Chivu assesses Sassuolo 0-5 Inter and upcoming Juventus test: ‘Work to be done’ – Football Italia

SASSUOLO, ITALY – FEBRUARY 08: Cristian Chivu head coach of FC Internazionale shankes hands with Luis Henrique of FC Internazionale during the Serie A match between US Sassuolo Calcio and FC Internazionale at Mapei Stadium Citta del Tricolore on February 08, 2026 in Sassuolo, Italy. (Photo by Alessandro Sabattini/Getty Images)

Cristian Chivu insists that Inter are still ‘zero’ percent along the way to the Serie A title despite his side’s 5-0 victory away against Sassuolo on Sunday, as he believes that the Nerazzurri are just about to head into one of their most crucial runs of the 2025-26 season. 

Inter showed why they are the breakaway leaders of the Serie A table during their 5-0 victory away against Sassuolo on Sunday evening. Five different goalscorers got in on the act at the Mapei: Yann Bisseck and Marcus Thuram in the first half, Lautaro Martinez, Manuel Akanji and Luis Henrique in the second. 

You can see how the action unfolded on the Football Italia Liveblog. 

Chivu assesses Sassuolo 0-5 Inter and upcoming Juventus test 

Despite dominating for the majority of the match against Sassuolo, Inter were still threatened early on. 

“We’ve understood the moment that we’re in, we suffered from their intensity and once they got hold of the ball, they went straight at the game. We struck at the right time with that corner, then our solidity became an important factor for how we went about the game,” Chivu told DAZN after full-time. 

“This team seems more mature now, of how to accept and adapt in certain moments of the game,” he added. 

Given that his side currently sits eight points clear at the top of the table after 24 matches, Chivu was asked if there is still room for his team to improve. 

He replied: “We can’t forget where we’ve come from. We can’t be afraid of anything, but we have to be aware that we can still improve. There’s no such thing as perfection. 

“It isn’t easy because there’s still a long way to go in the league and these are important phases of the season. We’re halfway through the marathon, we have to keep our maturity and be competitive.” 

Chivu was asked if this is the point in the season where we start to see more of Davide Frattesi, who was still left out of the starting line-up against Sassuolo despite the absences of Nicolo Barella and Hakan Calhanoglu. 

“Frattesi, Diouf, Dimarco, the whole group works hard. We need the whole squad to maintain a certain level so that we stay competitive,” Chivu responded. 

Chivu is still unwilling to consider himself the favourite for the Serie A title this year, though. When asked what the probability of Inter winning the league title this year is, the coach replied: “Zero for me. There are fourteen games left to play. Theory’s still work to be done.” 

And looking ahead to next week’s Derby d’Italia against Juventus, Chivu said: “It’s a game like any other. Expectations are always high, but I want the group to keep their maturity and their awareness. 

“This is the first week where we have four training sessions in a row. We have a look at how we present ourselves for that match.”