Inter can 'overcome atrocity' of Champions League final humiliation as new boss Christian Chivu reveals change to Serie A side's style

The new Nerazzurri boss spoke about adopting a vertical yet balanced playing style, while expressing confidence in his squad’s ability to bounce back from last season’s crushing 5-0 Champions League final loss to Paris Saint-Germain and a disappointing Club World Cup exit. He also spoke about being in consultation with the club regarding decisions about the transfer market.

Inter had been in contention to win a treble of trophies last season, losing out on the Serie A title to Napoli on the final day and then being demolished by PSG in the European decider. That disappointing end to the campaign sparked a period of transition for Inter. Former head coach Simone Inzaghi departed to take charge of Saudi Arabian side Al-Hilal, while there has been plenty of transfer talk, with Hakan Calhanoglu being publicly criticised by Lautaro Martinez in the wake of their Club World Cup exit - an early dressing room issue for the new boss to deal with. Nevertheless, Chivu, who won the treble with Inter as a player in 2010, is confident he can keep the team playing at a high level.

Chivu discussed his tactical approach, stating: "Our intention is to be vertical and maintain balance... I never said I'd play with three strikers. I only talked about midfield. Numbers are just numbers. The foundation has always been 3-5-2, but in many matches the build-up was four-man, that's the reality. Sometimes the 3-5-2 can become a 4-2-4 or 4-4-2. We need to be aggressive and know how to disrupt. And know how to beat a man. These are important things. We need to win duels; whoever wins duels wins matches. We'll be training multiple formations this time around, and we'll try to be ready for change."

Addressing the mentality of his players, he added: "They have shown that they can overcome even the atrocities; only in this way can we move forward. We want to return to being competitive as we have been in recent years. As a coach and former player, I think the players make the difference... We have the obligation to keep this club at the top regardless of the titles won at the end of the season. We will do our best and give our all."

Chivu will hope to get off to a good start next season as standards have been set high by his predecessors. With the core squad retained and no major departures, he has a stable platform on which to build and implement his vision.