Chivu Unravels Inter Milan's Gameplay

MILAN, MONDAY – Coach Cristian Chivu has begun to unveil the style of play he wishes to establish for Inter Milan this season. The former defender of "I Nerazzurri" demands that Lautaro Martinez and his teammates play aggressively and vertically, while still maintaining balance in every line. He will also start to refine several dynamic formations that are not confined to a specific scheme, such as 3-5-2.

In the last Club World Cup, Chivu maintained the 3-5-2 formation, but with more flexibility through variations of 3-4-1-2 and 3-4-2-1. In fact, he even implemented an experimental 4-4-2 formation when losing to Fluminense.

"3-4-2-1 or any other formation, those are just numbers and will remain so. The principle that is most important and our intention is to play aggressively, vertically, and balanced, as well as to achieve results through match moments throughout the season," said Chivu at a press conference on the first day of Inter Milan's training at the BPER Training Center, Appiano Gentile, Milan, Monday (28/7/2025).

Regarding the basic pattern that he will implement at Inter, Chivu will focus on building a team foundation with many strong midfield players. He also indicated that he would not play with three strikers, even though he would have six goal scorers if Ademala Lookman joins from Atalanta. Having six attacking players does seem excessive with a two-striker formation, which raises speculation that Chivu will also devise a pattern with three strikers.

"I never said I would play with three strikers. I only talked about the midfield. When I spoke about numbers, I said it was just numbers. In fact, in the past, the foundation of this team has always been 3-5-2. However, in many matches, they often play with four attackers. It depends on how they come to attack, how they want to hurt, or how you want to shoot in certain situations," said Chivu on the official Inter Milan website.

"Currently, field dominance always depends on what the opponent provides. Sometimes, a 3-5-2 formation can change into a 3-2-5, 4-2-4, or 4-4-2," Chivu continued.

"You must know how to interpret something, be aggressive, shake the defense, defeat the opponent, accept the duel, and strive to win it. Whoever wins the duel will also win the match. We focus on that, on the principles, trying to immediately provide an identity so as not to be complacent when we need to change something during the season. We will train more formations during this period to be ready to switch from one match to the next and during the match," said Chivu.

The identity of Chivu's game has not yet appeared solid in the matches of the 2025 Club World Cup. He still requires players with strong dribbling skills to create game dynamics. It is believed that such a figure exists in Ademola Lookman, who is currently in transfer negotiations.

If the negotiations proceed smoothly, according to Inter Milan CEO Giuseppe Marotta, the transfer of the Atalanta winger will be completed within two to three days. Currently, Inter is believed to be willing to increase the transfer value from 40 million euros to 43 million euros, including bonuses. However, on Tuesday (29/7) afternoon, Inter reportedly raised the offer to 45 million euros, approaching Atalanta's request of 50 million euros for the Nigerian player.

"The transfer market still has a month to go. I do not hide the fact that Lookman is an important element, both based on the recommendations of the technical staff and the coach. In my opinion, he is on the list of all sporting directors, not only in Italy but also in Europe. However, he is, after all, an Atalanta player today. We have a very good relationship with Atalanta and we do not want to disturb that," said Marotta.

"I will not deny that I have spoken several times with Luca Percassi (CEO of Atalanta). It is still too early to know what will happen, but he is one of those players," Marotta stated subsequently.

Regarding the pursuit of a strong attacking player in dribbling, Marotta appeared optimistic. He estimated that Lookman's status would be clarified within the next two to three days. He also revealed that Lookman is desired by Chivu to enhance the playing system that will be implemented.

"The coach and I are both looking for players with certain flexibility and who provide him the ability to play in this system. So, it is clear that he represents a suitable profile for this model. However, he is not the only one. There are other names. I will not deny that in two or three days, we will reach a conclusion about what is being discussed between Inter and Atalanta," said Marotta.

"If the conditions are right and Atalanta is determined to sell him, of course, we will try to initiate concrete negotiations to possibly reach a conclusion. If not, there will be what is referred to as different options," said Marotta.

In addition to assessing the character of player Lookman, Inter is also considering the maturity of the 27-year-old player. Lookman may not be young anymore, but his experience and maturity will be important for the development of the young players who will be included in the Nerazzurri squad this season.

"We all agree that in football, you rarely win with eleven talented players. Besides talent, you also need experience and strong character. Lookman isn't an attractive player on the market because of his age. However, the advantage he can bring us is his quality. Furthermore, good players impart important skills to young players and also increase their value," Marotta stated, as quoted by La Gazzetta dello Sport.