“I’m a different player now than I was at Inter”

Napoli winger Matteo Politano feels he is a “different player” now than when he was at Inter Milan.

The 31-year-old spoke about his time with the Nerazzurri in a press conference following Napoli’s 1-0 Serie A win over Empoli, as reported by FCInterNews.

Politano spent a total of one and a half seasons as an Inter player.

The Italian international moved from Sassuolo to the Nerazzurri in the summer of 2018.

Politano was a regular in Inter’s starting eleven in his first season at the club. He secured a place under then Nerazzurri coach Luciano Spalletti.

However, in Politano’s second season at Inter, playing time became more difficult to find.

In the summer of 2019, Antonio Conte took over as Inter’s head coach.

And Politano never quite fit into the former Chelsea and Juventus coach’s playing system.

That’s why Politano moved to Napoli in January 2020, initially on loan and then permanently.

Napoli winger Matteo Politano: “I’m a different player now than at Inter”

Politano had great success in Napoli.

Especially after Luciano Spalletti took over as Partenopei head coach, Politano became a regular player in Campania.

Politano played a big role as Napoli won the Serie A title for the first time in 33 years in the 2022/23 season.

Overall, last season was a disaster for Napoli.

And then over the summer, Conte came as Partenopei coach. This of course raised one question or another as to whether Politano would find a role under Conte.

But so far this season, the 31-year-old has been able to play regularly in the starting eleven as he has clearly gained the trust of his coach.

Politano looked back: “When I worked with the coach at Inter, I played a different role than he wanted.”

“But the older you get, the more conscious you become,” said the 31-year-old.

“Today I’m a different player,” Politano said. “At Inter I preferred to attack rather than defend.”

“But now I’m trying to make my contribution to the team in both phases.”