The Argentine, after finding the goal again against Lazio, confessed that like many other sportsmen today he “takes advantage” of the team that Inter also makes available to the group
Buffon, Ronaldo, Bellingham, Henry. But also Ilicic, Gosens, Morata, Dele Alli. And Lautaro Martinez. In recent years – and one might think “fortunately” – more and more protagonists in the world of football have begun to exploit the benefits of in-depth psychological work. It may be trivial to underline it, but often a head problem risks weighing even more than a broken cruciate, a bad ankle, or a wayward calf. This will not be the case for the Nerazzurri captain, fortunately for him far from the deeper problems that have affected, for example, Iniesta or Mertesacker (two more of the many champions – including world champions – who ended up in obscurity for a certain period). But today psychological support has become fundamental even within football teams. After the match against Lazio, in which he returned to scoring, putting an end to a complex period in front of goal, it was Lautaro himself who recognized this: “I obviously work a lot on this, also with the psychologist. I also do an exercise off the pitch which helps me a lot”. A work that starts from Cristian Chivu, who has always been very attentive to the psychological well-being of his players, and reaches Lucia Bocchi, sports psychologist but above all responsible for the psychological area of Inter. The person Lautaro confides in when times get complicated.
chivu and beyond
—
The first to recognize the importance of psychological work is undoubtedly Cristian Chivu. The Inter coach, with his players, wears different roles depending on the moment. Stick, carrot, father, big brother, friend. Within a large group like that of a Serie A team, keeping an eye on each member of the squad risks turning into a complex undertaking. But Chivu managed to build this relationship with everyone: he weaned and watched Pio Esposito grow as if he were his father, revitalized Dimarco, followed Josep Martinez in the most complex moment of his existence. He’s an empathetic guy, Chivu. He knows the importance of empathy both on and off the pitch. After all, the greatest success of his career was experienced under the guidance of José Mourinho, someone who knows the dynamics within a locker room well. But Chivu didn’t experience only joys with Inter, because he will never forget the “look” left in his mind by Verona. All you have to do is pass a hand over the same skull that was fractured at Bentegodi, risking your life. Well, perhaps it was precisely that episode that gave the coach a different awareness of psychology: he ended up in a vortex of difficulties, also due to the drugs he lashed out violently at the first misunderstandings, so much so that he pushed his teammates to ask his wife if he would beat her. Recognizing it, and telling it years later, is not something for everyone. Then he worked on his psyche, he understood the mistakes but above all the importance of working on them, with the mind. And now he is passing the lesson on to his team, changing the minds of the Nerazzurri players. Helped, obviously, by a top-level team with which he interacts almost daily. Without going into personal problems, this is obvious, but the chats between Cristian Chivu and Lucia Bocchi are frequent and fruitful. And the field… confirms.