A unique atmosphere enveloped Milan as Inter`s Champions League match against Slavia Prague coincided with the city council`s approval for the sale of San Siro. This historic stadium is slated for demolition and replacement by a new arena in the coming years. Amidst fans vocally expressing their opinions, arriving at or departing from the match, Inter secured a decisive 3-0 home victory in the first group stage game. This successful start followed a win against Ajax in the opening fixture and, crucially, came after the profound disappointment of last season`s UEFA Champions League final, where they suffered a 5-0 defeat to PSG.
The summer brought significant changes for the Nerazzurri. Former head coach Simone Inzaghi left the club to join Al-Hilal ahead of the Club World Cup. His replacement was Cristian Chivu, a 2010 Champions League winner and former Parma coach.
From the very beginning of the season, a different feeling permeated this Inter squad. Despite initial doubts about his limited coaching experience, Chivu is immediately proving his capability to make the right decisions.
Chivu`s Tactical Approach and Rotation Strategy
Last season, with the launch of the new European tournament format, Inzaghi decided to drastically rotate players between Italy`s Serie A and the Champions League. It seemed his intention was to maintain a separate squad for the group stage matches and another for Serie A games. For instance, players like striker Mehdi Taremi and midfielder Piotr Zielinski frequently started in European matches but rarely featured in the league. This season, Chivu appears to be making different choices, as observed in the match against Slavia Prague, yet he adheres to a similar underlying concept of rotation.
Chivu adopted a distinct approach, implementing changes to the lineup that had played against Cagliari on Saturday. Despite making seven alterations compared to Saturday`s starting eleven, Chivu is not selecting players exclusively for the European tournament. Five of the eleven players who started at San Siro on Tuesday differed from those who played against Ajax at the Amsterdam ArenA. While key players like Yann Sommer, Federico Dimarco, Marcus Thuram, and Denzel Dumfries are present in both squads, and Lautaro Martinez sustained a minor injury in the away match against Ajax, Chivu`s selections are driven by his team`s week-to-week form. For this reason, we are likely to see even more changes this weekend when the Nerazzurri host Cremonese at San Siro.
“There were only 72 hours between one match and the next, and I wanted to give a chance to some players who had been playing less, while still keeping the team compact and of quality,” Chivu told Sky Italia. “I`m happy I was able to give a few minutes to Yann Bisseck and Zielinski and let some others rest. I also have to consider that some players will go to their national teams and play another two matches.”
One thing is clear: Chivu can make these kinds of decisions against teams like Ajax and Slavia Prague, but it`s extremely unlikely he will use the same parameters when Inter faces formidable opponents such as Arsenal, Atletico Madrid, and Liverpool later in the group stage. Inter hopes to secure maximum points in their upcoming matches against Union Saint-Gilloise away and Kairat at San Siro before these tougher fixtures. If Chivu can effectively rotate players between the league and the Champions League while maintaining strong performances against less challenging teams, Inter can once again be considered genuine contenders.
