Salomon Kalou has said that the tough words of the manager of Hertha Berlin motivated him and helped him get the old touch back in his game.
Kalou had joined Berlin in the summer of 2014 with a big reputation.
But, playing a total of 27 games the previous season, he only managed to shake the net 6 times which did not please Pal Dardai, the man in charge at the Olympic Stadium.
The boss was critical about his veteran forward in public saying that he did not show as much firepower as he was expecting off him.
But, according to Kalou, whatever came off Pal, he took it in a positive way.
Speaking to a TV presenter recently, Kalou said, “If somebody is telling the truth on my face, that’s honesty and I like it.”
“Pal is that kind of individual. If he sees that you are lacking something in your game, he would not hesitate in letting you know and that’s how, I believe, a coach should operate.”
“As manager, Pal was entitled to say whatever he said and I took a lot of motivation from that.”
“You are always looking to improve yourself as a player, no matter what length of time you have played the game for. It’s a continuous learning curve.”
“I am happy to have contributed more this summer. We, as a team, have had a good time too so far. I hope the momentum remains with us moving forward.”
Kalou has not made even half of the number of appearances that he had made in the top flight in Germany in 2014-15 and he has already scored more goals than last time.
He has 7 to his name and he is the highest scorer for Berlin in the ongoing season at the moment.