Inter's Thrilling Chaos: Chivu Prepares for Roma Showdown
Inter are turning Serie A title defences into theatre.
For the second straight home league game, the champions went 2-0 down, this time against Udinese, replaying the script from their dramatic comeback against Napoli. Same hole, same climb, same sense that this team lives right on the edge of control.
Cristian Chivu didn’t flinch.
“These are our qualities and what we know how to do,” he told Sky Sport Italia, almost shrugging at the madness. Inter, he argued, are built to score, to run, to keep the tempo high. The problem, he admitted, came early.
“Apart from the first 25 minutes where we did try to do certain things without the right energy, and Udinese did well to make the most of our attitude, we did well to react. We stayed in the game, didn’t want to lose, and I am pleased with that.”
Inter: irresistible and vulnerable
Inter are currently the most explosive attack in Italy. Four games, 14 goals. Those numbers scream dominance.
But there’s another column on the table: eight goals conceded in the same stretch. That’s not a minor detail. It’s a warning light.
Chivu isn’t pretending otherwise. He doesn’t sell an illusion of control, he leans into the reality of a team still under construction, one that knowingly walks the tightrope.
“There is no perfect team, never seen in my career,” he said. “We will try to maintain our identity, for the human values and the principles of this group, obviously in some matches you pay more or less and we are aware of the fact that we could run into difficulties in the future too.”
The way Inter play, those difficulties are baked into the system. They flood forward, commit numbers, and dare opponents to live with their intensity. When they lose the ball, space appears behind them. Opponents don’t need a second invitation.
Chivu knows it. He accepts it.
“If I don't say I'm worried, I'm not a coach,” he admitted. “But this is today's football, with the intensity we put in, we take some risks because we want to play this style of play, we bring a lot of men into possession and when we lose the ball we expose ourselves to risks.”
The risk-reward equation is clear. Inter’s counter-press has to be vicious, or the whole thing falls apart. On this occasion, Chivu picked out a moment that showed what he wants.
“The counter-pressing on Barella's goal was done well, we're not perfect, we don't even want to be and we have to keep working, because the season is long and there are things we need to work on.”
The goalkeeper debate returns
The other storm circling around Inter is familiar: the goalkeeper.
Last season, it was Yann Sommer under the microscope. This time, it’s Josep “Pepo” Martinez, who has been dissected by the Italian media after a run of shaky moments and goals conceded.
Chivu had heard enough.
“Last year Sommer was the problem and you pointed it out immediately, now it's Pepo Martinez,” he snapped. “I will defend him to the death, just like [Ivan] Provedel or others. I kindly ask you not to always make headlines about our goalkeepers. We don't have problems with goalkeepers.”
He reminded everyone how quickly the narrative flips.
“Last year you kept hammering on about Sommer and Pepo was wanted. Today it's Pepo because Ivan is wanted. Who is a great goalkeeper and will have his chance. But not out of pity, but because they deserve it. Everyone makes mistakes and so do I.”
It was a firm line in the sand. Inter’s goal is not up for public auction. Inside the dressing room, Chivu insists, the hierarchy is based on merit, not headlines.
Scudetto test looming in Rome
There’s no time for Inter to catch their breath. The calendar turns, and waiting for them is a clash that already feels like a marker for the Scudetto race.
Next up: Roma, Gian Piero Gasperini, and a Stadio Olimpico that will sense the stakes. Both teams have perfect records after four rounds. Something has to give.
For Chivu, the challenge is not just tactical. It’s physical. His squad is creaking in key areas.
Hakan Calhanoglu is a major doubt with an adductor muscle strain. John Stones is also in serious question after limping off around the hour mark. Two pillars of Inter’s structure, both at risk before one of the defining early fixtures of the season.
“Against Roma it is an important match before the break also because then I will be left with three players,” Chivu noted, a pointed reference to the international exodus that will strip his squad down to the bare bones at Appiano Gentile.
“But we will continue like this, because this is the status of this group and we will try to improve along the way.”
Inter are not flawless. They’re not pretending to be. They’re thrilling, fragile, relentless, and exposed, all at once.
The question now is simple: can a team that lives this close to chaos really carry a title defence through a long, punishing season — or will that same chaos eventually swallow them whole?
