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Cristian Chivu has admitted that the defeat to AC Milan was painful, but he does not think Inter have an issue when it comes to transitions.
Frustration would probably be a fair feeling for Inter’s players, staff and fans this morning as they were beaten 1-0 by Milan in a tight but dramatic derby contest. The Nerazzurri hit the post twice in the first half, and in the second half Hakan Calhanoglu had a penalty saved by Mike Maignan.
Nevertheless, the Rossoneri have made a habit of taking big moments in big games under Massimiliano Allegri and that continued at San Siro on Sunday night. Christian Pulisic was on hand to fire in a rebound that Yann Sommer spilled straight to him, scoring the only goal.
Chivu offers assessment
After the game, Chivu spoke to DAZN to give his thoughts on a tough night for his team, continuing a trend in the six-point games after defeats to Juventus and Napoli previous. Football Italia relayed his words.
How do you assess a game like that?
“The frustration is not just what we created, it’s the performance, the focus, as we hardly allowed any counter-attacks, despite knowing the two strikers could cause us problems. The one time we lost the second ball in midfield, they scored. This is football.
“I take home the good performance, as the lads kept going to the end, despite the disappointment of conceding the goal, and the frustration after hitting the woodwork twice. They tried to score in every possible way, and that is the spirit I want to see.”
You have now lost four games, and three head-to-heads…
“When you suffer the fourth defeat in 12 rounds, that is too many. However, the table is still pretty tight, so we are up there and need to deal with this frustration, because losing a game like this can leave a mark.”
You have conceded four goals on the counter this season…
“I know what we create and what we concede, these are the risks we take. I don’t analyse individuals in public, because I would never do that. When I see my players give their all in training, I could never point the finger of blame here, nor do I want to seek alibis.
“We are all in this and all responsible, for good and bad. We all could’ve done better, we could’ve scored earlier, or dealt with the moments of the match better. Our duty now is to get back on our feet, as on Tuesday we have an equally important match.”
Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid are next, another side quite happy to counter…
“The characteristics of our players mean we are forced to attack with many men, which inevitably leaves us a little open. However, I want to point out we only allowed one counter-attack today, and it was fatal.
“Considering the risks we take with this attacking approach, we don’t really allow many shots on goal. I think we need to sniff out danger earlier, perhaps give a few more yellow cards to stop these situations before they develop.”
Lautaro Martinez was substituted early in the second half, was it for fitness reasons?
“He is fine. Can I not change players? It was a technical decision, it was my choice. The lads on the bench deserve to give their contribution too, Bonny and Pio have done well this season.”
English (US) ·