Some months ago, Inter were gripped with a sense of uncertainty that he had perhaps never felt before. They had lost a Champions League final heavily and Simone Inzaghi left abruptly, accepting a move to Al Hilal. There was some boardroom difficulty and there question marks about what direction the club wanted to take for the future.
Cesc Fabregas, who saw the Nerazzurri beat Como 4-0, rejected the chance to join. As options ran out, in came Cristian Chivu fresh after having helped Parma survive relegation in his first senior job as manager.
Doubts lingered as people wondered if the job at a superclub was going to be too big for him. Many thought he may only be a transitional manager before Inter land a bigger name in a year or so. But fast forward to now, Chivu has imposed his ideas almost impeccably at Inter.
Prior knowledge of the club from managing the U19s does help but Inter seem to have a different identity than they did under Inzaghi. They are more pro-active in the press, playing at a higher tempo, winning the ball back quicker and playing through the lines at a much rapid pace.ย
It feels like an evolution on what Inzaghi and Conte had imposed from a tactical perspective. The formation and the basis of the setup are largely similar but the application and system are different. It did take some weeks for players to adjust after a hectic Club World Cup but now, Inter are top of the Serie A.
Inter managementโs planning has obviously been impeccable, as they have found a manager who is aligned with the clubโs modern identity. This allows the club to not take drastic decisions in the market, helping multiple players operate as per strengths.
As a result, Chivu came at a club with a plan and at a footballing entity with a stable on-pitch identity. That isnโt always true for multiple other Serie A sides and sets Inter apart.
While some continue to place emphasis on Max Allegri and Antonio Conte, Chivu has slowly and surely made this Inter team his own and it could yet get better.
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Kaustubh Pandey I GIFN
