The Belgian plays his game as a double ex: “The Nerazzurri have changed, but they remain the favorites even with Chivu. Soulé is a real talent, let’s leave Dovbyk alone… Barella is the one who resembles me the most, he’s a fighter.”

In the locker room of Lokeren-Temse, Belgian second division, clothes and languages change: with his noisy teammates sitting next to him, Radja Nainggolan alternates between Flemish, English, and French, then switches back to Italian on the phone, just before training: “Let’s start by saying that in my day, we were stronger: where is the midfield of that Roma team now?” says the former Giallorossi and Nerazzurri player.

Okay, Nainggolan, but Inter has grown…

“There is more stability and the players are performing better: even though they have changed coaches, you can see that. Don’t look at the numbers and statistics, that’s not soccer: it’s in the soul of a team that you understand this sport, and Inter has had that for a long time.“

Has Gasperini already given this soul to his players?

”No, but he’s doing well, even if they’re not playing great soccer yet. In fact, it’s incomparable to the Atalanta days… But if they’re picking up points playing like this, where can they go when the players start to understand the movements? This is an important sign: it means that Roma can still grow. Gasperini hammers away and eventually gets through to them. The few goals conceded are the first building block.”

Inter wanted Koné in black and blue: would he have been the right signing for Chivu?

“I still think the same thing about Koné: he’s very strong physically, but that’s where it ends. He lacks substance: few assists, few goals, he needs to make more of an impact. However, he can hold his own in midfield and at Inter he would have ‘freed up’ Barella and Mkhitaryan. The stars, however, are others…”

Maybe Gasp has the stars in front of him…

“Soulé is a real talent, but he also needs to take a step forward. He needs to be more present in the game. He’s very practical, he puts the chances that come his way into the net, but he needs to create many more. I’m also happy for Pellegrini, who has Roma in his heart: it’s not that one goal in the derby will change his career, but he can definitely fit into this team.“

Moving on to Inter, did you expect Chivu to be so ‘into’ the team?

”One thing is clear: Inter has changed, it’s different, but it remains the strongest team. The favorite. It wasn’t easy for Chivu to make an impact, partly because he has a huge responsibility after the level he’s played at in recent years. The results are there, so hats off to him.“

The Nerazzurri are playing at a high level, as you say, starting with the midfield: would Radja have played there?

”The best Radja plays anywhere, let’s not kid ourselves… The Inter player most similar to me is Barella in terms of characteristics, desire, and hunger. I like that he takes responsibility and doesn’t hide: Nico is someone who can change the game even without scoring. If perhaps some people don’t consider him among the best in Europe, it’s only because of his character: when you don’t ‘expose’ yourself much, you become less visible to others.”

Surprised by this new old Calhanoglu?

“No surprises there. If we start discussing Calha, then we can all go home… That’s the level he’s at. When he’s fit, he’s one of the best playmakers around. And Mkhitaryan is untouchable too: I see a lot of overrated players around, but he’s the opposite…“

Will the Frattesi case explode again if Davide doesn’t start playing regularly?

”It’s not easy in his position, you can never take Barella’s place… . But no one ‘breaks through’ like him when he comes on, he has an incredible goal average in relation to the minutes he plays. If I were Inter, I’d keep him.“

How do you see the clash between the strikers?

”Inter have a much better attack. There’s a lot of talk about Pio, who has some great moves, but let’s let him score before we get too excited about him. I say this for his sake. As for Dovbyk in Rome, what can I add? Let’s leave it at that. I used to play with people like Dzeko…“

After this match, Inter travels to Belgium. What can we expect on Tuesday in Brussels in the Champions League?

”Union SG changed coaches only because Pocognoli went to a bigger team, Monaco. He had created a nice little toy, let’s see if Hubert can prove himself after him. To Inter, I can only say: be careful, they are unpredictable. Sometimes they are very strong, other times they crash and burn. As a club, however, they have been working well for years with excellent scouting. Ait El Hadji, number 10, is the one to keep an eye on.”

How important will the environment factor be?

“They’re not playing in their own stadium, which is very ‘hot’ even if a bit old, but in Anderlecht’s: the atmosphere changes a lot. Anyway, they have nothing to lose, which is why they’re dangerous. However, they usually get nervous against the big teams: in my opinion, if Inter play their game, they’ll win.“

And how long will you continue?

”As long as I enjoy it, I’ll stay here. Let’s say that I’ve had everything I could want in life, but nowhere am I as happy as on a soccer field.”