Inter Milan coach Christian Chivo admitted that eventful and open matches, such as the exciting encounter against Udinese, present inevitable risks in modern Italian league football, saying: “I have never seen a perfect team.”
Inter achieved an exciting 5-3 victory over its guest, Udinese, yesterday, Monday, in the fourth stage of the Italian League Championship, so that the team continued its perfect start in the competition this season, after raising its score to 12 points, achieving the full score so far, after winning its first four matches, but it occupies second place on goal difference behind Roma (the leaders), which has the same balance of points.
Another confrontation full of volatile events awaited Inter, as they found themselves trailing 0-2 at home and in front of their fans for the second time in a row in the local league. Inter players turned the tables on Napoli in the previous match to win 3/2, and yesterday evening they defeated Udinese in a match that saw eight different players score goals.
The match showed the tremendous strength of the Italian champions, but it also revealed how fragile they are when they lack full focus, following the team's 2-1 defeat against its Spanish host, Real Madrid, last Tuesday in the Champions League.
Kefu told Sky Sport Italia: “These are our characteristics, and what we are good at doing.” We can score a lot of goals and maintain a high level, so with the exception of the first 25 minutes in which we tried to do certain things without the right energy, where Udinese took advantage of our situation, we succeeded in getting back into the game and giving a good reaction.” He added: “We maintained our cohesion in the match, and we did not want to lose, and I am happy about that. I also need to analyze what didn't work, and what I may not have been able to communicate to the team properly. “Actually, I was kind of expecting that, because the Champions League drains energy a lot.”
This is the fourth time in 2026 that Inter has scored at least five goals in an Italian League match, a number surpassed in the five major European leagues only by Bayern Munich. The team also tops the list of clubs with the most goals scored this season in Italy, with 14 goals. On the other hand, the team concedes a surprising number of goals (eight goals in four matches), which makes the Romanian coach feel worried.
Kefu said: “If I had not said that I was worried, I would not have been a coach.” This is modern football. There is a great deal of intensity and clubness, and we faced our opponents strongly, and I like this style of play, even if it means taking risks.” He continued: “I liked the equalizer when the score became 2/2, which came as a result of recovering the ball quickly. “We are not perfect, and we know that we have a lot of work to do, and there are areas in which we need to improve.”
Inter lost at home to Udinese last season during the second stage of the tournament, so what has improved or declined since then? “Well, we've all aged another year,” Kivu smiled. We lost that match, and we were not able to turn the result around, and that has changed now.” The Inter coach stressed: “It is very easy to say that we have added two titles since then, although this is true, but that is no longer important, because the past is over, and this is a new season. “We gained six more points after four rounds, so we are trying to improve without losing our identity.”
The return was achieved in the match despite the rest of Argentine striker Lautaro Martinez, and the absence of Turkish playmaker Hakan Calhanoglu, as well as Englishman Jed Spence, due to injury. John Stones also left the field due to an injury after an hour of playing in his first start with the club. Kefu emphasized: “We aim to add new elements and improve rotation options in the squad to maintain the importance of each player. “I saw Henrikh Mkhitaryan start the game, Bony scored and he was happy, and Stankovic was able to get some playing time as well.”
He continued: “I feel a little worried because I was not able to include Susic and Besek today, but the reason is that the club has created such a strong list that choosing the starting lineup consisting of 11 players causes me confusion. We have more options, strength and depth in the lineup.”
Inter will face its host Roma, led by its coach Gian Piero Gasperini, next Saturday, in an expected confrontation to be at the top of the competition at the Olympic Stadium. Kefu revealed: “Both as a player and a coach, I have never seen a perfect football team. We must try to give our best and preserve our identity, in adherence to our values and principles, whether tactical or humanitarian. This is my favorite method, but it works more in some matches than others, as this is the nature of the sport.” He added: “Finding the right balance is the key, that is, doing certain things without losing the identity of this group. Some players have not had a full pre-season and need to regain fitness, and we are trying to involve them all to help in this process, while being aware of the risks involved.”
Kefu concluded his statements by saying: “It is clear that the confrontation against Roma will be an important match before the long break from participating with the national teams, during which I think I will remain with only about three players in training.”
