Inter’s domestic campaign has kept its authority even as Europe has posed more awkward questions. Cristian Chivu’s side return to Serie A with 19 points from seven matches, a return that leaves the champions leading the table and still firmly focused on defending the title on their shirts.
The only points dropped came in Rome, where Inter recovered to draw. Otherwise, the league record has been close to flawless, including the five-goal response against Udinese that followed the opening European defeat in Madrid.
Quick facts
- Inter have taken 19 points from their opening seven Serie A fixtures.
- They have conceded only two points, in a comeback draw away to Roma.
- It is the fourth time in the three-points-for-a-win era that Inter have reached this total after seven games.
- The previous occasions were 1997-98 under Gigi Simoni, 2002-03 under Hector Cuper and 2017-18 under Luciano Spalletti.
- Inter did not win the Scudetto in any of those three earlier seasons.
- Shakhtar visit San Siro in the Champions League in two days.
That statistical company offers encouragement but not a conclusion. Since the three-point system was introduced in 1994-95, Inter have only matched this early pace on those three previous occasions, yet each campaign ended without the Scudetto.
For Chivu, the relevant test is therefore not the opening burst but the ability to sustain it across the season. Inter are trying to begin a run of consecutive league titles, something no Italian club has managed since Juventus completed their ninth straight championship in 2019-20.
There is also a response mechanism taking shape in the squad. European setbacks have not followed the team into Sunday league football, and the reaction after Madrid showed that disappointment has not diluted their domestic edge.
The Champions League remains a major part of the season’s judgement, however. Inter’s difficulties on the international stage are being examined at Appiano Gentile, with Shakhtar due at San Siro shortly and Chivu determined to find satisfaction beyond Serie A as well.
Chief executive Giuseppe Marotta had warned early in the campaign against a possible “victory syndrome” settling in after last season’s title. Chivu has so far prevented any sense of satisfaction from taking hold in the dressing room.
Inter’s league form has given them a strong platform, but it has also raised the standard they must reproduce in Europe. The next chapter is not about easing off after seven matches; it is about turning a commanding domestic rhythm into a more complete season.
