Chivu: I Did Not Beat Allegri Last Season, Hope to Learn from It

According to Gazzetta dello Sport, Inter Milan head coach Cristian Chivu said at the pre-match press conference ahead of the match against Napoli that the team hopes to make up for the previous defeat, and he also hopes he has learned from his mistakes last season.

Chivu said: "I have great respect for Allegri, and his record says everything. Some people criticize him, but he has won six Serie A titles. There is no need to remind me that I did not beat him once last year; fortunately, we still won the league title in the end. We have to give everything on the pitch. It is not the coach who plays, it is the team, and both us and Napoli have ambition."

Speaking about his battles with Allegri, Chivu said: "He is excellent. He will understand what we are going to do and prepare for both situations. He has said that this is how Inter Milan deals with things. We must maintain our characteristics and keep our desire to control matches; I absolutely do not want to lose that. The team knows what it wants to do, and I hope I have learned from my mistakes because I did make some errors in several matches last year."

Chivu said: "For me, every match is a direct conversation, and I have already learned my lessons. We lost two of our first three matches last year, but we were always able to respond. This year we started with two consecutive wins. We want to make up for the previous defeat against Napoli, who are a very strong team."

Speaking about team management, Chivu said: "I have to manage the team well. I know it is not easy, but I believe in the unity of the group. A high level must be reflected in daily training. Even those who are not starters must give their full effort. This has to be our mentality. We are all in the same boat. The real strength lies in the team and moving in the same direction. There are many matches."

Chivu also discussed the three English players in the squad, Stones, Spence and Jones. He said Stones and Jones are in good condition and will have opportunities to show their value; Spence is recovering and will play once he is ready.

Chivu added: "We have not reached 100% yet, but we have played two excellent matches. We must continue in this way."