Hakan Calhanoglu's new position key to Inter Milan dealing without Marcelo Brozovic; a big decision looms
The Turkish international changed his position after the injury to the Croatian and the team has since thrived
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4 min read
Inter Milan went through a quite difficult start to the 2022-23 season that led coach Simone Inzaghi to change the way his team played during the previous season when the Nerazzurri failed to win the Serie A but managed to win both the Supercoppa and Coppa Italia titles. Inter Milan are currently second in the Serie A table, 13 points behind Napoli, who are leading and dominating the ongoing season. Inter will play the Champions League's round of 16 against Porto this month and next with so much on the line. There was one major tactical change in the 3-5-2 of Inzaghi compared to the past years that has seen this team take on a brand new look. Due to the injury to key midfielder Marcelo Brozovic, the former Lazio coach opted to put playmaker Hakan Calhanoglu there, giving him a new position that sees him drop deep into the midfield. This change helped the team to cope with the absence of such an important player, but what will happen now that Brozovic is back from his injury?
Here's what to know:
The tactical change
During his career so far, Calhanoglu has played in different roles. He started as a number ten with Bayer Leverkusen and then kept that position after he joined Serie A soccer in the summer 2017. Calhanoglu gradually became a key player for AC Milan and reached his peak in his very last season when he also decided not to extend his deal and left before joining rival Inter Milan as free a agent in the summer of 2021. The Nerazzurri needed a number ten to replace Christian Eriksen, who could not play anymore at that time due to his heart issues and signed Calhanoglu.
Inter Milan have not played with a proper number ten on the pitch since Antonio Conte arrived at the club in 2019 and the team switched to a 3-5-2 from the 4-2-3-1 under Luciano Spalletti. When Inter signed Eriksen in January 2020, Conte had some issues finding him a position in his very strict tactical ideas, but the following season found him a new position as an offensive midfielder playing alongside Marcelo Brozovic and Nicolò Barella. That was also one of the secrets behind Inter Milan's title under Conte in the 2020-21 season. When the current Tottenham coach left Inter Milan the club decided to appoint a manager that could play in a similar way with the same tactical system and the natural choice was Inzaghi. Then, the feeling around the new coach was that he could improve the performances of Eriksen, as he did with other midfielders at Lazio like Luis Alberto or Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, giving him the freedom needed on the pitch. He didn't have the opportunity to work with him previously but when the Calhanoglu opportunity came up, Inzaghi was one of the most enthusiastic inside the club and pushed his board to sign him.
Here's a look at his heat map during the 2020-21 season, showing his average positioning:
During his first season at Inter Milan, Calhanoglu played 46 matches, scoring eight goals and providing also thirteen assists. He immediately became a key player for Inzaghi, who had him as a regular starter alongside Marcelo Brozovic and Nicolò Barella. He basically replaced him for Eriksen, with much more freedom to move on the offensive side of the pitch. Calhanoglu played as a playmaker on a few occasions as well, but his main focus was to be the leader of that part of the pitch between the midfield and the attacking line. He was, as a consequence, a hidden number ten that was leading the left attacking side of the pitch, while Barella was playing as a box-to-box midfielder and Marcelo Brozovic as a playmaker.
This season
The big change arrived in September 2022, when Brozovic injured his hamstring and basically missed the whole first part of the campaign. Inzaghi chose to play Calhanoglu in that position as a creator, and he's now more involved in the action via defensive responsibilities. It's interesting that the club in the summer signed two midfielders, Kristjan Asllani and Henrikh Mkhitaryan, but Inzaghi opted to play Calhanoglu in that position. Asllani, who is a proper playmaker, only had four starts this season, while Mkhitaryan replaced Calhanoglu where he used to play during the past season. Inter found a new way of playing that worked out well so far. Calhanoglu, since he's playing much further from the box has scored less (two goals and six assists up to now). However, it looks like he fits well into this new role with quality results, including two recent wins over AC Milan.
Here's his heat map since taking over for Brozovic:
The issue now for the coach is that Brozovic is finally back and ready to play again. As it often happens, the manager prefers to have more options but he also needs to make a decision in the coming weeks. If Brozovic comes back as a regular starter, Calhanoglu will need to shift back where he used to play in the past season, with Mkhitaryan on the bench. It's likely that, if nothing happens, Inzaghi will rotate those players looking game by game. It's always very dangerous to make such an important change when things are working well and this decision will likely shape the end of the 2022-23 Inter Milan season. On the other hand, if he is able to handle this, the Nerazzurri will have much more options in that crucial part of the squad as they pursue more glory and Champions League qualification.
