Midfielder Hakan Calhanoglu will start tonight for Inter Milan against Monza despite not being in his best form lately.
This is reported in today’s print edition of the Roman newspaper Corriere dello Sport, FCInterNews.
Calhanoglu is one of Inter’s essential players in terms of the starting eleven.
The 29-year-old former AC Milan midfielder is the player who starts at the base of the midfield trio.
Calhanoglu’s influence in the engine room influences Inter’s way of playing.
The Turkish player has a vital defensive presence over the past two seasons.
And Calhanoglu’s influence on the property is even more significant.
The 29-year-old’s range of passing and aggressive eye for a creative ball forward are at the heart of how Inter look to transition from midfield to attack.
Other teams have really begun to recognize how central Calhanoglu is to Inter.
This means that for a number of teams, trying to prevent the Turk from betting on him is a key component of their strategy in the midfield battle.
Genoa and Hellas Verona have tried it in their matches.
And in both cases, the opponent’s marking made life difficult for Calhanoglu. Neither match saw an old performance from Inter’s first-choice starting midfielder.
But according to Corriere, there is little chance that Calhanoglu will be absent tonight.
The 29-year-old remains a vital presence in the mind of Nerazzurri coach Simone Inzaghi.
The coach will make a few changes to the starting eleven, including tinkering with the midfield.
The Corriere expects that Nicolo Barella will drop out of the lineup. Davide Frattesi will take the 26-year-old’s place.
But as far as the regista role is concerned, it will fall to Calhanoglu as always, despite some recent mediocre matches.
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