously difficult for me. When you don’t have playing time, you can also be angry. I took the chance to put in some extra training sessions, doing double sessions every day to improve, to be ready at the right time and be at the top of my game.
On whether it was the first time in his career he had been challenged like that
I’ve always known what I’m capable of, I had no doubt in my abilities. Losing your place in the team is a bit like losing your confidence. When I feel that confidence being undermined, what helps me is to train more. Of course, matches and goals are the most important thing to consolidate that confidence. I’ve always believed in myself, for a player that’s fundamental, and that doesn’t remove the need to challenge yourself as well. But then I know what the football industry is like. You can get injured, people can say, like two weeks ago, that you’re a bad forward, and then you get praised after a hat-trick. Things move very quickly in this business. You just have to keep your feet on the ground.
On whether he thought about leaving this winter
That’s a good question. No, I never thought about leaving Marseille this winter. I’m not the kind of player who thinks about leaving because he’s not playing, or is playing less. I don’t like that mentality. I took it as a challenge. I knew that sooner or later, I would have the chance to prove my worth.
I was calm, patient, and I worked hard. That’s the only solution. Sometimes it’s not easy to keep at it, but I asked myself the right questions. I’ve been happy here in Marseille since the start, I’ve never wanted to leave the club. It’s a big club for me.