Chivu: “We need minutes to get into the best possible shape for matchday 1”

PERTH – Inter‘s tour has reached its penultimate day, with the Nerazzurri preparing to face Juventus in Perth on Saturday at 19:00 local time before returning to Milano. On the eve of the match against the Bianconeri, Inter head coach Cristian Chivu answered questions from the media at Optus Stadium.

You’ve spoken about improving fitness levels over the past few days. How would you assess the work done on tour and what are you expecting from tomorrow’s match?“We’re still missing a few pieces, and we still have a few weeks to get ourselves into the best possible shape for the opening league match. The most important thing so far is that we’ve had very few physical issues. At the moment, that’s the most encouraging aspect, and we’re happy about that.”

You’re facing Juventus, one of your rivals in the title race. Who do you expect to be the biggest threats in the league?“I haven’t quite worked that one out yet. It’s the usual teams, the ones who want to make life difficult for the reigning Italian champions. We’re the team to beat. Tomorrow is a friendly, a match that will help with our preparations. We want to see a good level of fitness and some of our principles of play, even if the legs aren’t fresh and we’re not yet operating at full capacity.”

Does it make things more difficult in the transfer market when you’re unable to sell players?“We’ve been calm from the start, and we know the quality we have in the squad. We need to raise the level and bring in players who can fit into an already close-knit group that has achieved great things. We’ll do our best to complete a puzzle that, at the moment, is still missing a few pieces.”

Regarding the match against Juventus, have you had the chance to speak to Spalletti?“We’re all focused on our preparations. I’ll say hello to Spalletti tomorrow.”

You’re looking for a right-sided player. Have you set yourselves a timeframe?“We haven’t set a deadline. We know we need to be patient. We’d made our choices, but different circumstances meant those moves didn’t materialise. We’re working to find someone who can bring greater quality and experience. We’ll let our sporting directors do their job.”

In terms of rotation and players’ minutes, where are you at?“We need minutes. The best thing we can do is give everyone as many minutes as possible. I don’t have a fixed starting XI; I rotated throughout last season as well. There aren’t eleven guaranteed starters. The choices depend on the situation, the opposition, the number of games in a short space of time and the players’ fitness.”