Inter win Scudetto: How manager Cristian Chivu was able to restore winning mentality after UCL heartbreak

The Nerazzurri won their 21st Serie A title one year after losing 5-0 in the Champions League final

Francesco Porzio

May 3, 2026

5:13 pm ET

•

6 min read

Getty Images

Let's be honest for a second. When Inter appointed Cristian Chivu in the summer of 2025 to replace Simone Inzaghi, just days after a crushing 5–0 defeat to PSG in the Champions League final, few expected the former Parma coach to make such an immediate impact, especially with this kind of advantage over their rivals in his first season.

During that rocky time following the UCL final, Napoli were able to convince Antonio Conte to stay for another season despite the interest coming from Juventus. AS Roma hired an experienced coach, such as Gian Piero Gasperini, and AC Milan appointed Massimiliano Allegri, one of the best and most experienced managers around. In this context, the Nerazzurri turned to a familiar face, appointing former defender and 2010 Champions League winner Chivu as their new manager.

After several years coaching Inter's youth teams, he gained senior experience with Parma, leading the Crociati for 13 Serie A matches before returning to Milan in the summer of 2025. Chivu wasn't the only candidate. Inter also explored a move for Como's Cesc Fabregas, widely regarded as one of the most promising young coaches in Europe, but ultimately turned to Chivu after the Italian club declined to enter talks. In the end, it proved to be the right call for the Nerazzurri as he led the team to win the Serie A title in his first season in charge.

Inter clinch Serie A title, become Italian league champions for the 21st time with win over Parma

Francesco Porzio

How it started

The project led by Chivu started in the first days of June 2025. After losing to PSG and also losing the chance to lift the Serie A trophy in the last weeks of the season, Inter and their coach, Simone Inzaghi, parted ways. While Inzaghi decided to agree on a $25 million contract per season with Al-Hilal, Inter had to look for their new coach, also considering the imminent start of the FIFA Club World Cup in the United States. The Nerazzurri tried to sit down with Cesc Fabregas and Como, one of the most talented coaches around Europe, but the club denied any kind of approach from the Serie A giants. This is why Inter decided to immediately approach Chivu, who was a well-known figure at the club where he played from 2007 to 2014 before starting his coaching career in the academies from 2018 to 2024.

When Chivu arrived in Milan, it was a completely different moment for the club. The entire fanbase and squad were left stunned by the season that had just concluded, and the Club World Cup felt less like a chance at redemption and more like an ordeal to endure. Step by step, Chivu had to restore the positive mentality in the team, and some players were tested during the tournament. That summer, despite rumors of a revolution, the club chose to delay major decisions for another year. There was a shared reluctance to let such an exciting cycle end on a note of disappointment, though that same hesitation now suggests significant changes are likely in the coming summer.

What has changed

Under Chivu, many things changed compared to Inzaghi's management. First of all, the approach to rotations during the season were completely new for this team. While Inzaghi's rotations during the week seemed pre-planned, regardless of what was happening on the pitch, Chivu was less strict when it came to substituting players during the game. A clear example of that is the game time of Federico Dimarco, one of the best players on the roster. The Italian winger was barely playing a full game under the previous management, while with the former Parma coach, he became one of the pivotal players again. Dimarco himself spoke earlier this season about his game time difference with the two coaches.

"You can only train for matches by actually playing them, the more you play, the better your fitness gets. What I've been saying over the past few years is that coming off in the 60th minute made it mathematically difficult to improve my physical condition. This year it's going better because I'm playing more minutes," he said.

The same concept can be applied to other players in the roster, such as the strikers. This season, Inter have a stronger attack, with Lautaro Martinez and Marcus Thuram considered as the starters while Yann Bonny and Italian young star Francesco Pio Esposito are ready to play. Both Pio Esposito and Bonny delivered as Chivu considered them a lot when it came to the rotations, also during the games. It may be easier for him than it was under Inzaghi last season, when Marko Arnautovic and Mehdi Taremi were not at the same level as the other two strikers. Still, it's clear that Chivu managed the group more effectively. All four were genuine starters, which l