Cristian Chivu is working to steady the ship at Inter Milan, and he was glad to get away with a 2-0 win at Ajax, even if it was at the expense of one of his former clubs. The coach conveyed his pride in the players and, above all, a "real man" with maturity beyond his years on his continental debut.
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‘We need to give them kudos’
Inter Milan are in something of a daze. In the hunt for a treble until April of last campaign, they ended the season trophyless, suffering a 5-0 defeat in the Champions League final against PSG.
Simone Inzaghi walked away to Al-Hilal, and the team exited the Round of 16 of the Club World Cup to Fluminense. They have since stuttered in Serie A with losses to Udinese and Juventus in their first three fixtures, but under the bright lights of Europe, they bounced back with a win at Ajax.
“We showed bags of maturity, the team understood the importance of the match. I liked the maturity we showed, we were parked in their half, we had the courage to play man to man. This is Inter, a team that has personality and experience, the desire to do well and come out of a negative period.”
Chivu continues to turn his attention away from the headlines and praises his players where possible.
“This group does everything to do well and we need to give them kudos because they're exceptional.”
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‘The ID card doesn’t exist’
The coach commented on the area of the pitch where the Nerazurri are arguably the strongest.
“I have four strikers who give everything. I’m pleased with Ange Bonny, who gave us a hand; also with Marcus Thuram, who is showing he can score headers, even if that’s not usually his strength.”
The Romanian rested club captain Lautaro Martinez after a bout of back pain, putting his faith in Pio Esposito as a second striker next to Marcus Thuram. The 20-year-old did not disappoint.
“A real man. Given how he trains and how he’s adapted to this reality, he deserves our praise. Even tonight, in his Champions League debut at his age, he played a great game.”
Even if he did not get the scoresheet, the attitude and endeavour of the forward are endearing.
“Of course, I’m happy when they score because that makes them feel good. Pio deserves our praise because he played a great match, keeping the same intensity for 90 minutes, which isn’t easy.”
Inter reached the Champions League final with the oldest average age of squad in Europe's big five leagues, and now they are bringing fresh faces into the roster. Either way, age is simply a number.
“The ID card? It doesn't exist for me.”
