Klinsmann brings Inter positivity after Atletico defeat: ‘Shouldn’t be judged on defeats’

Jurgen Klinsmann insists that things are not as bad as some have made out for Inter after their recent losses against Milan and Atletico Madrid in Serie A and the Champions League, and insists that head coach Cristian Chivu should not be judged on the number of defeats he has suffered. 

Inter are currently fourth in both the Serie A and Champions League table and are also just three points off the lead in both despite back-to-back losses against Milan and Atletico Madrid over the last week. 

Though they are sitting in a strong position in both competitions, and despite some encouraging performances in recent weeks, there has been some criticism of Chivu and his team in the Italian press towards the end of the week. 

A common complaint is Inter’s lack of victories in big matches this season, having fallen to defeats against Juventus, Napoli, Milan and Atletico already. 

Corriere dello Sport described it as a ‘crisis of results’ on Friday’s front page, but Klinsmann insists that there is still plenty for Inter to be positive about.

“I watched the derby in full, it made up for the Madrid game because I was commenting on Arsenal vs. Bayern and PSG vs. Tottenham on ESPN at the time. Results aside, it looks to me like the team is there,” Klinsmann said in an interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport (via TMW)

“They have clear ideas about how they want to attack, with numbers. The game against Atletico wasn’t too different to the one against Milan. Inter almost always play better than their opponents, they create chances, but are conceding goals after the restart or even worse, from set-pieces. 

Klinsmann believes that Chivu is heading in the right direction as Inter head coach. 

“You can see that he is building something good. He shouldn’t just be evaluated on the number of defeats, even if five seems like a lot. It’s close, looking at the Serie A standings. They can fairly comfortably reach the Champions League top eight. It’s not that bad.” 

Klinsmann was also asked about Lautaro Martinez’s current struggle for goals. 

“I know what that feels like, when you give it your all but the ball just doesn’t go in,” he said. “It happened to him in the derby and in the Champions League, when he was taken off during the game. It might seem strange given his importance to the team, but it’s also a sign that Chivu isn’t afraid to make big calls. 

“It’s right that he looked angry after being taken off, but the words ‘problem’ and ‘Lautaro’ don’t belong in the same sentence. It starts from him, then Lautaro, but with Bonny and Pio too, they can take some of the responsibility.”