Cristian Chivu admits it is ‘worrying’ that Inter lost seven of their last eight Champions League games, falling 4-3 to Club Brugge. ‘Frustration set in, we got frenetic and lost our balance.’
The Nerazzurri missed out on direct qualification to the knockouts by just one point last season, and now face an even more uphill struggle after losing their opening two fixtures.
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While a 2-1 at Real Madrid was understandable, losing 4-3 at home to Club Brugge was a heavy blow to confidence, especially as there were yet more individual defensive errors for the extraordinary Nicolò Tresoldi hat-trick.
There was a fightback with Lautaro Martinez’s brace and a late Ange-Yoan Bonny curler, but it’s a damning result for Inter’s Champions League ambitions.
Chivu admits to Inter problems
“It was a good first half from both teams, with intensity, but we conceded a goal on a counter-attack from our own corner where we could’ve been more organised,” Chivu told Sky Sport Italia.
“We managed to equalise before the break and had started the second half well too, we had two big chances to score that we didn’t take, so a little frustration set in, we got frenetic, lost our balance and then from the 2-1 it all went wrong.
“We didn’t have the cool heads to maintain the game plan. Club Brugge also deserve praise for their technical quality, intensity and determination, which caused us real problems.”
Inter have no problem scoring goals, and netted three again this evening, but have now conceded a whopping 14 in eight games this season between Serie A and the Champions League.
“I couldn’t say it’s not worrying, obviously we have things we need to re-evaluate. It’s especially difficult to get it back on track in the Champions League for the quality of the opposition, but we’ve got to focus on our balance, the duels, the second balls, keeping the shape,” confessed Chivu.
This is the fourth consecutive Champions League defeat for Inter between the current and last campaign, having lost both legs of the play-off to Bodo/Glimt, losing seven of their last eight games in the tournament.
“We are well aware of what isn’t working in the Champions League and will try to change our mental preparation. I must be the first to take responsibility, because perhaps I cannot find the right balance going into certain types of games.
“We must also keep the faith, because there are another six to go. It’s true these two defeats hurt our Champions League expectations, especially with the way we ended last season in this competition.
“There is a lot of work to be done tactically, where I am responsible, but also mentally we need to find the right balance to approach these matches.”
Chivu was also asked about the danger of a midfield that isn’t protecting its defence, therefore allowing for those rapid counter-attacks from a very quick Club Brugge side.
“I could tell from the bench that we conceded those two goals in the second half because out of sheer frustration, we pushed forward too much and forgot to track back. It was frustration, a loss of balance, pressing at the wrong time, we were always a moment late to their press, and you pay for that in the Champions League.
“We know that there are things we ought to work on, I am the first to be responsible, perhaps I should’ve given them more of a sense of calm and patience at half-time, because we were too whipped up and maybe need to change something.
“There is a different intensity and quality in the Champions League compared to Serie A, but we need to be more balanced, because the Champions League is decided entirely on details. You need patience and we mustn’t throw away all the faith in ourselves, but at certain moments we’ve got to take a breath and get back into shape.”