Inter return to the league with Bologna in view and a European setback still fresh in the dressing room. Cristian Chivu has asked his players to respond without turning the defeat to Club Brugge at San Siro into a crisis, while accepting that the team must recover its shared direction after a second half in which its control disappeared.
The coach and the club
The immediate concern is the absence of captain Lautaro Martinez. The striker’s injury was identified after the Champions League match, and Chivu said he could not yet give a precise medical explanation or a firm return date. The current expectation is that Lautaro could be back after the international break.
Inter had given players who featured against Brugge two days to recover before the squad trained together again. Chivu does not want the captain’s absence to become an excuse, however. His message was that nobody should be asked to do more than their role demands: Inter must continue with the same habits it has shown both with and without Lautaro.
The coach placed himself at the centre of the response. He recognised that Inter had done positive work before Brugge’s goal which made it 2-1, and said the team began the second half with the right attitude and created two chances. But, after the Belgian side struck again, Inter lost their structure and were unable to answer.
“I am the first person responsible,” Chivu said. “We need a common idea and everyone must take responsibility. I have to assess how I put the team in the best condition.”
He maintained that the group has shown willingness to follow the staff’s instructions, but called for a renewed connection between the players and the game plan. “We have to reconnect without letting ourselves be brought down,” he added.
No drama after Brugge
Chivu accepted the disappointment of a defeat Inter felt they could have avoided. Club Brugge, he said, deserved credit for creating problems, but the greater concern for Inter was their own drop in performance and the confusion that followed it.
There will be no abandonment of the club’s ambitions in Europe. Chivu insisted that Inter remain conscious of their quality and of what they want to achieve in the Champions League. The route forward, in his view, is to retain the team’s principles, restore a common understanding and improve the collective defensive work.
“We must not make a drama out of this loss,” he said. “It hurts, of course, and we could have won. But we have to react. Nobody is waiting for us.”
Options in attack and goal
With Lautaro unavailable, Chivu also offered encouragement to Bonny. The forward has made an impression in his substitute appearances and scored in the Brugge match. Chivu described him as an excellent striker whose contribution to the side has been important, adding that his opportunity to start will come.
The coach was also asked about Provedel after Martinez’s error against Club Brugge. Chivu’s response was brief but clear: the goalkeeper retains his full confidence and will be able to help the side.
Bologna bring a different test
Sunday’s league opponent arrives with a clear identity under Raffaele Palladino, who has been in charge of Bologna for a month. Chivu noted that Palladino has changed the system and given the side a recognisable profile.
He expects a well-organised Bologna team that plays directly, carries energy and runs hard. For Inter, the instruction is uncomplicated after the European disappointment: match that intensity, or risk being pulled into another difficult afternoon.
