The Nerazzurri coach after the hard-fought victory over Kairat Almaty: “It was my idea to put Toro in the game. The Kazakhs gave us a tough time”

Cristian Chivu’s recipe is simple: smile. He said it in the press room before the Kairat match and reiterated it after the hard-fought win at San Siro: “This was a lesson for us. We should have done better than that.” When asked by his former teammate Maicon—with whom he won the Treble—Chivu admitted he’d rewatched the 2-0 Inter-Rubin Kazan match from the 2009-10 season: “Yes, we weren’t able to close it out earlier. They stayed in the game the whole time and gave us a hard time. We often tried a three-man backline with the goalkeeper, and we struggled to execute what we’d prepared. I take full responsibility; they know that because they’re mature and intelligent guys.”

playing with a smile—  Chivu continues: “Now I’m the coach and the responsibility is mine; I could have done better. A deal with Lautaro? A player would never dare to come to me and ask to play. It was my idea. For a striker, to help him get out of a situation like that, you have to put him in the game. I’m happier with the play he made in the corner to get to a cross, for example. That’s the right spirit for us. Soccer is also about happiness; we shouldn’t put too much pressure on ourselves or see ghosts that aren’t there. Lautaro is important, just as many others are, and it’s important to smile—we have to give it our all.”