Inter defender Robin Gosens has opened up on his move to Inter and his relationship with Ivan Perisic who plays in the same position as him, according to a report in the German print media today.
Whilst writing in a column for the German magazine 11 Freunde, the German wing back first talked about the opening days at the club and how it can be very difficult to know how to conduct yourself in the locker room as a new player.
“Everyone knows that moment when you first appear somewhere and you don’t know how people will react to you. Most of the time it’s half dark, because everyone at first is all friendly or at least they pretend to be friendly.
“Then it gets harder when normal life begins. In my case, when I sit in my place in the locker room, I hope one of the new colleagues will talk to me. This time it wasn’t a problem because I already knew many guys and there was a lot of mutual interest, but when I arrived at Atalanta five years ago I felt like sinking into the ground, I was so uncomfortable with the situation.
“Even now I get goosebumps to tell it. I was completely out of my comfort zone, I didn’t know what the rules were and how I should behave with the boys.”
He then explained that upon joining Inter, everything started over again and his past achievements meant nothing. He had to prove his worth in the exact same way that a very expensive player would have to.
“But at Inter for me everything started all over again. What you worked for at the old club no longer counts in the new dressing room. Even those who come for €100 million must prove that he deserves his place.
“I think that’s exactly the right thing to do, because it’s the only way to go full throttle. So while I was one of the oldest in Atalanta’s locker room, one who could do anything, I am a new arrival at Inter, one that is initially kept an eye on.
“From a psychological point of view, this is an extremely interesting phase, because there is a certain distance on both sides when getting to know each other. For me the first few days are always a confrontation with myself, because I would like to be immediately who I am, but at the same time I have the feeling of having to hold back.”
He then explained how that relationship can work when you have a direct rival for a starting position in the team. In Robin Gosens’ case, that rival is Ivan Perisic but there is clearly no animosity between the pair.
“It’s probably a human reaction to slow down a bit. Especially since there is another special case in the integration process: dealing with the direct competitor. After all, I am coming to take the place of someone, and that usually produces negative energy.
“In my case, I only have great respect for the career of Ivan Perisic, who is a great player. We immediately got on very well, although obviously I would like to become a player who has regular starts and this would inevitably be at his expense.”
Robin Gosens has played for the German national team and he had a similar situation with Christian Gunther: “A similar thing happened to me with Christian Günther in the national team: we get along well and have a lot of conversations.
“Ultimately, all of this has its weight, both in the world of football and in the normal world of work. Such situations help you to know yourself better as a person, to develop a personality and to face challenges.”
