Cristian Chivu says that there is no formula that guarantees success in the Champions League, but says that he is pleased with the competitive level within his group, claiming that Inter are all ‘rowing in the same direction’.
Chivu previews Inter vs. Club Brugge: ‘Required to try and achieve every goal’
The Nerazzurri are preparing to host Club Brugge in their second Champions League fixture of the 2026-27 campaign. Chivu’s side are waiting to get off the mark in Europe following a 2-1 defeat away against Real Madrid in their opening game in the competition back in September.
They will come up against a Club Brugge side that has won seven of its first eight matches in the Belgian Pro League, but lost 3-2 at home to Aston Villa in their first game of the Champions League campaign.
Chivu sat down in front of the media to share his thoughts ahead of the Club Brugge test in a pre-match press conference on Monday afternoon.
“The status of this club requires you to try and achieve every goal,” said Chivu when asked if Inter want to go all the way in the Champions League this season.
“When it comes to dreams, you don’t necessarily have to achieve it, but you have to make a good job of it. Talking about dreams doesn’t mean that we’re talking about winning the whole thing, but it is part of our responsibility to try and achieve a goal like that.
“Money can’t buy you the Champions League. There are no players or coaches who give you that guarantee. You need to have the courage, but the work you put in is the most important thing.”
Chivu was asked if he is planning on rotating his Inter side against Club Brugge and was also asked for updates on a number of his first-team players.
He confirmed: “We will make some changes. Calha is doing fine, he came out of the match against Parma okay, he’s available.
“Djed [Spence] has had a week of training plus 25 minutes in the game on Saturday. He trained yesterday and today. He’s improving his condition and I’m pleased that he’s beginning to shake off some of the frustrations he had because of the physical issues he had at the start of the season. Playing gave him confidence and that adrenaline.”
Chivu was asked about Alessandro Bastoni specifically and how he is doing after the international break. He was one of the standout performers for the Azzurri during the September-October break, despite the difficult year he had on a personal level leading up to it.
“Bastoni suffered injustice because of reactions to incidents in the past. We know his value and how important he is for us, and for Italy. He doesn’t have to prove anything to anyone, he has always been at a certain level and sometimes we forget that we still have to take care of our players. Ale is an important asset.”
Chivu went on to explain what he expects to see from tomorrow’s game against Club Brugge.
“We don’t underestimate anyone,” he said. “We have a level of maturity and always go onto the pitch with a sense of responsibility and with the right attitude, a desire to dominate. At the same time, we also want to have fun.
“We have room for improvement, that’s our ambition. We can do certain things better and we will try to do them better. The group is of a high level, we have competition and that raises the level of training and the level of our ambitions.”
Inter have already got one of their toughest tests of the competition out of the way after losing 2-1 to Real Madrid last time out in the Champions League. They still have away tests against Liverpool and Borussia Dortmund coming up later down the line, though.
So, does Chivu expect to see his side finish among the top eight in the Champions League at the end of the league phase?
“We’ll take it game by game,” he said. “We can’t talk about who needs what at this stage of the competition, there are still seven games to go. The most important game is tomorrow’s. We’ll play against a proactive team that wants to attack with numbers. But, we’re aware of that.”
Asked again if he will rotate his side against Club Brugge on Tuesday night, Chivu wanted to make it clear that he doesn’t see it as a case of having a first and second-choice starting XI.
“It’s not a case of first and second choices, I’m talking about a group you have to pick from based on energy and the opponent. We play every three days so we also have to look at the mental aspect. I’ve also been looking out for those who went away with their national teams. There are lots of factors.
“We have a group that wants to be competitive. I also want to emphasise the importance of the five substitutes who come on. Against Monza, against Napoli, whoever has come on has made the difference. It’s a group that is rowing in the same direction. It’s a long season, we need energy.”