Stanciu, praise for Chivu before the duel between the Romanians in Serie A, Genoa – Inter: “I would be happy if he takes the title!” + Teasing from Rat: “I'm upset!”
Genoa – Inter tonight will bring the club patronized by Dan Șucu and the team prepared by Cristi Chivu face to face. Stanciu and Raț, regimented at the “griffins”, talk to GSP about the confrontation on the “Luigi Ferraris”, where the captain of the “tricolors” has minimal chances to be among De Rossi's starters.
The duel of the Romanians in Serie A will be played tonight in Liguria, at the “Luigi Ferraris” stadium, at 19:00, in a Genoa – Inter that will oppose the triplet of Șucu – Raț – Stanciu lui Cristi Chivu, the coach of the Milanese.
The match comes at different times for the two camps: the Genoese – 15th place (14 points, the fourth worst defense in the championship, 21 goals conceded), the visitors – 3rd place (30 points, one length behind Milan and Napoli, the best attack in the Italian league, 32 goals scored).
In addition, the match will mark a special clash between the two technicians, former colleagues at Roma, Danielle de Rossi and Chivu sharing the same dressing room from 2003-2007, with a Coppa Italia won together in 2007.
Before Genoa – Inter, Gazeta visited Stanciu and Raț in the city of Cristofor Columb, who speak for the GSP public about the special meeting on Sunday evening, which will also be attended by the selector Mircea Lucescu.
Stanciu: “Inter, the strongest in the championship”
“I don't remember personally meeting Mr. Chivu until now, but as a Romanian, I'm happy for what he's doing at Inter. The way he's played so far, it's the strongest team in Serie A and I'd be happy for him if he manages to win the championship, but after he loses to Genoa”, emphasized the Romanian captain.
Is Inter the number one favorite for the title? “Personally, among the strong teams in the championship, I like Inter the most. It's a club with very high expectations. Everyone thinks that they should easily win all the matches, because that's the standard there. I don't read the Italian press, I'm not familiar with the comments in the media, but I think that Mr. Chivu is seen well in Serie A”, added Stanciu.
Nicolae Stanciu gets some minutes in Genoa's shirt // PHOTO: Imago Imgaes
Raț: “Chivu is not on Inter's bench because that is what the boss dreamed at night”
Member of Genoa's board, Răzvan Raț will now be reunited with his former teammate from the national team. “It will be an interesting match, for sure. Chivu is already very well assimilated in Serie A and, even if he has accumulated little time as a coach at this level, he managed to pleasantly surprise everyone here,” said Raț.
And he continued: “He is becoming more and more appreciated, although many did not expect him to be so good as a technician. He's not on Inter's bench because the boss or CEO dreamed at night that he had to pick him. He has already shown that he deserves to be there, and the hat is not too big. Of course, he still has a lot to prove, because Inter is a complicated club in terms of performance. The supporters are always asking for the title, to reach the top of the Champions League. And this is not simple at all”.
If you miss the scudetto or don't even reach the semi-finals of the Champions League, you can easily be dismissed from Inter's bench. That is exactly why you have to be constant, to constantly prove that you are good
– Răzvan Raț, Genoa official
“Only the rigging doesn't burn you”
Raț says that, after Chivu's appointment to Inter, he had only one more interaction with the man from Resisi: “I congratulated him, but after that we didn't talk anymore, because I know he has a lot of things on his mind. When you get into such a position, you just don't get burned by the tackles. But I will use the opportunity of the match on December 14 to talk a little more. I know what it means to have a busy time and, without becoming arrogant, you just have to prioritize your things”.
Cristi Chivu comes on “Luigi Ferraris” to give his former colleague from Rome, Daniele de Rossi, the first defeat on the Genoa bench // photo: Imago Images
Will Cristi be upset if you stick your stick through the fence with a draw or a win for Genoa? “I don't know if he should necessarily be upset with me, because I would be indirectly to blame. Rather, I could be more upset if, God forbid!, Inter win. And we really need points.”
Memories with friend Mkhitaryan: “What do you do if you catch a chick?”
But Raț will have another special challenge in the game against the Nerazzurri: the confrontation with Mkhitaryan, his former roommate from Shakhtior.
“We met again last season, and when he saw me near the field during the warm-up, he asked me in wonder what I was doing there. I explained the situation to him, we talked a little more and we stayed in touch. He's a good friend!” declared Raț.
Now an important man in Chivu's team at Inter, Henrikh Mkhitaryan (left) was a colleague for three seasons with Răzvan Raț at Shakhtior (2010-2013) / Photo: Imago Images
And he added a nice memory about the Armenian, who will turn 37 in January: “He lived permanently at the training base in Donetsk. He didn't have an apartment in the city, like everyone else. And, after about half a season, I ask him: “Dude, don't you have a house too? If you catch a girl, what do you do?”. He was not married then. “I'm going to the hotel. Otherwise, I feel very well here, I have everything at my disposal, there is someone to wash my clothes, to clean the room. If I want to go to the city, I have a car». The cantonment was about 10-12 kilometers from the center”.
He concluded: “Henrych is the most professional player I've seen. From him I learned the habit of going to bed at 10 o'clock at night. Lights out and goodbye! He was resting. It's no coincidence that, at almost 37 years old, he's still performing at a high level. This sleep part is extremely important and it helped me play until I was 37.”
