Gazeta Sporturilor took the pulse of the Italian press half a year after Cristi Chivu made an unexpected jump from Parma to Inter. And he conducted an interview with Andrea Ramazzotti, a journalist with great experience at Gazzetta dello Sport and who closely followed the Romanian's career as a player and now as a coach at Inter.
– As a journalist who covered Inter for many years, you followed Chivu's path and matches as a player and now as a coach. What has he left in Italian football, how is he viewed by the Italian press?
– He was, without a doubt, a great player, he did great things at AS Roma and extraordinary things at Inter. Chivu won everything he could win with professionalism, seriousness and determination. He had the intelligence to start his coaching career from the ground up, starting from the juniors and developing step by step, going through all the stages. He brought up young players and gained experience. He then went through an intermediate stage at Parma and had the chance to reach a big club, as a great footballer like him deserves.
– You told me that you invited him to the newsroom at Gazzetta dello Sport. How did Chivu present himself as Inter's new coach?
– He did not come for an interview, but only to greet us. I, as well as many of my colleagues, knew him very well since he played in Serie A. For me it was like saying hello to a friend. He showed his coaching qualities last season, although he only had 13 matches at Parma, but he managed to save the team from a very delicate situation. Many in the newsroom shook his hand and were interested in meeting him.
– What does Chivu mean to the Nerazzurri fans, to the history of the club and to all those who followed his rise from Ajax to the top at Inter?
– Without a doubt, Chivu really was, in quotes, a hero, in that team of Mourinho's Triple, which won everything in 2010… A player very attached to the colors of Inter, always back on the pitch despite the countless injuries, to the head and then the others that forced him to interrupt and even end his career prematurely. He started coaching at the same team and proved that he knows how to transmit Inter's DNA. Many said they got the wrong coach for Inter. Chivu was not experienced for high-level football as a coach, but he is very experienced through his playing career and knows everything that Inter is about.
Andrea Ramazzotti: “Cristian Chivu was by no means an actor in a secondary role, but played the protagonist in these successful films at Inter!”
– Could he have more achievements, games and trophies, if he didn't have so many bad luck and surgeries?
– Injuries are part of any player's career, but it is clear that he could have played more. Even so, Ajax, Roma and Inter are fantastic benchmarks. Cristian won the Champions League, the Club World Cup and the Scudetti, so he was by no means an actor in a supporting role, but starred in these hit movies.
Inter – Venezia 5-1, debut for Cristi Chivu in the Italian Cup // PHOTO: Getty Images
– Working only with coaches one and one, Koeman, Capello, Mourinho, Mancini, Spalletti and Rafa Benitez, has it helped him now, what has he taken and what from each of these names?
– When you have great coaches who know how to manage the group of players excellently, as you said, you certainly have something to learn. Referring to Mourinho, Mancini and Capello, for example, Chivu saw how to work with the great champions, as he himself was. In Rome there were Totti, Montella. At Inter, Ibrahimovici, Eto'o, Sneijder and Milito. Seeing not only how they behave on the field, but also on a human level, in the locker room, how the communication with them is, was extremely important for Cristian's growth as a coach.
– Do you think that match against Inter, in which Parma came back from 0-2 at half-time and almost won 3-2, tipped the balance in favor of Chivu?
– Hard to say if and what decided the move to Inter. Of course, the end of the season, with emotions and suffering from Parma, plus the good references received from the technical staff and from the management of Parma were in support of his choice at Inter. Having said that, Chivu is the right solution, even if there were other options before him, after Inzaghi left. Because he is a person who knows Inter well, has character, is respected. Not with the iron sergeant methods, but, as I noticed from the outside, with dialogue, with a very good atmosphere in training, hugs with Lautaro and the other players. This only happens if you are good!
“Chivu is under enormous stress at a big club like Inter”
– Cristian told me that when he met Simeone, not in Madrid, but for the friendly played in Libya, Atletico's coach told him “Welcome to this crazy world, be ready to dance!”.
