Inter, Akanji: “Happy for Chivu, at the World Cup I’ll talk to Dumfries and Calhanoglu”

Manuel Akanji is what they call a “football guy”, and here football is only American football. On Mondays in Milan he discusses NFL night with the other great Appiano enthusiast, Christian Chivu, widow of Tom Brady and fan of the old Patriots. Playing in a football temple like the SoFi in Los Angeles made the Swiss feel dizzy, but then he got into the World Cup mood against Bosnia of his spiritual father Džeko, another Nerazzurri with a heart: Akanji raised the level when it counts, as he often does. He has a tense relationship with his teammates and the club, but curiously he only found out about his coach’s renewal in Italy in the mixed area after the match, with a mixture of amazement and happiness: “Ah, what great news!”, he said before getting on the bus.

Speaking of Chivu, how has this year for the Nerazzurri changed you?
“It made me evolve and make me a better, more complete player: Inter is a great school, a university that makes you grow in different aspects: I am very grateful to those who wanted me and happy to stay to win again with this coach.”

Are you referring to growth in your role?
“Yes, I had to adapt and this gives me more experience. I hadn’t often experienced playing in a three-man defense at club level, it had only happened to me in the national team, but at Inter I had to get to know the position much better and work with new teammates. Now I think differently in various game situations. If in the future we even had to move to a five-man line, I would know exactly what to do.”

Chivu, in reality, wants to be more offensive than defensive… What value do you give to the coach’s new contract?
“I’m very happy for him. We had an excellent season together, I also like him a lot as a person and it will be a pleasure to be able to continue working with him.”

You had Guardiola at City, do you think Chivu is just as special?
“I think, first of all, that he understands the players very well because he was a top-level footballer himself and has experienced the same situations that we experience now. Furthermore, he has won many trophies with Inter and knows perfectly what the club needs. He is also a very communicative and empathetic coach: he often speaks with us players and, importantly, he is willing to listen to us. This creates an excellent relationship with all of us.”

By the way, are you in contact with your Nerazzurri teammates involved in the World Cup?
“For now I’ve mostly spoken with Dumfries, Calha and… Bisseck, who however isn’t at the World Cup. I’m sure I’ll talk to the others too because we’re a really good group. Then we’ll all see each other again together at San Siro.”

Does the SoFi in which he just played also beat San Siro in terms of atmosphere?
“Well, it’s really fantastic. I told my friends that, if we talk about the overall experience, this is the best stadium I’ve ever played in: I’ve seen many, but SoFi is incredible. When you enter and look at everything around you, you’re impressed and you understand why it cost so much. Then for an NFL fan like me… However, I’m neither a fan of the Rams nor the Chargers, the teams that play here: I support the Atlanta Falcons and I’ve already been to the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Georgia, which is very nice, but doesn’t reach these levels. Of course, if we talk exclusively about football, playing at San Siro has no equal: it remains an incredible feeling.”

His former City teammate, Kevin De Bruyne, is arriving in this same Los Angeles facility with Belgium: do you think KDB will stay in Italy?
“I think he can still have an important impact on Italian football, yes, absolutely. Kevin is an extraordinary player and also a great friend of mine. This year he was unlucky due to the injury that kept him out for a long time. When he returned, the title race was already on track. I would be happy to face Belgium and play against them, given that it hasn’t happened to me often so far.”

What changes in Switzerland’s path now after this victory?
“It was very important to react after the first victory, because there were a lot of comments and discussions from the media and public opinion after the draw with Qatar. It’s part of the game, but I think some issues should remain inside the dressing room. We gave the answer on the pitch with patience, strategy, substitutions. Now we want to win the group because that would keep us playing on this side: so far the journeys have been quite manageable and we hope it continues like this.”

But what is your true strength?
“The collective. We know that we don’t have as many world-class players as the best national teams on the planet, but when we fight together as a team we can beat anyone, without exception. I don’t know if anyone underestimates us, but by continuing like this this team can go very, very far. It depends on us…”.

Manzambi stood out in the collective: has a star been born?
“When a player comes in like this and changes the game, what can we say? Let’s let him grow, but it’s normal for the coach to give him more minutes. However, we need the whole squad, because it’s the substitutions that make the difference.”

The game literally changed after the hydration break: do you like the news?
“No, I’m not a big fan. I understand the organizational and commercial reasons, I understand that advertising and other activities can be inserted during those breaks, but as a footballer I think they take away the rhythm of the match: if a team is suffering, a break can help them because it allows them to make tactical adjustments and vice versa it can interrupt the favorable moment.”