Cristian Chivu said Inter produced “the best version of ourselves” as they responded to Saturday’s Derby della Madonnina defeat by beating Feyenoord 3-0 in the Champions League.
The Nerazzurri arrived in Rotterdam under pressure after losing 3-1 to Milan, but delivered a commanding performance against a Feyenoord side with a strong home record. The Dutch club had also beaten Como 3-2 at the stadium earlier this season.
Yann Bisseck opened the scoring before Francesco Pio Esposito doubled Inter’s advantage. Piotr Zielinski completed the victory, while Esposito also had another effort disallowed for an offside position by the narrowest of margins after a pass from Federico Dimarco.
The result was particularly significant given Inter’s recent struggles to begin matches strongly. They had not scored inside the opening eight minutes since August, but established control early and rarely allowed Feyenoord to threaten a comeback.
“We have certain values, we understood certain things and put them on the pitch,” Chivu told Sky Sport Italia.
“That doesn’t mean we haven’t done well so far this season. We tried to be the best version of ourselves, it worked today with organisation, intensity and everything we needed for a strong performance in a stadium that is not easy to play in.”
Asked what he meant by the team having understood certain things, Chivu said Inter’s post-match discussions had helped address weaknesses while reinforcing their strengths.
“We always have discussions after every game, whether it goes well or badly, we try to correct errors and build on our strengths. Sometimes it goes better than others, perhaps we understood what wasn’t going as well,” he said.
“The Inter world, the club owners, the fans, we are all aware of the values of these players who want to fly the flag high, that has never been in doubt.”
Inter have also been criticised for failing to maintain the same level of performance throughout matches this season. Against Feyenoord, however, they remained organised and in control for almost the entire 90 minutes.
“Consistency is what brings results, it gives you self-confidence and belief in what you are doing, it is what we are looking for at this moment,” Chivu said.
“This game gives us a big boost of confidence in what we are building, so we know football can take you down some strange paths, but you must be able to react and get back onto the right path.”
The victory moved Inter up the Champions League table, although they have collected only six points from four games. Chivu’s side therefore face a fight until the end to secure their place in the next round.
