melo

A midfield of pitbulls: together with Gary Medel, Inter now boasts another fierce shark there on the middle among the likes of Felipe Melo, the former Galatasaray midfielder who in a very short time has entered into the hearts of the Inter fans. Felipe Melo, speaking on Globoesporte who went to see him at his home in Milan, doesn’t deny that the nickname does not become him particularly: “I eat away at the opponents enough, and with Medel there are now two of us who eat away. I’m also called the commander, but this is a name I have given the fans. We are committed to doing our job, which is to eat away there in the middle, do the obscure work and give the ball to those who can score goals like Stevan Jovetic, Mauro Icardi and Ivan Perisic. Then, if I get a chance, I even to try to score. But my job is to steal the ball, stuff that you will never see Lionel Messi or Neymar do.”

Melo is often the target of criticism for his rough play, and in this regard he reiterates his thoughts: “Football is a contact sport, I said: if you don’t like this you should play tennis. I don’t ever enter a duel to keep him out six to seven months, in Argentina we have seen a player that entered a duel in such a way that will a player from Argentinos Juniors will be out for a long time, “he says, referring to the action by Carlos Tevez on Ham. “Such a thing has never happened with me. In Roma or Torino players have been suspended for 3-4 weeks for elbowing their opponents, this has never happened to me. This shows that I don’t play a rough kind of football, but a football as it should be played: if a tactical foul is needed I will do it.”

Is the Italian football a football less permissive than the Turkish? “In Turkey, there is a very difficult football, while the Italian is more tactical and in this aspect there is something missing. But there are quality players in Turkey.”

Melo, as mentioned, has entered the hearts of the fans after the initial skepticism: “I think I deserved it because I always run on the pitch, fighting, this is my strength. I always give everything for the club that allows me to put bread on the table, fighting for every ball and try to involve my teammates. When I see a teammate of mine struggling, I jump into the attack, I go down to defend, I end up giving help. This affects the team and it also affects the fans, who are incited when they see a team that fights. I’m happy, I’m doing my job well and the fans appreciate it.”

Is it Roberto Mancini who is asking him to eat away on the opponents on the pitch? “He knows my qualities. People talk a lot about the warrior Melo, of Felipe who is fighting, but those who understand football know that I also have my qualities. I will never be a number 10 but God gave me a good quality in transition: I am someone who knows how to steal the ball and then reverse the play well. But it is also important to know how to build a group. I’ve played in great teams with great players, but there was never a family and therefore we didn’t achieve anything. For example, during my first year at Galatasaray, we didn’t have a strong team on paper, but we were able to build a group and in the end we won the championship. And that’s what Mancini has asked me to do and I am trying to do it here: build a group.”

At what point of his career does Felipe Melo feel he is? “On the level of titles, without doubt I experienced the best stage at Galatasaray. History is written with titles, and in Turkey I won a lot. Today I feel very good psychologically, getting better day by day. I’m not 20 years old, but I work with humility and seriousness every day pursuing the objective of a return to the Brazilian national team. Although, for now the most important objective is to stay here at Inter, to give continuity to this moment, because I know that’s what will bring me to the green and gold. We talk about Felipe in terms of yellow or red, but last year I played 50 games without red cards (34, actually, sent off at one time for a second bookable offense). I proved that I have matured and that I am able to help the national team.”

Source: fcinternews.it