Cristian Chivu was in awe of his star striker Marcus Thuram after a breathless 2-1 victory over Fiorentina sent Inter to the top of Serie A. The Nerazzurri boss is refusing to take the spotlight for Thuram's blistering evolution, jokingly pointing the finger at Zinedine Zidane after the French forward orchestrated a stunning stoppage-time comeback against Fiorentina.
Thuram proved to be the catalyst for the turnaround, scoring the equalising goal before earning the penalty that Piotr Zielinski converted in the 98th minute. Thuram stepped up as the focal point of the attack in the absence of Lautaro Martinez due to injury. Chivu was quick to praise the striker's relentless work rate and physical dominance during the final stages of the match. The Inter boss even joked about the influences on Thuram's recent form, including his time with the French national team legend Zinedine Zidane.
"I don't know if it's my merit or Zidane's. Without Lautaro, he took on the responsibility. I was with him for three weeks and he had a rest, which is why I said I don't know if it's my merit or Zidane's. He would even sprint in the 90th minute, entering the penalty area with devastating ferocity," Chivu said, as quoted by Sky Sport Italia .
Following Didier Deschamps' departure from the French national team, Thuram was left out of Zidane's inaugural squad as the new manager initiated a broad tactical overhaul. Rather than allowing the international snub to hinder his momentum, the forward channeled the setback into sharp on-pitch focus, using the exclusion as extra motivation to elevate his club performances.
"Today and in Bologna, when he attacks you with that speed, there's a risk that something will happen. We're happy; we gave him a day off tomorrow even though the team will train. He and the others will be rested. Why didn't he take the penalty? We have great penalty takers. He enjoys watching the others and is an added value for us. Not being called up gave him extra motivation," Chivu noted.
Chivu also addressed the decision-making process behind the late penalty, which saw Zielinski step up instead of the man who won the foul. The coach emphasised that individual accolades matter less than the collective effort within the dressing room. "We have great penalty takers. He enjoys watching the others and he is an added value for us. Not being called up gave him extra motivation," Chivu stated.
The manager also discussed his tactical substitutions, which included bringing on young talent Matteo Lavelli to bolster the attack. He insisted that age is not a factor when he selects his lineup, preferring to focus on the specific needs of the game and the energy levels of his squad. "I chose to add a striker to fill the area since we weren't able to with the mezzali . I don't look at the identity card of either [Henrikh] Mkhitaryan or Lavelli. Sometimes it's not easy to get into the team and not everything goes as you'd like: they have to be ready," he added.
The victory keeps Inter firmly in the hunt at the top of the Serie A table, level with Lazio. Chivu acknowledged that while his players were exhausted due to the heavy fixture schedule, their fighting spirit carried them through. He noted that although falling behind early in games is not ideal, the team must continue to embrace the challenge and avoid creating a "case" out of their habit for staging late comebacks.
"Even if energy was low, they put their hearts into it against an organised team. We showed grit, which isn't always visible because we play every three days. Sometimes going behind can create doubts; we must not let ourselves get down or become satisfied, and we must always have the same desire to win. It will happen that we go ahead and then lose, but we shouldn't make a big deal of it, just as we don't now," the manager concluded.
