“I want to score goals, I’m a striker and always want to score.” Tomorrow Inter and Atalanta are playing at the Meazza and it will be a special game for Marko Livaja. The Croatian could be in the starting eleven, something he probably would have been even on Stramaccioni’s teams given all the strikers who have fallen away recently. Gazzetta dello Sport interviewed the young striker ahead of tomorrow’s match.
Livaja, how much do you want to play in this game?
“Very much. A great stadium, great opponent, large audience. Everybody wants to play games like this, but I think it’s fun even if it is against Siena.”
Colantuono let you sit out a game for disciplinary reasons.
“I admit I was wrong. The coach did the right thing not selecting me for the game against Sampdoria. I have apologized to everyone and now the story is in the past.”
At Inter, now Palacio has been injured.
“And I’m sorry for him. According to me he is one of the best strikers in the league, one that gives depth and scores many goals. He helped me a lot when we were teammates. Without him inter lose a lot.”
Instead, the only available strikers are Cassano and Rocchi. Inter repents…
“I can only say that I am happy at Atalanta, the first three months has been amazing. Inter repent for me? I don’t think so, they have many great players, from Cassano to Guarin.”
Did you expect Stramaccioni to give more space to youngsters during his reign?
“But he has done that. I, Longo, Bessa, Duncan… He brought with him six or seven youngsters to the first team. I can only be grateful to him because he helped me a lot. I came to Inter after six months in Cesena, where I practically had not played. He made me immediately a starting player in the Primavera and we won everything. Then he brought me to the first team.”
So why did you leave Inter?
“The current situation, with all of these injuries in the attack, was not the same in January. Then there were six, seven strikers before me, so when I heard about the offer from Atalanta, I took it immediately. Here I can play, which is the important for me. I have already played six games and at the end it will be 12 or 13. Quite a number for a guy who is 19 years.”
Kovacic is 18 and has previously played for Hajduk Split, just like you.
“I know him well. We played in Croatia’s youth national team when we were 14 years old. Inter paid a lot for him but he’s very good.”
As Handanovic.
“For me he is among the top three goalkeepers in the world and I say this not just because he is my friend. If it’s someone I don’t want as an opponent it’s him. But when I came to Atalanta, I made him a promise: When I see you I’ll score on you.”
If this is the case, will you celebrate?
“No, I still have too many friends at Inter.”
You will certainly not be afraid of playing at the San Siro.
“I will not be the only one, we have so many players who have experienced the stadiums and matches like this and if we play like Atalanta we can win.”
Source: fcinternews.it