Chivu, Interismo and triumphs: the Coach's Nerazzurri lives

Cristian Chivu's story is unlike any other: one of passion and sacrifice, a saga that includes unique moments and episodes. A story inextricably bound to the black and blue colours that have run through every chapter of the manager's life, those we already tried to tell you about on June 9, the day Chivu became the new Inter Head Coach. From that moment, Cristian guided Inter from the touchline across 53 matches, over the course of an intense and demanding season that has now become unforgettable. Inter have won the Scudetto, Inter are Champions of Italy for the 21st time in their history. It is the triumph of a special group, but it is a victory that bears the signature of the Romanian coach, the perfect man for a squad in search of redemption.

Chivu had introduced himself with these words: pride, loyalty, Interismo. The foundations from which to start again, upon which to build a wonderful year, an exciting adventure, along a winding road that truly became more and more beautiful, travelled at full speed by the manager and his players, the footballers that the coach always thanked throughout the year. The Nerazzurri's charge is down to them in Chivu's eyes, those players who showed their desire, took on their own responsibilities, distinguished by uncommon human values, as the coach often emphasised. A group forged over extraordinary years, a team different but at the same time very similar to the one seen in previous seasons.

With these words Chivu had previewed Torino vs Inter: the Nerazzurri had worked with their heads down all year, facing every kind of difficulty to re-emerge even more ambitious, even stronger, even more Interisti. Yes, because Interismo was a fundamental component of Chivu's team, the ideal professor and master for understanding what it truly means to live Inter deeply every day. A component that made the difference in the Nerazzurri's journey: a driving force that gave the players a new dream and allowed them to pick themselves back up every time they found themselves on the ground.

Inter knew how to reinvent themselves, Chivu knew how to add something new to what was already working efficiently: the Romanian coach's 3-5-2 formation became more vertical, characterised by continuous pressing and a defence accustomed to holding a very high line. Inter's style of play was renewed, becoming even more modern than what the fans had been able to appreciate in recent seasons. All of this accompanied by Chivu's gestures, restless on the touchline, always ready to support his players with a word, a sign of gratitude, an embrace.

Words and behaviours that have characterised the style of Cristian Chivu, an example and guide for his team. The Romanian coach mapped out the way, adapting to different periods and situations, claiming a wonderful Scudetto. A title that also brings with it several records: having won three league titles as an Inter player, Chivu has now conquered Serie A as a coach of the Nerazzurri too. Only Armando Castellazzi in 1937/38 had managed it after triumphing in the midfield of Inter's Scudetto winning side of 1929/30, while the legendary Virgilio Fossati had won as a player-manager in the first league title in the club's history. Chivu is the first to achieve this feat in the modern era, a milestone shared also with two fundamental members of his staff, Aleksandar Kolarov and Paolo Orlandoni.

This is not the only impressive statistic from this achievement: the former defender is the fifth manager in Inter's history to win the Scudetto in his first season at the club, after Árpád Weisz in 1929/30, Alfredo Foni in 1952/53, Giovanni Invernizzi in 1970/71 and José Mourinho in 2008/09. The Portuguese coach is also the last non-Italian coach to have won Serie A before Chivu, his former player. But Cristian's records are not yet finished: Chivu has also become the second manager to have won the Scudetto with both the First Team and the Primavera side. The Romanian coach had triumphed with the young Nerazzurri in 2022, and like him also Invernizzi, who alongside the 1971 title had collected three Primavera Scudetti in 1964, 1966 and 1969.

Chivu thus becomes the first to win the Scudetto in each of his three Nerazzurri lives: an incredible milestone, achievable only by someone who has truly understood what the purest and deepest Interismo is, the same carried forward throughout the entire season.