Chivu's Second Era Opener with Inter Milan

The story of coach Simone Inzaghi with Inter Milan has come to an end. However, his legacy will remain in the hands of his successor, Christian Chivu. After serving as a player, Chivu will begin his second era at Inter in the 2025 Club World Cup.

Chivu's debut as a new coach will be created in the Group E match between Inter versus CF Monterrey at the Rose Bowl Stadium, Los Angeles, Wednesday (6/18/2025) at 08.00 WIB. The former Inter defender who won three scudettos and one Champions League trophy returns with a different task.

"His sense of responsibility is great, just like when I came here as a player. I have been here (Inter) for 13 years, with a brief hiatus in between, but I have always been here," said Chivu, who previously coached Parma from mid-February to early June 2025.

The end of Inzaghi's era indeed concluded bitterly with a heavy defeat in the Champions League final. Nevertheless, it cannot be denied that he is the most influential coach for Inter in the last one and a half decades. Inzaghi successfully restored the prowess of "The Big Snake" in Italy and Europe.

That is the reason why the top officials of Inter subsequently chose Chivu among many candidates, one of whom was Patrick Vieira. Vieira is more experienced in the coaching world with a good track record at Crystal Palace and Genoa. This is in stark contrast to Chivu, who has only been coaching a senior club since February.

Nevertheless, Chivu possesses advantages that Vieira does not have. He is considered capable of continuing Inzaghi's legacy. Before moving to Parma, he had coached Inter's youth team for three years (2021-2024). The Romanian coach learned directly under Inzaghi's leadership.

According to Italian media outlet Gazzetta dello Sport, one of the main considerations in appointing Chivu was the playing system. Inter have maintained a 3-5-2 formation since the Antonio Conte era to Inzaghi, although the detailed approach is different. Chivu is committed to using a similar formation.

In Parma, Chivu began his journey with a formation of four defenders, transitioning from 4-3-3, 4-2-3-1, to 4-1-4-1. After a month of training, he decided to change the formation to 3-5-2. This new formation subsequently helped Parma avoid the threat of relegation.

Inter seeks continuity, not a complete overhaul. "This project feels new, yet also familiar. We must continue what has been produced previously. Standards have risen in recent years (during the Inzaghi era), and we must remain there," said Chivu.

Chivu gained a lot of knowledge from many great coaches during his playing days. One of them was Jose Mourinho who once brought Inter's golden era when they won the treble winner in the 2009-2010 season. According to Chivu, he had a chance to talk to Mourinho on the phone after returning to Inter.

Maicon, the former wing-back of Inter (2006-2012), is very familiar with Chivu. For him, there is no one more suitable at this time to lead "The Big Snake" than his former teammate in the defense line. Chivu understands the culture and psychology of the team, as well as the qualities of the young players.

The problem is that Chivu is already awaited for a heavy task at the Club World Cup. He must quickly heal the trauma experienced by the Inter squad at the end of last season. In addition to losing the Serie A title in the final week, they also suffered a 0-5 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League final.

"He is faced with a very heavy task. It is not easy because the pain after a significant defeat is surely very deep. I know this well, as I once lost 1-7 (with Brazil) to Germany in the World Cup. However, if there is anyone who can revive them, it is Chivu," said Maicon.

Monterrey, a club from Mexico, is ready to spoil Chivu's debut. The quality of their squad may be far below that of Inter. This is reflected in the market value of the Monterrey squad, which is only 71.5 million (Rp 1.24 trillion) or about ten times less than that of Inter.

Despite this, Monterrey also arrives with a strong motivation to begin a new era. They have recently replaced coach Martin Demichelis with Domenec Torrent. Torrent previously worked as an assistant coach to Josep Guardiola at Manchester City from 2016 to 2018.

Monterrey's squad is also not to be underestimated. They are strengthened by veteran players who have shone in the Spanish League, such as defender Sergio Ramos and midfielder Sergio Canales. "We have to be careful with Sergio because he has just recovered from injury, but he is ready to play. He is a leader in this team," Torrent told Bein Sports.

Chivu stated that all participants in the Club World Cup are certainly ambitious to win. He is wary of the motivation from clubs outside Europe that are not favored. "We have studied them, considering the possible changes made after the coaching change. They always play proactively and have players with good individual skills," he said. (AP/REUTERS)