On 25 October, before Inter hosted Fiorentina at San Siro in Sunday’s Serie A lunchtime game, Cristian Chivu explained why Ivan Provedel and Henrikh Mkhitaryan were in his starting line-up. After Lazio beat Parma 2-1 on Saturday, the defending champions needed a win on 25 October to catch the Bianconcelesti at the top of the table.
Provedel gets his debut
Inter’s second-choice keeper Provedel makes his debut, replacing Josep Martinez, who had started every game so far. Chivu told DAZN before kick-off: “Provedel deserves to start after this week, when his child was also born, and for the work he’s done these months, supporting Pepo too. From here to the end of the season, he’ll help us rotate.”
Mkhitaryan starts in midfield
Mkhitaryan gets the nod in central midfield for Inter, joining Nicolò Barella and Hakan Calhanoglu. In Inter’s 1-0 win over Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League on Wednesday, with Inter down to ten men, Mkhitaryan provided an assist.
Chivu said: “I don’t look at the ID, nor at who was born earlier or later.”
Chivu said: “The last few times he was on the pitch, he added something we missed, and he deserves to start.”
Chivu on Fiorentina
The Nerazzurri boss said: “It’s a hard game. Fiorentina are a well-trained team.”
Chivu said: “Recently, they’ve earned less than they deserved. They have many things that can make you struggle; they do many things well. We can’t choose; we must leave everything we have on the field.”