Chivu: "maturity, character, and skill: we know what we want to achieve

“"I'll start off by discussing the performance before we get into the standings: Genoa are always tough to play at home, especially for Inter, who haven't won here in five years, and considering Genoa's form since De Rossi took charge. We knew we had to give it our all, and we were right. In the second half, we conceded a goal that could have made things very difficult for us just as they had stopped pressing, but we got to work immediately and secured the most important thing: those three points. The players settled into the match right away and handled the pressure well. Genoa pressed with long balls, so we shifted to a back four, then replaced Zielinski with Akanji as well as Barella to defend against their high balls that could have posed a threat. The substitutes showed true maturity, character, and skill. We also had Lautaro and Esposito in a more vertical position because their playmaker pressed Zielinski. It worked well: Lautaro found lots of balls, filled the box, and even scored. With his flair for goal, he could even play as a second striker, while Pio was the target man. Perhaps we could have taken advantage of his runs in behind, but we value everything they bring to their teammates, always with a spirit of sacrifice for the team. The play was less fluid on the left because they marked Bastoni closely with a forward, so we had to develop more on the right. Bisseck gave us an extra option, as did Luis Henrique, whose skilled and could attack more in depth. I swapped Bisseck and Akanji because of the yellow card, leaving Manuel on the right to avoid duels with their forwards. Bonny was meant to come on, but we were 2-0, so I changed my mind and brought in Marcus for structure; his physicality gave us a boost. We responded in the right way, which allowed us to beat Genoa. Is Inter the strongest side? Five months ago, people said we would finish eighth or tenth because the team was 'over.' Now opinions have changed. A bit of consistency is needed; we're fully aware of our work and our direction, and we're constantly competing at the top. We fight through it all, even the negativity and labels." ”