Inter’s half-time team talk against Roma ‘between me and the players’, says Chivu

Syndicated reporting provided by Stats Perform and reviewed by the SoccerNews editorial team.

Cristian Chivu insisted his half-time team talk with his Inter players would remain private after they came from two goals down to draw 2-2 with Roma on Saturday. 

Inter were staring defeat in the face after the first 45 minutes at Stadio Olimpico when Manu Kone followed up his early goal with a 37th-minute strike past Josep Martinez. 

But whatever Chivu said at the break certainly woke up his players as, just 51 seconds after the restart, Lautaro Martinez halved the deficit to get Inter back into the contest. 

And their pressure eventually told in the 79th minute when Martinez notched his second of the match, but the defending Serie A champions were unable to find a winner. 

The result was the sixth time since Chivu was appointed as Inter’s boss that the Nerazzurri have avoided defeat in a Serie A match despite trailing by two goals. They had only experienced this scenario six times in the previous 10 seasons. 

Despite having their chances in the first half, with Alessandro Bastoni hitting the woodwork, Inter were only able to generate an expected goals (xG) total of 0.88 from their three shots, compared to Roma’s tally of 1.25 from their 11 attempts. 

“I will focus on the second half, which in terms of attitude, grit and character was remarkable,” Chivu told DAZN Italia, as quoted by Football Italia.

“We were up against a great opponent, we know what Roma represent, and it was an entertaining match.

“I think in the second half, we dragged out a little more than we’ve seen so far this season. We’ve got to build on that.

“I repeat, certain things remain between me and the players, but it remains a good point in a difficult place for anyone to play.”

We fight back to claim a point pic.twitter.com/qTIAGBookS

— Inter (@Inter_en) September 19, 2026

Inter have four points more than at this stage last season and have remained unbeaten in their first five Serie A matches for the first time since the 2023-24 season.

However, there were concerns for Chivu. Inter have already conceded eight goals in Serie A so far. Not since the 2022-23 campaign had they let in so many after the first five matches of a league campaign. 

Inter have also conceded at least two goals in three consecutive Serie A matches since October 2024, while across the entire 2025-26 league season, they conceded the opening goal in six out of 38 matchdays. In the current campaign, they have already done so three times in five matchdays.

“We’ve got to do better with our initial approach, with understanding the intensity of the opponents,” Chivu added. 

“I won’t demand we surpass them in terms of intensity, but at least to match them. 

“Our position at this time last season was actually worse than now. Don’t forget we’ve got 13 points after two head-to-head clashes with direct rivals like Napoli and Roma.

“There’s a lot to work on, we know that, but I will take the good things we did in the second half.”

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