KIVU: “We need to start showing who we are right from the very first minute.”

Inter head coach Cristian Chivu summed up the 2–2 draw against Roma in the fifth round of Serie A.

– Great response. How would you assess the match?

– Let’s start with this… A match lasts 90 minutes; we needed to do what we did in the second half. We need to respond. We played against a tough team on a difficult field. We can improve everything.

– You found yourselves playing catch-up again. What’s the problem?

– I think we tried to correct certain things. Aside from our response, we all know what needs to be improved.

– Bringing in two forwards off the bench should give the guys a big confidence boost.

– Yes, that’s just how soccer is these days. We could have brought them on earlier, but I take the positives from what the guys do once they’re on the field. Sometimes it works out better, sometimes worse, but it’s important to give it your all. I congratulate everyone; with their response, they showed exactly what needed to be done.

– Jones’s debut?

– Like everyone else, he could and should have played better. I’m not talking about individual players, but about what everyone did. We still have a long way to go to reach the level we lacked this month, but I’m optimistic. Some small details didn’t work out, but they won’t happen again.

– Could this reaction be a double-edged sword?

– I don’t think anyone considers themselves capable of reacting to difficulties and therefore takes the field unprepared from the very first minute. There are many aspects to soccer: the desire to win duels, work with and without the ball... But today we played against a strong team, and we knew it. We shouldn’t wait until we’re forced to react; we can play like this from the very start. We need to start showing who we are from the very first minute.

– A very English-style match...

– I see Serie A, where the intensity and quality have improved: there are moments when the pace drops a bit, but I like what I see. We’re on the right track and should enjoy it. Of course, there will be the same questions later about how we’re conceding too many goals, but that’s okay. We also need to be patient. These new rules have added speed and eliminated pauses, and that’s exactly why we conceded a few quick counterattacks from Roma. We have to accept that matches can end with a big score difference. I like that.