Chivu: “No Regrets” after Inter Milan exit on penalties against Bologna

Inter Milan coach Cristian Chivu reflects on the Supercoppa Italiana semi-final defeat and urges his squad to keep pushing forward

Inter Milan head coach Cristian Chivu spoke to SportMediaset via Fcinter1908 following the penalty shootout defeat against Bologna in the Supercoppa Italiana semi-final. 

Despite the disappointment, the coach praised his players, encouraged them never to give up, and stressed that he has no regrets about his decisions.

“What is the biggest regret, not finishing the match earlier?”

“Penalties are a lottery. What matters is the courage and personality of those who step up to take them. 

It’s something you can’t really train for. You can’t recreate the emotions they bring. I take responsibility for the courage shown by these players, especially in the second half, when they added quality and intensity. Those are things I always want to see from my team.”

Tension on the bench over refereeing decisions?

“I don’t talk about referees or their decisions. They have VAR and they can decide. 

I talk about my group and about how we can improve. We move forward with our heads held high. Mistakes can happen, and I have nothing to regret or complain about. Nothing. We move on.”

“What was the biggest difficulty during the match?”

“The pressure we faced immediately after conceding. We struggled to find ways out, we didn’t attack the space enough. 

We did better in the second half, playing more in their half of the pitch. Unfortunately, football works like this: if you don’t score, you end up going to penalties. And there, it’s a lottery.”

Lautaro left out: what was the strategy?

“I don’t allow myself to think beyond the immediate situation, not even about the next match. Lautaro had played eight matches in 20 days and he needed rest. 

January is packed with commitments, and we’ll need to be at 100 percent. We have to try not to lose players along the way, and the same applies to Calhanoglu and Akanji. This is about managing a squad that has shown it can compete at the highest level in every competition.”

The courage to bring on Josep Martinez in a knockout match

“I have 25 players, and they all deserve to play. They are all top players and they need support. This team has big ambitions this season, and in a long campaign with so many matches, we need everyone."