Inter Milan midfielder Hakan Calhanoglu admits the Serie A title race will be more competitive this season.
Calhanoglu scored in Sunday's 1-1 draw with leaders Napoli.
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He said on Monday from the Turkey camp: "We try to be better than them. But there are other teams that we have to respect.”
“We’ll try to defend our title as Italian champions. We’re still right there. We want to win against teams like Napoli, Milan, Atalanta.”
“Unfortunately things have not always worked out that way. This season is different from the last one because those teams have strengthened.
“We’re not the same as last season.
“But we’re still right there. There are ups and downs, we can’t always be at top level. There are a lot of matches, we don’t look at the table.
“While we want to have a chance to rest, there’s always another match.”