Chivu, in front of the career exam. Inter play tonight against champions Napoli after losing all derbies
Inter is first in Italy, having exceeded expectations in the championship round. With 4 points in front of the reigning champion Napoli, the Milanese can remove the great rival from the south of Italy from the fight for the title, if they beat Giueseppe Meazza tonight in the scheduled match, from 21.45 (DigiSport1, PrimaSport1). However, derbies are not the specialty of the European vice-champion under the command of the Romanian.
Cristi Chivu hopes to be happy at the end of tonight's match. Photo Facebook Inter
Inter Milan have lost every important match this season, both in Serie A and in the Champions League. At the start of the championship, in September, came the defeat against Juventus (3-4, with a goal conceded in overtime). Then they conceded in October against today's opponent (1-3 at the Diego Maradona stadium), only to lose at home to AC Milan in November (0-1, with a penalty missed by Calhanoglu).
In the Champions League, Cristi Chivu's team showed the same weakness against big opponents. After consecutive successes with Ajax (2-0), Slavia Prague (3-0), Union SG (4-0) and Kairat Almaty (2-1), Inter succumbed when they met the giants of Europe: 1-2 with Atletico Madrid (with a goal conceded in extra time) and 0-1 with Liverpool (same scenario).
However, the Milanese have 7 consecutive victories in Serie A, for which the Romanian received the title of “December coach of the month” in Italy. Last night, at the press conference, Cristi Chivu spoke about the weakness of his team in matches against high caliber opponents: “It's too easy to talk about head-to-head matches that haven't been won and certain things, because that's what the numbers show. The reality is that I'm at the top of the table and I have more points than those who maybe beat me.”
He has a lot to learn from Antonio Conte
The Romanian technician, who had several duels from a distance this season with Antonio Conte, his counterpart from Naples, prefaced the meeting between them: “It's not a confrontation between me and Conte. The players are the protagonists of this sport. I have a lot of respect for Conte as a coach. I met him when I was still playing. I congratulated him on what he was able to convey to the team. He has evolved, he does things that are better suited to today's football and he does them well.
He is a winner and we young coaches have a lot to learn from him. Lately, there has been an exaggeration of what a coach can represent. Obviously he is responsible for a group and therefore has an impact, but the players always remain in the spotlight.”answered Cristi Chivu when the journalists reminded him about the past statements of the two.
