Chivu: I Will Always Be Grateful to Mourinho; There Is No Perfect Way to Deal with Real Madrid

At 3:00 a.m. Beijing time on September 9, Inter Milan will face Real Madrid away in the first round of the Champions League league phase. Before the match, Inter head coach Cristian Chivu attended a press conference. This article covers the first half of the press conference.

Good evening, Cristian. Sixteen years ago, in this stadium, you not only wrote a page in Inter's history, but also left behind an immortal legend—the great treble-winning achievement. At that time, you returned to the pitch after suffering a very serious injury, while Jose Mourinho was on the bench. Today, Mourinho said in an interview, "I love Chris very much, I will always love him. We achieved something great together, and I am sincerely happy to see that everything is going well for him now." I would like to ask you, what has this unforgettable history left today? What qualities from that Inter team that won so many honors would you like to see in the current Inter squad? In addition, tomorrow's match will take place in a difficult atmosphere against a strong team and with a coach like Jose on the opposite side. What kind of test will this be for you?

We have the responsibility and obligation to write new important chapters in this club's history, and that is exactly what we are working on now. In recent years, whether it was the period after winning in 2010 or especially everything that happened before 2010, the high standards reached by this club and the name it represents have been extremely important. Therefore, we carry this responsibility and obligation. We must continue writing important chapters for this club's history and create our own emotions.

Regarding my personal emotions when returning to this stadium, I have to say that the Bernabeu has undergone a complete renovation and is now more beautiful than before. Although it was already fascinating because of its deep traditions and special significance, today it is more modern and beautiful. Therefore, we are all very happy to have the opportunity to play a Champions League match here.

Regarding what you just asked about Jose's evaluation of me... For me, Jose is a very special person whom I was fortunate enough to meet in my life. He gave me extremely important help during the most difficult moments of my life, and I will always be grateful for that. I will never forget him. At the same time, he is also a mentor with whom I shared many wonderful title-winning moments.

Good evening, Cristian. Regarding Mourinho, to what extent have the management and coaching ideas he passed on to you influenced your current football philosophy and the style of play you want your team to display on the pitch?

I have never copied anyone, and I do not want to spend too much time thinking about imitating others. I have my own football philosophy, accumulated and developed through many years as a player, and also built gradually during my six years coaching the youth team. During that period, I had the opportunity to work with a new generation of young players and to boldly try and experiment with tactical ideas. These valuable experiments and attempts have helped me greatly in the following years, especially during my one-and-a-half-year career as a first-team head coach.

Hello, Cristian. You have always emphasized building a dominant Inter team. At the Bernabeu, how can the team achieve dominance? Against a Real Madrid side with the world's top counterattacking players, do you also need, as you often say, to learn to understand and control different phases and rhythms of the match?

We know very clearly that playing a match at the Santiago Bernabeu is not easy for any team in the world. I think I saw reports today saying Inter have not won away at the Bernabeu for 60 years. Many great teams in history have fallen here, but we will do our best. We absolutely will not lose ourselves or change our tactical identity in tomorrow's match. We want to show enough courage and clear characteristics to prove that we are a highly competitive team.

We want to dominate on the pitch and show the team's growth, but we must also understand that there is no absolute perfect method in the world to deal with Real Madrid, because they have many superstars capable of changing the course of a match and creating differences in an instant. No matter how perfect your tactical plan is, they have the ability to put you in difficult situations.

Good evening. After the match against Cagliari, you said that players like Jones and Stones perform very well in certain match environments and international competitions. Has the time come for them to start? Also, given that this is the first time you have to play another high-intensity Champions League match just three days after an important game, does your squad-building and rotation philosophy lean toward major changes or maintaining stability?

For me, as I often say, who starts the match is not the most important thing. What truly matters are the 16 players who have the opportunity to make a real contribution on a specific day and in a specific match. We have already witnessed this in the first three rounds of Serie A.

In the first league match, some substitutions and rotation changes played a very positive role in our tactical operation at key moments. We saw the same situation away against Cagliari. Even in the high-profile match against Napoli two days ago, we clearly saw how important substitutes were, because they can provide energy and high technical quality in the later stages of a match, especially when you have such a complete, deep, and competitive squad. As for tomorrow's match, everyone will see the specific tactical choices I make on the pitch.

Good evening, coach. Last year, Inter's Champions League league phase began against some relatively regular-strength teams—which were still Champions League-level opponents and required full effort to beat—and only later did you face the true top-seeded teams, similar to a tennis draw. This year, in just two days, you have to prepare to face Bellingham, Vinicius, Mbappe, and all the other superstars. What kind of experience is this as a Champions League opening? If you could choose freely, would you choose this schedule or prefer a more gradual start?

After experiencing such an exhausting but also wonderful match last Saturday night, if I could choose, I would certainly prefer one more day of rest to recover physically. Unfortunately, the schedule has already been decided. This is part of professional football, and we must adapt quickly.

Actually, there is no fundamental difference. The Champions League is an eight-match league phase, with four matches at home and four away. Over the past two seasons, we have all roughly understood what needs to be done and how many points are needed to have a chance of finishing directly in the top eight. We also know what failing to reach the top eight directly means—we would have to play two additional playoff matches, and those two-legged knockout ties would be very dangerous and difficult. In the Champions League, no victory is ever guaranteed. All teams are highly competitive and capable of creating major problems for you.