Chivu: ‘I don’t like masking my feelings, Diouf extraordinary, Stones is serious’

MILAN, ITALY - SEPTEMBER 14: Cristian Chivu, Manager of FC Internazionale Milano, looks on during the Serie A match between FC Internazionale and Udinese Calcio at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza on September 14, 2026 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Claudio Villa/Getty Images)

Cristian Chivu reveals when he’ll know it’s time to stop coaching, giving ‘responsibility’ to Inter players, with praise for Andy Diouf, John Stones and Djed Spence. ‘I am the same person.’

The former defender was part of the Nerazzurri squad that won the Treble in 2010 under Jose Mourinho, and is now at the helm after an extraordinary start to his management career.

Following only a few months at Parma, he took the San Siro job and in his first full season as a senior coach took the Serie A title and the Coppa Italia.

Chivu still learning to be a coach

“This is a world that can change the way you perceive certain things, and there is the risk you’ll have to put on masks to hide your real self in certain moments,” Chivu told Cronache di Spogliatoio podcast.

“I don’t like doing that, and when I get sucked into that side of things too much is when I’ll say enough. I am not thinking about the future, but want to experience what I am today, without giving myself five, 10 or 20 years of career path. I will try not to wear those masks.

“I’ve had a year and a half of experience as a Serie A coach, a few more grey hairs, but nothing else has changed about me. I have the same passion and ambition, I believe I’m still the same person.”

As a former player, Chivu likes to connect with the needs of his squad, which includes rejecting the Italian tradition of keeping everyone in a pre-match training retreat.

“I try to have understanding, to not add extra stress to what they already have,” noted the coach.

“I have learned to be more stable in my uncertainty. Success and failure are just two different b***ards that I treat the same way. I don’t make comparisons, I don’t get exhilarated if things go well and I don’t get depressed if they go badly.”

He said that, unlike predecessor Simone Inzaghi, he tries not to automatically take a player off if they are on a yellow card, because “I give responsibility to those who are experienced and know how to play with a card hanging over them.”

Inter made heavy investments in England players this summer, securing Djed Spence, Curtis Jones and John Stones.

“There’s nothing Spence cannot do, he’s been working with the squad for a week now. Jones was always present, Stones is working on recovery.

“We tried to sign people who are close to our way of doing things. Jones and Spence settled in very quickly, while Stones is a little more serious, but still a marvellous person. We’re pleased to have him, for his experience and what he represents as a player.”

Andy Diouf just received his senior France debut, but he’s used as an attacking right-sided winger for Inter, a left-back for Les Bleus, and his preferred position is midfield.

“Diouf is curious, eager to improve, so we spend a lot of time with him in the video sessions to help him understand how to move without the ball,” explained Chivu.

“He’s not accustomed to defending, but I couldn’t ask for more in his desire to work hard and do better. It’s a long process and you can learn faster from mistakes sometimes. At times he shoots on his weaker right foot, and I like that, he needs to find more solutions. His mental strength is extraordinary.”