Inter, Calhanoglu: "After the last season with Inzaghi they had written us off, now we want to dominate. Chivu is more interested in you as a person"
Hakan Calhanoglu is central to Inter's plans once again. The Turkish midfielder is building up minutes and sharpening up ahead of the season opener against Monza, and during Inter's tour of the East he gave a lengthy interview to BeIn Sports Australia to assess his future and the club's. The message was clear: win more trophies!
Goals from outside the box
"There are no secrets, everyone knows me. My team-mates too, before the match or at half-time they always tell me, 'if you have the chance to shoot, shoot'. I know my own quality too. Sometimes, when I get space, I shoot and sometimes it comes off"
Italian football vs German football
"Two different styles. In Italy it is more tactical and defensive, whereas in Germany it was more attacking when I was there, though maybe it has changed now. It is not easy to score in Italy. All the teams defend well, even the smaller ones.
Serie A is a very fine league. There are teams like Atalanta and others that are growing, and they are buying good players, like Fiorentina. The criticism always comes from outside. As a player I do not agree with what they say, for me it is in the top three leagues along with the Premier League and La Liga"
Chivu and Inzaghi
"Something special with Chivu? Certainly, everyone thought we were dead after what had happened the year before. The team had a strong mentality. When the difficult moments came, we responded on the pitch and that made the difference.
I can't say anything about Inzaghi, he really wanted me when he came to Inter and I grew a lot with him as a player and as a person. Chivu is different; with him, you matter more as a person. For him, football is no longer what matters most. You are important as a person, how you feel. He is always available, he gives you confidence and makes you feel good"
We want to dominate
"The objective is always to win the league again or to dominate it. In five years I have won eight trophies and played in two Champions League finals, I would have liked to win one but football is like that. The objective is always to establish ourselves again in Italy, to try to win again and to dominate. We will try again"
Idols and the strongest? Thuram
"Idol? I loved watching Ronaldinho, he inspired me a lot, he was my idol. The strongest players I've played with? Son, Ibrahimovic, there have been so many top players, it's not easy to choose. At Inter there are so many top players, if I pick one, the others will be upset. I'll choose one from Inter and say Thuram"
