Last year, he was substituted after an hour. This year, Chivu often lets him play the whole game. This is how the Italian international has found consistency. And the best start in the last three years

Behind Dimarco’s performance is a blank slate. The secret to making him perform as he is performing. Fede just needs to not see the 32 lit up. To be called back to the bench “around the 60th minute,” as reiterated several times in recent days. “Nothing against Inzaghi,” said the winger, but it is clear that playing the whole game gives him more confidence.
Chivu understands this and is giving him much more playing time. Last year, Dimarco completed only 7 games out of 51. This time, he is already at three in eight appearances. The coach kept him on the field for 90 minutes against Slavia Prague and Cremonese. Fede repaid him with a goal and an assist in the last game.
It’s a radical, clear change of direction, linked above all to the numbers: Dimarco is first in Serie A for key passes (22) – even more than Nico Paz, Yildiz, Pulisic, and De Bruyne – first for attempted crosses (52), first for successful crosses (23), and first for big chances created (9). At Inter, he is third for steals (9) and total shots (12), behind Thuram and Lautaro. He builds and churns out assists like a winger: three assists and two goals in the league. He has never started so well in the last four years: zero goals and assists in 2022-23, one goal and three assists in 2023-24, one goal and one assist last year. He is a new, rejuvenated Dimarco, thanks in part to Chivu’s work. So far, he has already played 570 minutes in his first eight appearances in the league and Champions League, where he started in both games.

construction on the left—  Finally, compared to the last three years, Dimarco has a much higher average of key passes per game: 3.57. Last year, he averaged 2.67. The left side remains Inter’s strongest. He and Bastoni complement each other, help each other, sting and sink. Bonny’s goal against Cremonese is yet another example of a well-oiled, fluid game, where Bastoni moves up to occupy space and not give away any reference points. Dimarco has put the last few months of last year behind him, especially the Champions League final, which Inter lost 5-0, where he was blamed for Douè’s goal. “Enough talk about the past,” he said before the Slavia game. Only the present matters. And so far, it’s going great.