– Being a coach is a very hard job, as we all heard what Chivu said about the black hair. I also asked Conte at a press conference about this and he said “It's certain that I wouldn't recommend a friend to become a coach, only an enemy!”. Enormous stress, especially for a team that had to fight for the scudetto, the Champions League, it's not like a walk on the junior route, Parma to Inter.
– I heard, read and talked with a lot of people in Italy, absolutely all of them had very nice words about Chivu. How to explain this wave of sympathy and confidence after only six months at Inter?
– I think that, in football, the opinion of those who are in the phenomenon is influenced by the results. These are on his side. He is one point ahead, in the Champions he has a good chance to qualify directly. However, Chivu needs time to gain experience. He proved with deeds that he is an Inter coach, that he can lead a big team, but after this first part of the season there is no doubt that he was very good.
– What can he offer in terms of results to please the demanding Nerazzurri fans? Does it have the necessary human and technical qualities?
– That he has the qualities of a coach, yes! That he has human qualities, no doubt, because he is a real man, an extraordinary person. But I don't know if he has what it takes to win the desired trophies, it doesn't just depend on the coach. There are many external factors, a dubious phase, a penalty denied or given to the opponents or an invalidated goal. I don't know if he will succeed in the short term, but I foresee a successful career for him.
– This would also satisfy the president, who often congratulated himself on the election of Chivu.
– It's not that Marotta didn't know him, but it's certain that being the president of Inter he was interested in Parma. Clearly what he did last season influenced his choice. Inter did not take an inexperienced coach, and the results came not only at Parma, but also now.
– It was said that his Inter can't win derbies, Juventus, Napoli, Milan and Atletico being unsuccessful matches.
– The result matters a lot in football. But Inter chose him because they believe in him a lot. There was no talk of him being in doubt either after the derby failure or the Atletico defeat. He won in Pisa, paraded with Venezia and I think he will be able to work without problems in peace until the end of the season for the title. Let's see what happens in the League in the next stages. If he manages to qualify for the round of 16, it will mean a good start to the season… If at the end of January he will still be up there and maybe with the Italian Super Cup won…
Andrea Ramazzotti, journalist from Gazzetta dello Sport, in dialogue with GSP.ro in the most modern district of Milan / Photo: Andrei Furnigă
“He will fight to the end for the title and play the “eights” of the League!”
– Chivu's first season, with a nice game and news against Inzaghi, can it be better than other Nerazzurri coaches on debut?
– And Inzaghi's Inter played well, even if the results were below what they could win at trophy level. Made a lot of points, lost a tilt and a half for details, otherwise the team looked good. With the movement of the ball, with the full-backs going up, with an advanced stopper. Chivu brought extra elements, advanced pressing, recovering the ball closer to the opponent's box, faster, to create more dangerous phases and better value Lautaro, Thuram and the other forwards. It seems to me that, compared to last year, the offensive department is better, the team scores many goals, has enough opportunities. I would have liked Chivu to have had an extra midfielder like Kone from Roma. With a player like that, Inter could do very big things in Europe, but that doesn't rule them out.
– What else does Chivu need to make his mark at Inter and what else could he improve to be a favorite for the title?
– I don't know if he can and should change the system. Because he has Dumfries and Dimarco extreme, he relies on this three-back system and advanced defense. He probably still needs a stopper, because Acerbi has also reached an age, even if he is still playing well. Maybe a trequartista would be useful for 3-4-1-2. I don't think the module is the problem at the moment, it's the last one on the list. Chivu diversified Simone's system in several aspects.
– How do you see the end of Chivu's first season at Inter?
– I haven't been able to get a correct prediction for years… I think Inter will fight until the last stage and finish in the League in the top eight, qualifying directly for the round of 16. And further it also depends on the draw and the opponents faced. For example, two seasons ago, they ran into Atletico and looked like they were favourites, but crashed out of the competition. And last year, he eliminated Bayern and Barcelona. The details matter a lot, which team you meet, the moment of form and availability of the team. It is clear, however, that Inter has everything it needs to be champion.
– Then should Chivu hurry to send a letter to Santa Claus?
– It wouldn't be bad at all, it's worth a try. I hope it's a merry Christmas to all and a fruitful 2025 in every way. Thank you and ciao a tutti you blush!
