Chivu: Comparing the Current Inter with the Treble-Winning Inter Makes No Sense

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 second half of the press conference.

Hello coach, it is great to see you again. In this season's Serie A competition, you have shown unprecedented ambition, and everyone recognizes Inter as the defending champions who need to be beaten. But in European competition, especially in terms of ambition and potential, where would you place your team? Mourinho said this morning, 'For me, the only strange thing is that Inter have not won the Champions League in recent years.' What is your view on that?

The question should be whether he truly hopes Inter can win the Champions League from the bottom of his heart. We have a very clear team-building philosophy, and Inter have reached this level entirely through their own ability, achievements and hard work. This is also thanks to the professionalism and talent of the club, the sporting director and the entire management, as well as the players' own efforts. They have perfectly integrated into the special culture of this club and truly understand the sacred meaning of wearing this blue-and-black shirt for Inter.

Over the past eight years, they have achieved many extremely important things, reaching one Europa League final and two Champions League finals, while winning domestic trophies including the Serie A title, Coppa Italia and Italian Super Cup. With our philosophy, daily training and work, strength and performances, our current position has led many people to believe we can compete for victories.

However, the Champions League is a very cruel and unpredictable competition. Even elite clubs that eventually win the trophy must overcome difficult moments, and in certain matches and key moments they also need some luck. We simply want to remain competitive in every match and meet the standards of this top-level competition and the level this club has reached in recent years.

Coach, you were once coached by Jose Mourinho and won all the honors with him. What similarities do you think exist between the current Inter team and that legendary Inter team?

I never compare teams from different generations. We are talking about something that happened 16 years ago, but the world has changed and modern football has undergone enormous changes. Clearly, that team was highly competitive and wrote important chapters in Italian football history and European competition history.

However, this current team is also working to achieve its own goals and has already done many great things, because this is a group made up of great men and great players who always give everything and try to write an important chapter for themselves in European football. Although they reached one Europa League final and two Champions League finals and lost those matches, reaching such heights consistently is never taken for granted. They have won trophies, and we have also won league titles, cups and the Super Cup.

But comparing two teams from different eras makes no sense. Every team exists in its own specific era and time, and we should appreciate the history they created in their respective periods. We are the ones still writing history, and we want to continue creating important chapters.

Good evening, Cristian. Last season you had an excellent start, winning four matches and earning 12 points, but that was not enough to avoid the play-off round. Do you now think that at least five wins are needed to enter the top eight directly, or is it too early to calculate these points at this stage?

In my opinion, it may require reaching 16 points. Because over the past two seasons we have learned that 15 points are not enough, and we cannot even be sure whether 16 points will be sufficient. We must give our best in every match. We are not obsessed with needing a specific number of points from a specific match; we must take it one game at a time, starting with tomorrow night's match.

Good evening coach. I assume you have watched Real Madrid's matches. They have experienced two very turbulent years with frequent coaching changes, and their current head coach is Jose Mourinho. In these four matches Real Madrid have played so far, have you already seen Mourinho's influence on the team?

The start of the season is not easy for any team or coach. A new coach and new players need time to adapt to what representing Real Madrid means, because Real Madrid is truly, truly, truly a giant in world football. Handling this level of public pressure and playing for this club and this team is never simple.

But in my view, their league start has been quite balanced. They lost the previous match, but they did not deserve to lose, meaning they did not deserve that result because Real Madrid showed a very high competitive level on the pitch. However, this does happen in football. Sometimes you give everything but cannot bring victory home. Behind them is a super club with important history and tradition, they have a coach who knows what needs to be done and how it must be done, and they have important players with significant influence in international football.

Coach, as someone who was once Mourinho's player, following the previous question, what did he teach you and what did he bring to you when you played under him? This may help us better understand what he is bringing to Real Madrid now...

In my view, he is very good at immediately adapting to the reality of the club he represents and conveying his tactical ideas and winning mentality as quickly as possible. Without a doubt, Mourinho is a complete winner. He is a coach who knows how to deliver specific messages, energy and spirit to players and clubs at specific moments. From this perspective, very few coaches in the world can match him.

During his first spell as Real Madrid coach, he already proved this to everyone. In fact, throughout his coaching career he has shown what a true winner is, because he has won trophies wherever he has gone. I firmly believe Real Madrid will have a great season under his leadership.