Chivu: ‘Inter press high, but also understood the moment’ with Roma

Cristian Chivu confirms Inter are ‘trying’ to press high this season, but acknowledges to beat Roma they also had to ‘understand the moment’ and change approach.

The Nerazzurri knew this was a huge opportunity to get back into the Scudetto race and made it a sixth consecutive victory in all competition.

Ange-Yoan Bonny was chosen to replace injured Marcus Thuram and proved why when scoring the goal after six minutes, springing the offside trap on the Nicolò Barella pass to surprise the high Roma line.

There were chances at both ends, including Henrikh Mkhitaryan clipping the woodwork and two Yann Sommer saves in quick succession, but that goal proved decisive.

“These lads deserve all the credit, as they left disappointment behind them, put themselves back up for the challenge after last season, and want to prove they can compete in every tournament,” Chivu told Sky Sport Italia.

“I am proud of the way they are working, how they prepare mentally for certain games. They know how to suffer, are ready to challenge themselves, and find the right humility for these situations. After the break for international duty it is always an unknown quantity with many travelling and playing, you don’t get to see them for long.

“Roma are a strong team, they will never be easy for anyone to face in this stadium with these fans behind them.”

Inter showed a high press to cause problems for the Roma defence, and that is one of the biggest tactical changes Chivu has brought after the Simone Inzaghi era.

“We are trying to do this, and it doesn’t always work out. We had just one training session together before this game and Roma can cause issues with their wide players, who spread you out and create room between the lines for Dybala,” added Chivu.

“We did it quite well in the first half, then lost intensity after the break and were forced to sit deeper, but we still understood that moment, focusing on the defence and counter-attacks.”

Now Inter have caught Napoli and Roma at the top of the Serie A table on 15 points, while Juventus could join them tomorrow, or Milan overtake everyone if they beat Fiorentina.

Next week is the showdown between Napoli and Inter at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.