Inter return to Serie A against Parma with Cristian Chivu asking his side to resume the season’s work without assumptions, after an international break that left his squad together only at the last moment. The coach’s message before Sunday’s 18:00 kick-off was clear: talent and reputation do not remove the need to earn a result.
Chivu was briefly reminded of his playing career at Ajax and Inter during his pre-match press conference, but he quickly added Roma to that list. His attention, however, was on a present-day Inter group still being pieced back together following a demanding pause for international football.
“Not much has changed,” he said of the break. “We trained with only a few players available, while those away with their national teams spent an extra week in camp and played four matches. Today was the first time we had the entire group training together.”
He offered no indication on whether Provedel would be involved against Parma, saying that answer would come at 18:00 on Sunday.
Spence will be included in the matchday squad after returning to training a week ago. Chivu stressed that the player’s absence had been lengthy, taking in rehabilitation and an extended holiday after the World Cup. “We are pleased to have him back, to see his smile and his ability again,” the Inter coach said.
Chivu also took responsibility for Hakan Calhanoglu’s absence from Italy’s match against Turkey in Bologna. The midfielder had wanted to attend, but Chivu decided he should stay with Inter after returning to group training. Calhanoglu had joined the late-afternoon session on Monday, and the coach felt it was important to have him available given his value to the side.
A flexible Inter, but no tactical dogma
Questions over whether Inter could use a back four, potentially alongside an attacking trio of Esposito, Thuram and Lautaro Martinez, brought a firm response. Chivu does not see the season through a single formation.
“The principles of play matter more than the system,” he explained. “This squad has been assembled in a certain way, but it can be flexible and move differently depending on whether it has the ball. We are not a table-football team.”
He believes Inter could use a four-man defensive line if circumstances require it, although he would not say that it would be sustainable for the whole campaign. Nor does he accept that one shape automatically produces more victories than another. Selection and structure, he said, will depend on Inter’s condition and the opponent in front of them.
Parma arrive as the next test of that approach. Chivu said Inter have learned over time not to treat any opponent lightly. Every match requires the team’s best version, he insisted, and every point must be won on the pitch.
With the full squad having completed only one session together, much of the recent defensive work has been carried out through individual conversations and video analysis with players. Chivu believes Inter can still improve both in possession and without it, whether defending in a low block or operating with a higher line.
What must remain intact, he said, is the side’s identity. The next step is to show greater maturity in reading the moments within games — a requirement that will begin again against Parma on Sunday afternoon.
