Midfielder Hakan Calhanoglu has been hailed as Inter Milan’s “shining light” in midfield in their Serie A triumph over Juventus.
Today’s print edition of Rome-based newspaper Corriere dello Sport, via FCInterNews,
Calhanoglu took up his usual position at the base of Inter’s midfield yesterday in the Derby d’Italia.
And the former AC Milan and Bayer Leverkusen midfielder gave a clear demonstration of why he has become just about the first name on the teamsheet in that role.
Inter were always going to be in for a tough midfield battle against Juventus.
The Bianconeri’s trio of Adrien Rabiot, Weston McKennie, and Manuel Locatelli are nothing if not full of energy and physicality.
And under the guidance of coach Max Allegri, Juventus play with a lot of discipline and versatility in midfield.
So it was always inevitable that the Bianconeri would work tirelessly to deny Inter space in which to operate in central areas.
But that was no problem for Calhanoglu.
Hakan Calhanoglu A “Shining Light” For Inter In Midfield Vs Juventus
What Inter really needed from their regista was someone who could give the team clarity in possession.
Against a tough Juventus team, things could have become scrappy and muddled.
That might have suited a Bianconeri side who would be the first to admit they don’t possess the same level of technical quality that Inter do.
But for the Nerazzurri, the priority was using possession as a platform for their star players to shine.
And Calhanoglu was the player who provided that.
All match long, the Turkish international was outstanding in small pockets of space.
There were no unnecessary touches from Calhanoglu. The 29-year-old’s speed of thought and eye for a pass kept the ball moving swiftly and crisply.
And Calhanoglu was able to hold onto the ball with a number of excellent feints and dribbles.
Then there was Calhanoglu’s defensive effort. The Turk made a couple vital clearances from his own penalty area.
But it was in possession that the Inter regista really controlled proceedings.
