Chivu: "A win we wanted and earned"

“We achieved our objective – we wanted to win and keep a clean sheet – but there’s a long way between saying it and doing it. Apart from the first ten minutes, when we were caught out by their intensity, we had the game under control, and the desire to pick up a result really emerged. The team are working well: this is a very united group determined to do as well as possible this season. No match or victory should ever be taken for granted; you have to do the work first. We’re enjoying what we did today – it’s important to appreciate success. We haven’t conceded a goal yet and we’ve won three out of three – those aren’t small things. The team needed to regain confidence and move on from the end of last season and the disappointments that followed such high expectations after an excellent campaign. Football also gives you difficult moments. The team needed belief, to be understood, even a bit of a shake-up, because these are good players with real fire within. They want to work hard to have another top-level season. Pio Esposito? Talented young players deserve an opportunity: you have to give it to them without looking at their age. You need to test them, see what they’re made of, and if they have the right spirit of sacrifice, work ethic and character, as well as good teammates around them, everything becomes easier. They just need support and trust. I’m lucky to be working with a fantastic group full of quality but still with room to improve. I’m pleased when the players are coachable, when they’re open to new ideas and ready to put themselves at the service of the team. Napoli? In life, I’ve learned that when you win, you have to enjoy it, because winning is never something to be taken for granted. Right now, I just want to focus on all the good things we did today.”