Chivu's Inter Milan edge past Como, takes swipe at rivals' Scudetto talk
Inter Milan assistant coach Cristian Chivu praised his team's "maturity" after a hard-fought 2-1 away win at Como, but couldn't resist a pointed dig at rival managers in the post-match interview. The victory, secured with a late winner, saw Inter extend their commanding lead at the top of Serie A.
Chivu, standing in for the suspended Simone Inzaghi, was pleased with his side's reaction after a difficult first half. "We knew it wouldn't be easy, and we were up against a team fighting for an important goal, and they showed that in the first half," Chivu told DAZN. He acknowledged a slow start, saying the team was "a bit soft in defence" initially, but praised the reaction after going 2-0 down. The assistant manager highlighted the importance of a goal just before half-time, which changed the team's attitude for the second half.
The Romanian reserved special praise for the set-piece work that led to the winning goal, crediting the entire staff. "It's the work of the whole staff, this morning we did a training session just on set-pieces. We tried to prepare them in the best way, knowing they are a great opportunity if exploited well. It would be a shame not to work on these details since we have a great taker and great players in the box," Chivu explained.
However, the most pointed comments were reserved for the title race narrative. When asked about the Scudetto being a foregone conclusion for Inter, Chivu deflected with a pointed reference to rivals. "I'll do like my colleagues," he said, referring to managers like Massimiliano Allegri and Antonio Conte, who have downplayed Inter's lead in public. "We are also happy that we are slowly getting closer to the Champions League objective. The math says we haven't qualified for it yet." The comment was widely seen as a jab at rival managers who have recently downplayed Inter's dominance.
Chivu also provided an update on the fitness of wing-back Denzel Dumfries, who was rested. "We missed him, without taking anything away from Luis Henrique's work. With him, we have more depth and an extra weapon on set-pieces." The victory, coupled with the nature of the hard-fought win and the psychological gamesmanship, sends a strong message to the chasing pack as Inter continue their seemingly unstoppable march towards the Serie A title.
