Cristian Chivu admits Inter risked ‘running into trouble’ after wasting chances against Cagliari, while he explains what John Stones and Curtis Jones bring to the side.
The Nerazzurri maintained their 100 per cent start to the Serie A season, even if it was a far tougher task than the 4-1 victory over Monza.
It took another Hakan Calhanoglu snapshot from outside the penalty area to break the deadlock, this one more about precision than power, but it was enough to take all three points from Sardinia.
Considering there were 31 shots on goal, seven of them on target and an xG of 3.9, they still left the door open for Cagliari to almost snatch an equaliser late on.
Chivu saw Inter good and bad
“These are your classic games where if you don’t kill them off, you can run into trouble,” Chivu told Sky Sport Italia.
“We got a bit chaotic and stretched out in the second half, we panicked all by ourselves. We created a lot, so if there are any regrets, it’s that we didn’t convert more of the many scoring opportunities.
“It might not be good to suffer like this late on, but considering our fitness levels and the players who just came back from the World Cup, we leave Sardinia with three points and some more minutes in the legs of our players. Marcus Thuram managed 30 minutes too, Jones had his first, Stones adds some more minutes.
“The only way to get those fitness levels up is to get them playing football, so it takes time, but we’re pleased with the result.”
There were three changes to the starting XI from the side that beat Monza last week, as Benjamin Pavard, Luis Henrique and Petar Sucic stepped in, while Curtis Jones received his debut off the bench this evening.
“Unfortunately, I had to adapt Pavard as a wing-back and put Bisseck in the middle, because I realised there were issues at that moment, then Bisseck made a great block. I would’ve preferred to control the game better in those closing stages, the way we did in the first half and some of the second, but during a moment of tension and confusion, the coach has to make adjustments.
“Juve and Roma lost here last season, so Cagliari is tough for everyone, and we haven’t exactly had a walk in the park here either.”
Stones and Jones came on to bring a little more experience to the side, while Djed Spence still needs time to make his debut after the transfer from Tottenham Hotspur.
“They have quality and experience, coming from Manchester City and Liverpool, so playing with a certain type of pressure is their bread and butter. They need to rediscover their fitness levels, John a little more courage to adapt to our style of football, but I have no complaints about their attitude. They put their soul and enthusiasm into it, so we are pleased to have them with us.”
It seems as if the Inter transfer strategy was aimed less at characteristics and more towards bringing character to the side.
“We lost five players, so we had to replace them,” noted Chivu.
“There were situations where we lost Palestra and Khalaili, so we had to understand what was needed. Diouf gave good signs of improvement in that role, so we decided to seek a more defensive profile who can also play on the right or left.
“In midfield, we’d been thinking about Curtis Jones for a while, for his intensity, determination and the calm he has on the ball. We have a group of great midfielders, and it’s my job to put them together well and keep everyone happy. That is the hardest part for a coach with a competitive squad.
“Right now we need to keep getting players to reach fitness and have smiles on their faces every Monday, and that is not easy.”
Inter will begin their Champions League campaign this season away to Jose Mourinho’s Real Madrid at the iconic Bernabeu, the coach of the 2010 Treble with Chivu in defence. So what did he think when seeing that schedule?
“I thought about Napoli, because I’m going to have to play those two in a row. It’s the Champions League, we want to be competitive and also know more or less the number of points we need to avoid the play-offs,” smiled Chivu.
