Twice ahead against Napoli, twice tied: even in this last big match Inter failed to make a difference, taking the first draw of the season in the championship at San Siro. A missed opportunity for an important mini-break, which is postponed indefinitely; meanwhile Cristian Chivu keeps to himself what represents a half-full glass for a bitter-sweet evening for the black and blue fans, but avoids answering directly the hottest topic: "We haven't won direct confrontations with Napoli, Juve and Milan in 14 matches? I'm talking about the match and the ability of Napoli".
Chivu and dribbling over direct confrontations without a win
After the Inter-Napoli match, the atmosphere is hot, not fiery, but tense enough that the toxins on the pitch have not completely died down. And while at Napoli Conte, expelled for protests, chooses personal silence for the media, at Inter a Chivu appears with his usual calm. He shows this even in the face of another confirmation that his team has serious problems in direct confrontations.
On TV they start from this very topic, but the black and blue coach is as good as an experienced striker at avoiding it: "Inter doesn't win direct confrontations for 14 games? Ciro Ferrara has explained it well" - said Chivu, referring to the former defender's opinion according to which you can win a championship even by winning all the other matches of the calendar. "I'm talking now about the match and about two strong teams, about the ability of this Napoli".
Chivu and regret at the end: "We lacked clarity"
The obstacle was overcome, or rather avoided, with coach Chivu continuing his reasoning, almost without worrying about a topic that would require deeper reflection: "Of course there are regrets, but it is never easy against a strong team that puts you in difficulty. In the end we lacked the clarity to take it to the end and I take with me the attitude, the desire to always move forward, sometimes even excessive. We tried in every way to stay in the game, to find situations because we knew the strength of Napoli. It is a pity, now the battle will continue point by point: there are 4-5 teams, I don't even know how many points difference we have now from the others".
For Napoli: "A fair draw for what was seen on the pitch"
The analysis of the match, beyond the result, for the technician Chivu remains very positive: "They were able to look for Hojlund, we were long in the distances, they circulated the ball very well with McTominay and Lobotka. We made a mistake by letting them do that, but my players always exerted pressure. We adjusted something during the match, in the end the draw is fair for what we saw".