Inter assistant Kolarov: ‘Chivu seems very calm, but he’s really not’

Cristian Chivu lost his voice during Inter’s 3-1 victory over Bologna, so assistant Aleksandar Kolarov spoke instead. ‘The coach seems very calm, but he’s really not!’

The Nerazzurri had a point to prove against Bologna, having lost on a penalty shoot-out last month in the Supercoppa Italiana semi-final.

It had been a frustrating night even after the Piotr Zielinski opener, as Federico Ravaglia made a series of big saves, but Lautaro Martinez and an unorthodox Marcus Thuram goal consolidated the victory.

There was no clean sheet, as Santiago Castro came sliding in to score for Bologna late on.

Perhaps that was what pushed Chivu’s voice over the edge on a frosty night in Milan, as he sent assistant Kolarov to speak to the media afterwards.

“I have a lot to live up to following the coach’s comments,” Kolarov told DAZN Italia.

“We created so many chances in the second half too and didn’t take them, but the team played well from start to finish.”

The Thu-La partnership has evolved since the days of Simone Inzaghi, who had wanted the two strikers to stay close together, as under Chivu there is more freedom given to Lautaro Martinez to drop deeper and get the ball.

“Lautaro is what we have always seen, he is our captain and our leader, who always gives 100 per cent in every single training session too,” noted Kolarov.

“We prepared it this way today, trying to push a midfielder up and bring him back a little deeper to create a diamond, therefore isolating Marcus against their defender. Lautaro is so good at understanding when and where to move that he finds the right positions, which is how the first goal came about.”

Bologna had been something of a bogey team for Inter in recent years, unbeaten since March 2024, their 1-0 result at the Stadio Dall’Ara in April 2025 also proving crucial in the Scudetto race.

“We didn’t want to transform Inter, but rather add things. The team came so close to winning many trophies last season and unfortunately just missed out. We pressed a few buttons and worked on the training field, I think the squad is going in the right direction.

“Once the second half of the season starts, it’s a very different situation, so we are top of the table and want to stay there. It is going to take a lot of hard work.”

Inzaghi famously missed quite a few post-match interviews because he lost his voice by shouting on the touchline, so is Chivu matching his predecessor?

“Chivu seems very calm, but he’s really not! I think Cristian might even shout more,” confessed Kolarov.

“Having said that, I was not as close on the bench with Inzaghi as I was with Chivu, so it might just be the distance…”