{"id":427384,"date":"2026-01-21T08:55:16","date_gmt":"2026-01-21T08:55:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/427384\/"},"modified":"2026-01-21T08:55:16","modified_gmt":"2026-01-21T08:55:16","slug":"inter-milan-1-3-arsenal-chivu-not-accustomed-to-these-games","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/427384\/","title":{"rendered":"Inter Milan 1-3 Arsenal – Chivu: \u201cNot accustomed to these games\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"

Inter Milan boss Cristian Chivu delivered an honest admission on his side\u2019s disjointed performance in tonight\u2019s 3-1 loss to Arsenal.<\/p>\n

Speaking to Sky Sport via FCInterNews<\/a>, the 45-year-old admitted that the Nerazzurri are not yet ready for matches of this caliber.<\/p>\n

Inter\u2019s disastrous run in high-stakes games continued this evening as the Gunners avenged last season\u2019s defeat at San Siro<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Despite scoring in his second Champions League start for the club, Petar Sucic<\/a> couldn\u2019t prevent another heartbreak.<\/p>\n

Indeed, after losing to Atletico Madrid and Liverpool, the Serie A giants suffered a third consecutive European loss.<\/p>\n

As a result, Cristian Chivu<\/a> has become the first Nerazzurri manager since 2011 to lose three Champions League outings on the bounce.<\/p>\n

More ominously, Inter are now at risk of missing out on a second successive top-eight finish in the newly formatted league phase.<\/p>\n

Furthermore, last season\u2019s finalists head to Signal Iduna Park to face Borussia Dortmund in the final round next week.<\/p>\n

Therefore, the situation is far from ideal.<\/p>\n

Cristian Chivu Delivers Verdict on Inter Milan 1-3 Arsenal Defeat\"Cristian<\/a>GENOA, ITALY \u2013 DECEMBER 14: Cristian Chivu, head coach of Inter, reacts during the Serie A match between Genoa CFC and FC Internazionale at Luigi Ferraris Stadium on December 14, 2025 in Genoa, Italy. (Photo by Simone Arveda\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

\u201cThey were stronger in terms of technique at speed, intensity, and positioning on the pitch,\u201d Chivu admitted.<\/p>\n

\u201cTheir ideas when attacking the lines and winning second balls were where they arrived with real force.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe tried to stay in the game and in the first half we produced a good performance; after the 1\u20131 we could have scored.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat doesn\u2019t mean we would have won, but moments like that can change the mood of a match.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were unlucky with the 2\u20131: our defence should have cleared the ball off the line, then it hit the crossbar and fell straight onto the head of one of their players.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the second half, they raised their level of humility and focus, because in the first half, there was a bit of complacency.<\/p>\n

\u201cThen they dropped slightly deeper and showed their structure, physicality, and quality, as well as making the right substitutions to put you under pressure.\u201d<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Chivu refused to take off Luis Henrique<\/a> despite the Brazilian\u2019s underwhelming attacking performance.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe did it at the end, I don\u2019t know if it was too late,\u201d the Nerazzurri coach added. \u201cI was thinking about switching to a 4-3-3, but I lacked strength in attack.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey brought on Gabriel when they saw they were struggling with Pio Esposito. We played with three attackers, two behind a striker.<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe it\u2019s true that we lacked individual actions and crosses on the right.<\/p>\n

\u201cHowever, I don\u2019t want to take anything away from Luis Henrique, who had a good game, or from the lads who stayed focused from start to finish.\u201d<\/p>\n

Inter Milan Manager Cristian Chivu Hails Arsenal Strength in Depth\"Arsenal<\/a>PARIS, FRANCE \u2013 MAY 07: Mikel Arteta, Manager of Arsenal, applauds the fans at full-time following the team\u2019s defeat and subsequent elimination after the UEFA Champions League 2024\/25 Semi Final Second Leg match between Paris Saint-Germain and Arsenal FC at Parc des Princes on May 07, 2025 in Paris, France. (Photo by Richard Heathcote\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Mikel Arteta<\/a> had the luxury of introducing the likes of Declan Rice, Gabriel Magalhaes, and Viktor Gyokeres in the second half.<\/p>\n

Despite their regular first-team status, all three started on the bench tonight, as Arteta decided to give them some rest.<\/p>\n

That alone testifies to the remarkable strength of Arsenal\u2019s roster.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen they press you like that, they have intensity, organisation, and a strong attacking presence in the box thanks to their quality and technique,\u201d Chivu admitted.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe level of technique they showed impressed me compared to other teams \u2013 the decision is always the right one, and they have the speed to find a teammate making a run with a single touch.<\/p>\n

\u201cOn the right, they also have Saka, who causes you problems. We stayed in the game, and when we won some duels, we created chances.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut that\u2019s down to Arsenal\u2019s individual and collective quality. I won\u2019t talk about how much they\u2019ve spent.<\/p>\n

\u201cOtherwise I\u2019d sound banal, and I\u2019m not complaining.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Premier League is a top league in terms of intensity; we\u2019re not yet used to this type of match.<\/p>\n

\u201cI try to pass on a bit more in terms of certain plays to execute on the pitch. But it\u2019s not easy.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re trying to continue our growth step by step. It\u2019s important to maintain the belief that what we\u2019re doing is the right thing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Chivu Comments on Upcoming Borussia Dortmund vs Inter Milan Clash\"Cristian<\/a>GENOA, ITALY \u2013 DECEMBER 14: Cristian Chivu, head coach of Inter, reacts during the Serie A match between Genoa CFC and FC Internazionale at Luigi Ferraris Stadium on December 14, 2025 in Genoa, Italy. (Photo by Simone Arveda\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Inter will take on Dortmund in a must-win final-day clash in Germany.<\/p>\n

Indeed, there will be no margin for error if the Italian heavyweights are to stand a chance of securing a top-eight finish.<\/p>\n

However, they will first face Pisa in Serie A next weekend.<\/p>\n

\u201cLet\u2019s wait until tomorrow to look at the table and understand whether a win will be enough or not,\u201d Chivu said. \u201cWe\u2019re ready for the prospect of playing in the playoffs; it\u2019s two extra matches, but that\u2019s not a problem.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s regret over the games against Atletico Madrid and Liverpool.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith a bit more maturity, we could have taken something more.<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe across those three matches, we could have got something, perhaps not tonight but in the other two.<\/p>\n

\u201cFrom an attitude and mentality point of view, if we had played Atletico Madrid and Liverpool tonight, the outcome would have been different.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s my assumption based on the growth of this group.<\/p>\n

\u201cDespite the difficulties, we played with conviction and accepted the risk against opponents who can beat you one-on-one.<\/p>\n

\u201cI take the courage and the recent growth we\u2019ve shown.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Inter Milan boss Cristian Chivu delivered an honest admission on his side\u2019s disjointed performance in tonight\u2019s 3-1 loss…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":427385,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[563],"tags":[64,63,596,85],"class_list":{"0":"post-427384","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-football","8":"tag-au","9":"tag-australia","10":"tag-football","11":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/427384","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=427384"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/427384\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/427385"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=427384"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=427384"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=427384"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}