Chivu: ‘Players prefer to play than train, Inter never underestimate opponents’
MILAN, ITALY - SEPTEMBER 05: Cristian Chivu, Manager of Internazionale, celebrates victory after the Serie A match between FC Internazionale and SSC Napoli at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza on September 05, 2026 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Claudio Villa/Getty Images)
Cristian Chivu is looking forward to the return of domestic league action after the extra-long international break that began in mid-September, and has provided updates on the likes of Hakan Calhanoglu, Petar Sucic and Aleksandar Stankovic ahead of Inter’s visit from Parma in Serie A on Saturday afternoon.
Chivu on the international break and Inter’s return to Serie A action
Inter went into the international break level with Roma and Lazio on 13 points at the top of the Serie A table, with four wins and one draw on their record after five league matches of the 2026-27 season.
Chivu has had several weeks to work with the players that stayed in Milan for the international break, but 12 key first-team players were away with their national teams over the last few weeks, and Friday was the first time that the full squad were back together at the training ground.
“Not a lot has changed for me in three weeks. What changes is the wait and the training without having many players available, as well as the fact that the players who do go away with their national teams end up playing every three days,” said Chivu during his pre-match press conference on Friday.
“We’ve been back together for three days and today, I had everyone who will be called up available. We’re all happy.”
Given that the Inter squad have not had much time to train together and with a busy fixture list coming up, Chivu was asked whether Saturday’s game against Parma is an opportunity to test the depth of his squad.
He replied: “We can’t neglect the minutes that the players have played with their national teams. We don’t want to risk them, but we’re dealing with players who are used to playing every three days. They prefer to do that than train! You have to understand the opponent and the schedule. We have a lot of games to play before the next break.”
There have been suggestions in the press that Chivu will field Ivan Provedel in goal rather than Josep Martinez against Parma, but the head coach was unwilling to give away any specifics about his starting line-up: “I don’t know, we’ll see tomorrow.”
There could be a potential Inter debut for summer signing Djed Spence, who has been working his way back up to full fitness ever since the completion of his €35m transfer from Tottenham Hotspur.
“He’s been training with us for a week, we couldn’t just ignore his rehabilitation period, plus the holidays after the World Cup. If I add it all up, he’s missed two months of work on the pitch. He’s available, he will be called up and we’re pleased that he’s back.”
Chivu was asked whether Inter might follow the Italy national team at some point by swapping from a back three to a back four.
He said: “It’s not a guarantee that playing with a back four makes you win, nor is it with a three. The most important thing is the principles you have in the game. We’re built to play a certain type of game.”
Chivu on Calhanoglu, Stankovic, Sucic and Diouf
Chivu also stepped in to defend Turkey international Hakan Calhanoglu, who withdrew early from his national team camp but faced criticism from some supporters after failing to attend the match between Italy and Turkey in Bologna on Monday night.
“Hakan came back on Monday, he’s been training with the group without any issues for the last week. He’s available.
“Rumours have come out of Turkey about the fact that he did not go and watch his teammates on Monday. The problem was me. We trained late in the afternoon and I wanted him to be there, otherwise I would have given him the day off to let him go and watch the game. We trained late in the afternoon that day and I didn’t give him the time off because I needed to work with him.”
Chivu was asked whether Parma could be a stumbling block for the Nerazzurri, but instead pointed out that his team tended to struggle against the ‘big’ sides in Serie A last season and hardly ever slipped up in games where they were the favourites.
“In all these years, we’ve learned to never underestimate the opponent. Last year, we showed our maturity, which we achieved as a team. We lost to teams who were fighting to win titles, but we didn’t underestimate the other games. It’s a matter of maturity, awareness and the desire to overcome certain situations.
“On paper, games don’t show the whole picture. We try to show the best version of ourselves on the pitch every time. Nothing is taken for granted and nobody gives us anything. We have quality and the confidence to go and get what we deserve.”
Many have Inter down as the favourites to win the Serie A title again in 2026-27, and that their rivals might be one of Roma or Como. Chivu wants to change that narrative, though.
“Why don’t we talk about the teams who will stop Roma, Como, Juve or Milan? Obviously we want to achieve our goals, but we don’t need anybody to remind us how difficult it will be to go and claim the medals. It’s too early to say now. There are lots of teams on 13 points and many others just below. It’s too early to talk about who will stop who.”
Chivu was also asked to explain why Aleksandar Stakovic has hardly featured since Inter exercised their buy-back clause to bring him back from Club Brugge over the summer.
He said: “Maybe that’s my fault because of the relationship I’ve had with him for so many years. I held him in my arms when he was a child, we worked together in the youth teams. He knows he’s at a club with a lot of pressure and ambitions. He works seriously and shows that he knows how to stay at this level. I’m happy with the trust that he shows every day and that will lead him to show what he’s made of.”
Zvonomir Boban gave an interview during the international break suggesting that Petar Sucic should be playing more regularly in the Inter midfield as well.
In response, Chivu said: “I don’t want to comment on opinions too much, Boban is a great man and I know why he said these things. I don’t want to pay too much attention to Petar’s performances. He was in our top three for minutes last season. The most important thing is what a player shows me on the pitch.
“I don’t think it’s the case that Petar has been forgotten about on the bench, he has had the chance to come on. He’s a little further behind in terms of his condition. We don’t want to create controversy where there isn’t any.”
And lastly, Chivu commented on the increasingly versatile Andy Diouf, who played at left-back in a back four for the France national team under Zinedine Zidane.
“I liked it a lot. A little nervy, but that’s also normal. I like it when a player understands that he can’t be tied to one fixed position, when they understand that versatility is important to help the team when it needs it.
“I also ended up as the left wing-back under Mourinho, I even ended up in midfield once or twice and enjoyed that. I know that other players aren’t the same as me and it can be a tough task convincing them.
“He’s played two games for 90 minutes with one of the strongest nations in the world. He’s happy to be there and to be here.”
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