Chivu aims jibe at Conte: ‘Not interested in complaining or showing how great I am’

Cristian Chivu and Antonio Conte continued to trade insults in the press room after Napoli’s 3-1 win, the Inter coach noting he ‘isn’t interested in complaining or showing how great I am.’

There had already been tension on the touchline at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, with a scuffle that broke out between the Partenopei bench, Denzel Dumfries and Lautaro Martinez.

After the match, Inter sent President Beppe Marotta to speak to the media before Chivu to complain about the penalty, which Conte in turn said was “delegitimising the coach” and giving “alibis” for the defeat.

When Chivu spoke at the press conference, he sent out what seemed to be some barbed comments aimed at Conte.

“The club has to the right to do whatever it feels is right. I as a coach remain consistent, I will never come here to complain,” said the Romanian.

“I have a different approach to some others, I am not interested in my reputation, nor at showing how great I am. I am what I am, I try to transmit those values to the players.

“I am trying to change things, even if I do it by myself. As long as I am here, I will try to change the way football is perceived in Italy. They are accustomed here to moaning and crying over spilt milk.

“We need to change things in the right way. I am not interested in what other people think about me.”

So is Chivu not going to say anything about the controversial penalty awarded to Napoli in this 3-1 defeat?

“We will wait to hear the explanation. We don’t have to seek excuses or alibis, we just have to think about our football. We must be positive and remain on the bench.

“After all, they won’t change their decisions based on protests, so it’s a waste of energy.”