Chivu’s strength: 6 victories in a row thanks to the group, the alternation and the mentality

Some hugs are so strong that they can break you: instead they heal you. Paraphrasing an anonymous aphorist, we can visualize the moments following the end of Roma-Inter: the players’ club, led by Barella who shortly before had snorted at the substitution, runs to look for Cristian Chivu to certify the beginning of a love affair. All together to celebrate the sixth consecutive victory between Serie A and the Champions League, the most important because it is worth a leap in the rankings. The pact between coach and team, in truth, was signed after the defeat at Juventus, when Chivu raised his voice, also winning over the leaders of the group due to his personality and competence. But at the Olimpico the professional relationship, governed by the duties of reverence, has become a complicit relationship between people who speak the same language and perceive the same emotions. Just think, just 36 days passed from Turin to Rome.

new course

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It’s not a new page on Inter, it’s actually a new book that tells a different story. Not even Chivu would have imagined being able to convey his mentality so quickly, already reaping dividends: «I’m proud of my boys» he said on Saturday, referring in particular to the “old men” in the locker room. The historic block of the four-year period Inzaghi had been traumatized by the Champions League final. But above all he had arrived at the decisive moments of the season unloaded, as if he took it for granted that he could win matches in the name of an acquired superiority. Mkhitaryan’s expression “We are unplayable”, more or less consciously, represented an idea of ​​completeness that the team had internalized. Except that presumption in sport comes at a price. And so Inter threw everything away in a few weeks.

Come back to life

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It is too early to say that ancient mistakes will not be repeated: narcissism is sensitive to relapses. But Chivu’s psychological intervention has already yielded renewed ambition. Not only because “we pass the ball faster to the attackers”, as Sommer explained candidly. Not only because Bonny scored two goals in his first two starts, making Thuram’s absence irrelevant. Not only because Akanji has brought confidence to a defense that has only conceded 2 goals in the last 6 games. But also and above all because the team has rediscovered the energy and spirit needed to unleash its potential. The three Italians Barella, Di Marco and Bastoni seem transformed, Mkhitaryan is playing less but better, Lautaro is a sentence if he is physically well, Dumfries is improving in condition. Chivu is perhaps only missing the best Calhanoglu, who in any case has already shown in flashes that he has put his mind back on Inter.

Alternation

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And then Chivucrazia works because it is credible in the valorization of human material. In the first eight games, as many as 22 starters had alternated: apart from Darmian, often bruised, Diouf, who is the latest arrival and still isn’t playing at the required pace, and Palacios who is almost redundant, everyone had a real chance. When asked about the performance of the most celebrated individuals, Chivu replies that the performance in the match also depends on Bisseck or Carlos Augusto who raise the levels of the internal competition. The system, if it continues to be accepted as efficient, will bring great advantages in the spring, when the sprint for the seasonal objectives will be launched: the owners will still have fuel and motivation to spend, in the hope of hugging Chivu tightly even at the finish line.