Inter midfielder Hakan Calhanoglu is not expecting anything less than a fully charged up and motivated Barcelona team when the Nerazzurri travel to the Camp Nou tomorrow.
Speaking to Italian broadcaster Amazon Prime ahead of the match, the 28-year-old gave his thoughts about the Nerazzurri’s mental preparations for the Champions League clash, and also the recovery of Romelu Lukaku and his own positional versatility.
Inter managed a huge win in the context of their season by beating Barcelona at the San Siro last week.
However, they will be well aware that the job is nowhere close to being done.
The Blaugranas now have next to no margin for error, and they know that if they do not beat Inter tomorrow then their hopes of qualifying for the knockout rounds of the Champions League will be hanging by a thread.
“They’re angry, they have fire inside,” Calhanoglu said, “we know it will be difficult to play there, but we will give our all, if we work the way we can on the pitch for ninety minutes, I don’t think many teams can beat us.”
He explained, “Before the match against Barcelona we were already mentally ready, because we knew that they’re a strong team, they have top players, with the ball they’re top class, but when you’re ready mentally you know that you have to give everything on the pitch.”
He continued that “The coach wanted us to work as a team on the pitch, not as individuals on our own.”
“On Tuesday we all worked together, for each other.”
The midfielder looked back, “We played with greater intensity, with desire, with courage, with heart, the things that in my view had been missing in the previous matches.”
“Now we just want to keep working and going forward.”
Of his performance at the base of midfield in place of the injured Marcelo Brozovic against the Blaugranas, Calhanoglu said that “I’m not used to that role, I feel more comfortable with another midfielder close to me.”
“That’s how we play in the national team, and then I got a lot of help from Bare and Mkhitaryan, we did a great job.”
Of the injured Lukaku, Calhanoglu said that “Rom is doing absolutely everything he can to get back, sometimes it happens that a top player like him is absent, but he’s working all day, he ‘s doing his best to return to the team.”
He called the Belgian “The kind of player who uses his strength to hold up the ball, certainly someone who helps us get in behind defenses, everyone has different qualities, but when he can hold the ball up we are more relaxed.”
Of the story of getting advice on where to place his goal against Barcelona keeper Ter Stegan, Calhanoglu recalled that “Before the match Romelu came up to me, he told me that if I shoot on goal to put it to Ter Stegen’s right where he’s weaker.”
“Andre [Onana] also told me the same thing, and he knows [Ter Stegen] better than me.”
“Before I took the shot, I immediately thought about what they’d said to me and though fast, because there was no time to think too much and I took it very well.”
