'I'm no fool': Inter's Cristian Chivu admits 'adjustment' through season

[p]Chivu's side are nine ‌points clear at the top of the Serie A standings, with the 45-year-old now ‌leading a title charge that has reshaped expectations around a team ‌and a coach who began the season under far less scrutiny.[/p][p]The [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/inter/Iw7eKK25/"]Inter[/a] ‌boss was asked at a press conference ahead of [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/cagliari-SCGVmKHb/inter-Iw7eKK25/?mid=G6Joa7WQ"]Friday's home ‌game[/a] with [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/cagliari/SCGVmKHb/"]Cagliari[/a] whether he feels changed or if it is the perception of others which has changed.[/p][p][b]"I can be many things, but I'm definitely not a ‌fool,"[/b] Chivu said.[/p][p][b]"Life has taught me to adapt ⁠to moments and narratives, to ‌the role I occupy and the leadership I have. If at the beginning ​what I wanted to convey to the group made me say certain things in a certain way, along the way ​those things changed.[/b][/p][p][b]"Because everything changed, and I adjusted."[/b][/p][embed guid="03245eb7-e7a9-4f9d-ae28-ab65c7f7d127" url="https://x.com/Inter_en/status/2044762690325712916" social-type="twitter" /][p]There was much scepticism around Chivu's appointment when the club brought in an inexperienced manager to ⁠replace Simone Inzaghi who ​had won the league title and taken Inter to two Champions League finals.[/p][p]Chivu, a former Inter player who began his coaching career with the club's youth teams, had taken charge of 13 games in his only ‌senior managerial role with [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/parma/6DxlaxHN/"]Parma[/a] last season. Inter losing two of their opening three matches did little to help his cause.[/p][p][b]"We started out supposedly aiming just to finish eighth, that I was inexperienced and would be sacked after five matches, with people already thinking about who should replace me,"[/b] Chivu said.[/p][p][b]"Instead we kept going, thanks to a group of men who from the start aimed to be competitive."[/b][/p][h2]Little love since Valentine's day[/h2][p]Chivu believes the media coverage around Inter changed completely after ‌the Valentine's Day win over [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/juventus/C06aJvIB/"]Juventus[/a], with [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/bastoni-alessandro/On4TkPTN/"]Alessandro Bastoni[/a] accused of ​diving to get an opponent sent off and then celebrating the ‌red card.[/p][p][b]"It has become a media pillory from every point of view, for Inter and for a player. That's where the narrative changes,"[/b] Chivu said.[/p][p][b]"But I've never been confrontational and I've never worn masks. I've tried not to talk about referees and I ⁠haven't done so. If we're ⁠at this point in the ‌season and someone doesn't like what I say, that's not my problem."[/b][/p]