Chivu: ‘Inter try to be beautiful, but must be ready to play dirty too’ after 2-1 defeat

MILAN, ITALY – AUGUST 31: Cristian Chivu, Head Coach of Internazionale, looks on prior to the Serie A match between FC Internazionale and Udinese Calcio at Giuseppe Meazza Stadium on August 31, 2025 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)

Cristian Chivu had already seen warning signs from Inter early into their 2-1 loss to Udinese, warning they ‘must try to play beautiful football, but be ready to play dirty when necessary.’

The Nerazzurri went from hero to zero, as after their 5-0 hammering of Torino in the opening weekend, they suffered a 2-1 defeat to Udinese in the same stadium.

Denzel Dumfries had put them in front early on, but his handling offence allowed Keinan Davis to equalise from the penalty spot, Arthur Atta’s curler turning it around by half-time.

Check the Football Italia Player Ratings for Inter 1-2 Udinese

“The game was on the right track, but we weren’t fluid, we couldn’t find the right build-up to create chances,” Chivu told DAZN Italia.

“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.”

What Chivu asked of Inter against Udinese

Although the coach threw on every striker he had, ending the match with Lautaro Martinez, Marcus Thuram, Francesco Pio Esposito and Ange-Yoan Bonny on the field simultaneously, they rarely tested the Udinese goalkeeper.

“It was better after the break, more determination, more grit, better moves, even though we lost sharpness again as time wore on and were unable to finish off our chances. We were unable to create more,” continued Chivu.

“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 by moving them around. It got more difficult as time wore on.

“We put on four strikers, we tried everything, including Pio’s height to get on the end of some crosses, but Solet and Kristensen did a great job defending in the air for Udinese tonight.

“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.

“We weren’t magnificent after the first game, we aren’t terrible after this one. We remain a work in progress. We’ve got to learn to find that balance, focus and work hard. There’s a very long way to go this season.”

It is not a good way for Inter to go into the break for international duty, knowing they must face Juventus after the restart in Serie A, then head into the Champions League.

“There are still two weeks to go. We won’t have many players left in Milan during the break, as they are all off on international duty, but I hope that this time off can let them return with more determination and fire,” concluded Chivu.