Cristian Chivu, the Inter manager, has issued a stark warning to his squad following their unexpected 2-1 defeat at the hands of Udinese. The loss, Inter's first of the 2025-26 Serie A campaign, has prompted Chivu to demand a more pragmatic, even aggressive, approach from his players, urging them to be "ready to play dirty" when necessary.
The match at San Siro saw Denzel Dumfries give Inter an early lead in the 17th minute. However, Udinese responded swiftly, with Keinan Davis converting a penalty to level the score. Arthur Atta then struck a decisive blow late in the first half, securing Udinese's first away victory against Inter since December 2017 and condemning Inter to their earliest league defeat since the 2018-19 season.
Despite the setback, Inter created numerous opportunities throughout the game. Federico Dimarco had a potential equalizer disallowed by VAR for offside, and Carlos Augusto saw a header cleared off the line in the dying moments. Statistically, Inter dominated, registering an expected goals (xG) tally of 1.89 from 16 shots, compared to Udinese's 1.19 from 10 attempts. However, Chivu was far from satisfied with his team's performance, particularly their inability to convert chances and maintain control throughout the match.
"It was better after the break, more determination and more grit, even though we lost sharpness again as time wore on and were unable to finish off our chances," Chivu lamented. "We were unable to create more. At half-time, I asked the players to move more, make different runs to create spaces and find the vertical passes, so we could open Udinese up."
Chivu emphasized the need for Inter to blend attractive football with a willingness to adopt a more combative style when required. "You must try to play beautiful football, but also be ready to play dirty when necessary, as a ball pumped into the box can do more damage sometimes than a lovely pass," he stated, suggesting a more direct and physical approach could be beneficial in certain situations.
The Inter boss was keen to maintain perspective, dismissing the notion that the defeat was a catastrophic event. "We weren’t magnificent after the first game, we aren’t terrible after this one. We remain a work in progress," he said, acknowledging the need for continued development and improvement.
"We’ve got to learn to find that balance, focus and work hard. There’s a very long way to go this season," Chivu added, highlighting the importance of consistency and resilience throughout the long Serie A campaign. The defeat marks a worrying trend for Inter at home, where they have now won only two of their last five league games, a stark contrast to their previous run of six consecutive home victories.
Looking ahead, Inter face a challenging schedule, starting with a trip to the Allianz Stadium to take on Juventus on September 13, followed by their Champions League opener against Ajax four days later. Chivu hopes that the upcoming international break will provide his players with an opportunity to recharge and return with renewed focus and determination.
"There are still two weeks to go," Chivu said. "We won’t have many players left in Milan during the break, but I hope that this time off will let them return with more determination and fire." He further analyzed the Udinese game, noting, "The game was on the right track, but we weren’t fluid, we couldn’t find the right build-up to create chances. At the first difficult situation for us, we gave away a penalty, then lost our sharpness and focus. We could see that we were struggling."
