Chivu returns to Parma: salvation, Marotta’s call and that U-turn

“This salvation is worth a championship.” And again: “We will have time to think about the future, but I don’t see myself in other places. I am grateful for what I have been given. I am happy here.” Words by Cristian Chivu pronounced at the end of the last championship match, in the press room of the Bergamo stadium, after his Parma beat Atalanta in a comeback (from 0-2 to 3-2) and achieved salvation. It is the evening of Sunday 25 May 2025. In Parma we are celebrating our stay in Serie A, which is by no means a given given the fluctuating results of a too uncertain spring, and above all we look to tomorrow with an extra light of hope, convinced that we have found that leader on the bench who is needed to lead a group of very young players. Chivu, who arrived in Emilia in mid-February to replace Fabio Pecchia, entered the hearts of the public with simplicity, sincerity and clarity of ideas.

u-turn on the highway

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When he made a mistake he was not afraid to say it clearly in front of notebooks and microphones, and this frankness, not frequent in the football environment, earned him points. President Kyle Krause and CEO Federico Cherubini are also convinced of the choice: Chivu will be the coach of the future, some details of the contract remain to be sorted out, but there are no doubts about the final outcome. Then it happens that, on May 31st, Inter suffers a terrible defeat against Paris Saint Germain in the epilogue of the Champions League, Simone Inzaghi decides to prefer the Arabs’ money and abandons the boat (without having previously notified the club, the Nerazzurri managers say) and Inter finds itself without a coach and with the Club World Cup to prepare hastily. After a failed attempt with Cesc Fabregas, who does not intend to leave Como, and perhaps even some other polls, president Marotta is moving towards Chivu. He warns Parma and tests the waters with the coach, who in those very hours has a meeting scheduled with the Emilian managers. Okay, he said in quotes “I don’t see myself in other places. I’m happy here”, but if he calls Inter, which among other things is the team where he won the treble with Mourinho in 2010 and began his career as a coach with the youth teams, well at that point it might be worth making a stop on the motorway, on the emergency lane, taking a deep breath, reflecting and, perhaps, deciding to exit at the next toll booth and reverse course.

his locker room

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This is exactly what Chivu does, aware that the call from Inter is an opportunity that rarely comes twice in a lifetime. And the words spoken in the press room in Bergamo? And that face streaked with tears after the salvation obtained? Emotions of an instant, this is how they are cataloged. The Parma public is quite surprised by the evolution of the situation, but at the same time they are mature enough to understand that there is a big difference between the Emilian bench and that of Inter. If anything, among the fans, there is pride in having showcased the qualities of a coach who was able to earn a golden future. With Parma, in just a few months, he righted a ship that was dangerously losing its way. In thirteen matches three wins, three defeats and seven draws. But the victories, against Bologna, against Juve at the Tardini (magical strike from Pellegrino) and against Atalanta, remain moments to remember after so much suffering. Just as worthy of mention is the management of the locker room: Chivu doesn’t give concessions to anyone, not even to his compatriot Man who he tries to relaunch but, seeing as he doesn’t get anything right, he places him on the bench and doesn’t rely on it.

what kind of reception?

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His intuitions concern Ondrejka, Pellegrino and Giovanni Leoni, in whom the coach trusts in the most delicate period of the season and obtains positive responses. Chivu, in Parma, makes team spirit and sacrifice the main characteristics of a team that must save itself, and doesn’t care about playing well and putting on a show. The result counts, the rest is bar talk. Same attitude that he brings to Inter, because this is the character of the character. Now there is curiosity to understand how the Parma public will welcome Chivu. If gratitude exists in the world, the people of Tardini should stand up when he enters the pitch and give him a long and heartfelt round of applause. However, there will be those who will have felt betrayed by the decision to choose Inter and will probably express this discontent with boos. The hope is that the sound of clapping is so loud as to cover the demonstrations of dissent, because to someone like Chivu, for what he has done in a very short time and in the midst of a thousand problems, the people of Parma must only say a huge thank you.