Bosnian veteran marksman Edin Dzeko has flawlessly fit like a glove in Simone Inzaghi’s system of play at Inter. He moved from Roma at the start for the season as a direct replacement for now-Chelsea striker Romelu Lukaku and has since maintained his reputation as one of Serie A’s best forwards.
In an exclusive interview with UK news outlet Daily Mail, the 35-year-old ex-Manchester City striker discussed his exit from Roma and expects ‘favorites’ Liverpool to pose a great threat to the Nerazzurri’s Champions League hopes.
On his departure from the Stadio Olimpico after Jose Mourinho’s arrival:
He said: “This summer was the first in which I said to myself ‘I will not go away’. The year before there had been something with Juve, and two years ago it was almost done with Inter. This summer I didn’t expect to leave Rome after Mourinho’s arrival. I talked to him when he arrived, knowing that I had a one-year contract and I told him I was ready to give my all, but also asking him if I could evaluate any proposals as they expired the following year. In the following days, Roma took Abraham and Inter came forward.”
#Dzeko: "Non mi aspettavo di lasciare la Roma dopo l'arrivo di #Mourinho" ? https://t.co/jMdyAsvzQq
— Corriere dello Sport (@CorSport) February 12, 2022
He then went on to evaluate Inter’s chances in Europe this season – the club’s first appearance in the Round of 16 stage of the competition in a decade since they were last knocked out by Marseille in 2011/12.
He commented: “Liverpool are favorites and we know it. They can definitely hurt anyone. But it is the Champions League, the best in the world. We are a great team, not the typical Italian team that always defends.”
Dzeko spent six seasons in the Giallorossi colours with now Liverpool stars Mohamed Salah and shotstopper Alisson.
“Before the game I will talk to Salah and Alisson, but I don’t forget James Milner, to whom I owe my first goal for City. On Salah I say that in my small way I helped him to become what he is now. We had great moments in Rome: I went in depth and opened up the spaces for him to speed him up, he is a boy who deserves the goals he has achieved. And the same goes for Alisson. We spent two and a half years together and we reached the (2017/18) Champions League semi-final before Liverpool defeated us,” he explained
Finally, he shed light on questions surrounding his retirement.
“Here I work like never before. Before and after training , I do a very important job to prevent injuries. I talked a lot with some former teammates who retired early. After six months they repented. There is only one career and this is my biggest motivation, I want to continue playing for a long time,” said Dzeko.
Dzeko has scored 14 goals and provided 7 assists in 32 appearances for the Nerazzurri in his first season at the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza.