Chivu: “An excellent first half, now it’s important to build up our fitness”

Cristian Chivu was pleased after Manchester City vs. Inter, the friendly in Hong Kong that ended 1-1 before the Nerazzurri secured victory on penalties. The team will now travel to Australia, heading to Perth, where they will face Milan on 5 August and Juventus on 8 August.

The Inter coach shared his thoughts with Inter TV:

After the training camp in Germany, a long flight and Friday’s training session, you managed to produce a high level of performance, especially in the first half, against a top-level opponent. Are you pleased with the team’s display?

“First of all, I’m happy that nobody got injured, because in these friendlies that’s one of the most important things. We got here two days ago; yesterday we had a light training session, but the lads showed the pride of great champions, worthy of the team they represent. They played an excellent first half in terms of reading of the game and their style of play, despite not being in the best condition.”

Everyone’s energy is needed, and a lot of it came from the young players, who stepped up against an impressive opponent, with Mosconi and Lavelli also showing composure from the spot. How important is their contribution?

“The young players can and must improve, just like the whole team. For them, this is only the beginning; they are starting to experience football at the highest level. But they must always believe they can improve, and that applies to them as well as their more experienced teammates. It all starts with having the right attitude and the desire to show that they can play at a high level. With them, we also need to be patient because in certain situations you can still see their lack of experience when playing at these kinds of intensities. They have a lot to learn, but they’re doing a great job and contributed really well.”

Now you head to Australia for two more top-level friendlies: what is the objective for the next few days?

“We want to have some good training sessions and continue improving our fitness in the next games, because matches are always the best form of training. We have to try to stay fit and well and avoid injuries. In August, with these long trips, that is the main objective.”