Chivu: ‘I laugh’ at controversies, but won’t talk about Cancelo to Inter

Inter coach Cristian Chivu isn’t interested in fuelling controversies with Napoli and Antonio Conte and has ‘trust’ in Stefan de Vrij and Davide Frattesi: ‘They’ll have plenty of chances to play.’

Chivu held a press conference on Saturday on the eve of a big Serie A game against Bologna at San Siro.

Bologna already beat Inter on penalties just a few weeks ago, in the Supercoppa Italiana semifinal.

“We know it’s a tricky game against a team that puts everyone in trouble because they have identity and intensity,” Chivu said via Gazzetta.

“Bologna put obstacles in your way even in simple situations. They have strong wingers on inverted feet and midfielders with physical presence. They also know how to go man-to-man; they have legs and good timing, and determination. Even if you beat the first line of pressure, many of them track back, so we need to be careful and do some things better, with a strong sense of responsibility.

“I like it when my players show courage and risk committing a foul to win the ball back.”

Napoli coach Conte tried to put pressure on the Nerazzurri last week by saying that Inter, Milan and Juventus have better infrastructures than the defending Serie A champions, who are still far from being among Serie A’s elite clubs.

“The way I’ve always seen football, as a player and as a coach, talks and controversies are external to the game and bring nothing. They don’t affect the final result; they are useless,” Chivu said.

“They have little impact except at a media level and have nothing to do with this sport, which should remain what it is. Personally, I laugh when there’s too much talk about things that have nothing to do with reality; they actually make me focus even more on my work. All we can say is that, at the moment, five teams are fighting for the Scudetto and the differences are minimal.”

Multiple sources claim that Inter are in talks with Al-Hilal to sign Joao Cancelo, while De Vrij and Frattesi could leave this month as they look for more playing time.

Chivu, however, refused to provide transfer updates on Cancelo, who already played for Inter in 2017-18.

“I talk about Luis Henrique, Diouf, Dumfries and Darmian. I prefer to focus on them and on the reality of the facts,” said the Inter boss.

As for De Vrij and Frattesi, he added: “I’m not afraid of anything; I trust their professionalism; they are the first ones responsible for what happens. They are two who have played the least. In Davide’s case, for physical reasons, and in Stefan’s case, for technical reasons, but they will have plenty of chances to play.”