Cristian Chivuโs Inter picked up a 2-0 win over Lecce on Saturday to extend their lead at the top of the table to as many as ten points โ for now.
It was another game where for quite a while, it seemed like the Nerazzurri might not get the crucial goal but they did. That has been a pattern throughout the season and especially in the last few weeks, they have managed to beat smaller sides on a consistent basis.
It is a reminder of the Simone Inzaghi era or the Antonio Conte era but slowly, this has turned into an era of its own. After all, Chivu has defied all the odds to bring Inter quite close to a Scudetto and one key stat says everything about it.
As of now, the Romanian has collected as many as 64 points in Serie A. That is more than any other manager in Inter history has had by the 26th game of the league campaign. Even Jose Mourinho had 60 points on the board, with Inzaghiโs tally much lower.ย
This has turned out to be the case despite Inter making a stuttering start to the season. Many believed Chivu was simply a transitional manager for someone like Cesc Fabregas but he managed to tide quite well, with the Nerazzurri not having lost a Serie A game back in November against Milan.
It has been quite clear that the players have not taken too much time to adjust to the Romanianโs system. His approach is a bit more direct and frenetic than that of Inzaghi, who was more focused on keeping possession and controlling play. Players seem more in-tune with his ideas and it is clearly on show every week.
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Kaustubh Pandey I GIFN
