“Crazy! We in Italy are not used to it”

Cristi Chivu has not overcome the complex of the “grandi”. They lost again to a strong side, Arsenal, the current leaders of the Champions League and the Premier League.

For Inter it is the third consecutive failure in the Champions League. He had not recorded such a streak since September 2011, when Chivu was active as a player.

Cristi Chivu, after Inter – Arsenal: “They were better!”

“Inter tried but Arsenal were better! They were stronger in terms of intensity, technique, pace and the way they covered the pitch and attacked the lines. They entered the match strongly, in duels and dispossessions.

We had a good first half and could have scored on that counter attack. This does not mean that we would have won, but such episodes change the course of a match. In the second half they raised their concentration and we struggled to create chances. They also had the right reserves to create trouble.

I introduced Andy (no. – Diouf) at the end. I had thought of going with 4-3-3, but we lacked the strength. They introduced Gabriel when they noticed the problems posed by Pio. We didn't get past the opponent directly at key moments and we lacked crosses from the right flank, but that doesn't take anything away from Luis Henrique, who played a good game. The boys were attentive from start to finish, dedicated,” Chivu began his analysis from Sky Sport.

He continued with brief calculations regarding the standings. At the moment, Inter has fallen to the 9th place, and in the last round they will have a tough trip to Dortmund.

We have to wait for Wednesday's matches and see the standings. Then we will find out if a win is enough or not and we are ready to accept the play-off. There are regrets for the matches against Liverpool and Atletico. With more maturity, we could have at least got a point at home.

We have a better mentality. Had we met them a month later, the outcome might have been different. But this is just my guess. The team is moving forward despite the difficulties. He plays open, even when he has difficulty one-on-one, like tonight.

– Cristi Chivu

Cristi Chivu: “Premier League is crazy!”

“Arsenal press you and they have quality. They show intensity, the players attack the box aggressively, they have technique and pace and they impressed me compared to other teams. Especially in the box, their play is always right and the control, too. They have quality down the right flank, with Saka causing problems in the box.

When we got possessions, we were able to counterattack. When we won the duels, we created chances and got into the box with ease. But it was their collective quality that made the difference.

It becomes trite if I mention how much they spent. But the Premier League is top class in terms of intensity, and we are not used to such matches in Italy. I'm trying to convey a bit more about the game and what needs to be done on the pitch, but it's not easy. We focus on incremental growth and maintain our belief that we are doing the right thing.

The Premier League is the best, it's crazy. I won't say how much they spent because then I'll get too trite or complain. We in Italy are not used to certain movements. But we are trying to continue the gradual growth, it is important to maintain our confidence”, Chivu said.

I love Chivu's attitude. Although Inter lost today and is outside the Top 8, he speaks very freely and confidently about the next match, the one in Dortmund. It is something different from the usual statements given by the coach after failure

– Clarence Seedorf, on Sky Sport