Cristian Chivu Expresses Dissatisfaction With His Players Despite Statement Win Over Como

It was a statement win from former Inter Milan at the Giuseppe Meazza stadium against an in-form Como side coached by Cesc Fabregas with goals from Lautaro Martinez, Marcus Thuram, Hakan Calhanoglu and second half substitute, Carlos Augusto to send them to the top of the table temporarily.

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Before kick-off, Cristian Chivu tried to explain his game plan and his choice for the starting line-up as Luis Henrique Henrique got the nod, his second consecutive Serie A start on the right flank, in the absence of injured Denzel Dumfries, third including the Coppa Italia.

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“We are forced to do this, seeing as Denzel is out of action. We tried a few things with Andy Diouf and Carlos Augusto, but Luis Henrique is the most suited to this, as it is his role. We must give him confidence, as he is often criticised, but I don’t think he did any worse than anyone else in that role.” Chivu explained.

With the fixtures so close together after their Coppa Italia Win over Venezia on Wednesday, Chivu opted against a pre-match camp keeping the players in a hotel. “There are different ways players can achieve concentration, some need only an hour before the game, others wake up already concentrated.”

“You don’t need a retreat for that. It is my choice that playing every three days, I wanted to give players a little extra time to sleep in, so we had breakfast together at 10.30am.” He further added and it all turned out well as they won emphatically against a team that hasn’t lost since the ending of August.

Notwithstanding, Chivu wasn’t entirely happy with the display from his team even if they were able to keep a clean sheet and score four goals at the other end against a team that was only three points behind them, unbeaten in 11 rounds, and had the best defence in Serie A before kick off.

Despite all that, the former Parma coach didn’t seem particularly pleased. “We could’ve done much better. We were perhaps a little frenetic in the first half, using up a lot of energy pressing them high. It was a performance of aggression and at times quality, so we take the three points, those were the important things.”

Chivu had said before kick-off that Inter could take advantage of some ‘complacency’ from Como, and he explained a little more what that meant. “I wanted to pass it around a bit better, to filter their passing channels, as we were always a bit frenetic. When they go man for man, you have to move the ball fast and find your teammates.”

“We needed a little more calm to find the right moves, which we did in the second half. I think the first 20 minutes were of an extraordinary level of intensity, then we tried to take a little breather at 1-0 and we could’ve controlled the tempo better in that period.” He continued in his interview with DAZN Italia.

“We had humility in waiting for them to pass the ball, win it back a little bit deeper, and then go on the counter.” Luis Henrique had his third consecutive start in all competition and the patience paid off, as he provided a great assist for the Lautaro Martinez opener.

“We need all 22 outfield players, plus the goalkeepers, plus those coming up from the Under-23 teams. We need patience for those who arrive from other leagues, because it’s a big impact coming to Inter, and they can settle in also thanks to their teammates who have been for a while and can tell them what it means to play for Inter.”

It was particularly special for Chivu, knowing that Como coach Cesc Fabregas had been Inter’s first choice to replace Simone Inzaghi over the summer. “This is for newspaper headlines, it is of no interest to me. I am focused on my team, what we need to do to improve.”

“It’s stuff that is good for you to write the headlines, I understand that.” Chivu was going wild on the touchline with his celebrations, as he has done a few times this season. “I don’t remember what I did… I’m just the usual idiot, it’s fine,” he shrugged watching back the footage.

“I enjoy this team, this club, as I’ve been part of it for many years, apart from that three-month spell at Parma which taught me a lot. Now I am back, I try to give my best with passion and enthusiasm, passing that on to the lads.“They know what it means to be an Interista and part of this club,” concluded Chivu.

Now Inter are at least for the night on top of the Serie A table, awaiting the results from Milan, Napoli and Roma but for the former Serie A champions, they should be back in training tomorrow as they prepare for another midweek game, a Champions league home clash against Liverpool on Tuesday.

As for Lautaro, he reached a new milestone in the league after his goal today set the ball rolling for a huge win against a team that hasn’t conceded more than one goal per game this season and he’s now topping the scorers chart with seven goals after 14 matches and he also reacted to the game in a post match interview.

“We proved all of our strength today against an excellent side like Como, who are doing very well this season, with quality young players and a coach with a positive idea of football. However, we proved that we want all the points available and this was a very important victory,” Lautaro told DAZN Italia.

This goal means the Argentine has scored against 30 of the 31 different clubs he faced in Serie A, failing only to get the better of Chievo in that single appearance. He received an award before kick-off for his place in the all-time Inter scoring charts, so is his influence under-rated because he is still in the peak of his career?

“I don’t even realise sometimes what I am achieving with hard work and sacrifice here. I didn’t have a great childhood, but I would never have come here if not for my family, so I thank them for always being with me. And I thank the fans, who from the first day gave me their love and support. I am grateful and try to show that by leaving it all on the pitch,” replied Lautaro Martinez.

Read Also: UCL: Antonio Conte Is Delighted With His Players’ Performance And Output On A Special Day For Napoli

It’s remarkable to think there was criticism of his performances only a couple of weeks ago.“I have learned how to deal with criticism, because when you are young and inexperienced, these things do hurt. I learned from others that the main thing is what my teammates give me.” He further added.

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