Inter midfielder Hakan Calhanoglu has urged his teammates to show the same intensity against Monza tonight as they did in their 1-0 win over Napoli on Wednesday.
The Nerazzurri inflicted a first league defeat of the season against the Partenopei, and have the chance to make it two wins from as many games since the Serie A restart after the World Cup when they take to the pitch at the U-Power Stadium.
In an interview with the club’s inhouse television channel, Inter TV, and as reported by FCInterNews.it, Calhanoglu called on the team to show the same levels of courage but to secure the win as quickly as possible.
“I think a win would help us carry on climbing, because the game against Napoli was very important for us,” the Turkey international declared.
“It was also for the others, but now I think everything is possible in the league. Even today we need the three points and we have to prove it.
“With all due respect to Monza if we play with the same motivation, the same courage and sacrifice it won’t be a problem. To come back up we need points and we need them today too.”
Whilst Calhanoglu was expecting a difficult encounter, he insisted that Inter were only focusing on their own performances.
“In two days we have analysed them well. They are a strong team with quality and technical players but we only look at our side. We know who we are playing against, we have analysed them well, but we have to do our job.
“If we close the game out in the first half we have no problems. We did well against Napoli, we created a lot but we didn’t score. To close the game early we have to score goals in the first half and I think that won’t be a problem.”
The former AC Milan midfielder pointed to Inter’s defensive stability as a key factor in their recent good form, and felt it was crucial if they were to maintain their positive run.
“Yes, we have also grown defensively. We saw against Napoli that if we all defend together as a team it will never be a problem and we must do the same today,” he concluded.
