In Milan, a distinct atmosphere permeated the city on the day Inter hosted Slavia Prague in the Champions League. This pivotal match coincided with the city council`s approval for the sale of the historic San Siro stadium, which is slated for demolition and will be replaced by a new venue in the coming years. Amidst widespread discussions and varying opinions from fans regarding the stadium`s future, Inter secured a convincing 3-0 victory in their opening home game of the league phase. This strong performance followed an earlier win against Ajax and was a crucial step towards redemption after the significant disappointment of a 5-0 defeat to PSG in the previous season`s UEFA Champions League final.
The summer brought considerable change for the Nerazzurri. Former manager Simone Inzaghi departed the club to join Al-Hilal ahead of the Club World Cup. His replacement was Cristian Chivu, a 2010 Champions League winner and former Parma head coach, who was appointed to take the reins.
From the early stages of the season, a fresh outlook and different feeling surrounded this Inter Milan squad. Despite initial reservations about his relatively limited coaching experience, Chivu has swiftly demonstrated his capability to make astute and effective tactical decisions.
Last season, when the new European tournament format kicked off, Inzaghi frequently rotated his squad, seemingly employing different teams for Serie A and Champions League fixtures. For instance, players like striker Mehdi Taremi and midfielder Piotr Zielinski were often starters in European matches but saw minimal play in the domestic league. This season, Chivu appears to be adopting a similar concept of rotation, as demonstrated against Slavia Prague, but with his own strategic nuances and approach.
Chivu opted for a varied approach, implementing several changes to the lineup that had faced Cagliari on Saturday. Despite making seven alterations from the previous starting eleven, Chivu`s selections are not solely for European competition; five of the 11 players who started against Slavia Prague differed from those who played against Ajax at the Amsterdam ArenA. While core players such as Yann Sommer, Federico Dimarco, Marcus Thuram, and Denzel Dumfries featured in both matches, and Lautaro Martinez was recovering from a minor injury during the away match against Ajax, Chivu`s choices are predominantly influenced by current player form and fitness, week after week. Consequently, further rotations are anticipated this weekend when Inter hosts Cremonese at San Siro.
“There were only 72 hours between one match and the next, and because I wanted to give a chance to some players who had been playing less, while still keeping the team compact and of quality,” Chivu told Sky Italia. “I`m happy I was able to give a few minutes to Bisseck and Zielinski and let some others rest. I also have to consider that some players will go to their national teams and play another two matches.”
It`s clear that while Chivu can implement such rotation decisions against teams like Ajax and Slavia Prague, he is highly unlikely to use the same parameters when Inter faces formidable opponents such as Arsenal, Atletico Madrid, and Liverpool later in the group stage. Inter aims to accumulate maximum points in the lead-up to these tougher fixtures, with upcoming matches against Union Saint-Gilloise away and Kairat at San Siro before then. If Chivu can effectively manage player rotation between the domestic league and the Champions League, maintaining strong performances against less formidable teams, Inter could once again solidify their position as genuine contenders for European glory.
