Hakan Calhanoglu’s move to Inter under Simone Inzaghi is raising eyebrows after he complained at Milan in 2018 that he ‘struggled to adapt to a 3-5-2 formation.’
The Turkey international left the Rossoneri as a free agent and didn’t travel far, crossing the city for their arch-rivals Inter, signing on until June 2024.
He assured in his opening interview with Inter TV that he had spoken to Simone Inzaghi and was pleased with their discussion on tactics.
However, that is very different to what he said back in 2018 when Gennaro Gattuso replaced Vincenzo Montella on the Rossoneri bench.
“Since Gattuso arrived, I’ve been finding the right spaces and playing better,” said Calhanoglu in 2018.
“My role has changed. I had never played 3-5-2 in my career before Montella and struggled to adapt to a style of football that was not suited to me.
“In Germany, we played 4-2-3-1, very different to what Montella wanted. With the role that Gattuso placed me in, I feel more at ease and can play better.”
Like predecessor Antonio Conte, Inzaghi uses a 3-5-2 system and is hoping to place Calhanoglu in a similar position to the one Luis Alberto had at Lazio.