Internazionale coach Chivu attended the Serie A Matchday 6 pre-match press conference ahead of the home game against Parma. In the first part of the conference, Chivu discussed the team's preparations following the international break, squad rotation, the potential availability of Provedel and Spence, tactical adjustments, Calhanoglu's injury status, and the reasons he was unable to attend Turkey's match in person.

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Reporter: Hello, coach. After a three-week international break, the team's excellent winning streak was interrupted. How will we restart our league campaign? What does the team need to show on the pitch to get back on track immediately and secure a winning start?

Chivu: For me personally, whether it's a two-week or three-week break doesn't make much difference. What really changes is the long wait and having very few players available during training. The more significant impact is on those players who went to their national teams; they were confined to hotels for two weeks, playing a match every three days for a total of four games. Everything else is normal. The squad has only trained together for two days, and today is the only full training session before tomorrow's squad selection. The league resumes tomorrow, and everyone is happy and excited because this wait has been quite long for many.

Reporter: Hello, coach. As you mentioned, national team call-ups took many players away, and they played extensively. Among Serie A teams, you have the second-most minutes played by internationals after AC Milan. Will the match against Parma be a good opportunity to test the squad's depth? Do you already have significant rotation in mind, or will you rely on your core players?

Chivu: Of course, we cannot ignore the workload our internationals faced with their national teams. We absolutely do not want them to risk injury and compromise their physical condition. At the same time, our players are already accustomed to playing every three days. Compared to a full week of closed training, they actually prefer matches. We need to comprehensively assess the current situation, understand our opponent's characteristics, maintain the team's overall balance, and consider the schedule ahead. From now until the next international break, we face a packed schedule with matches every three days.

Reporter: Hello. I want to ask if it's time for Provedel to start in goal? The goalkeeper position has been discussed for a while, and you previously mentioned rotating goalkeepers. Is the moment right now?

Chivu: I'm not sure yet. You'll know my starting lineup at 6 PM tomorrow.

Reporter: Since everyone is breaking protocol to ask about individuals, I'll follow suit and ask about Spence. You've been observing him closely these past few days. I won't directly ask if he's starting, but is it time for him to make an appearance? There's strong curiosity about this new signing.

Chivu: This break must have been frustrating for you reporters! He's been training with the team for a week now, and since Monday, he's been fully integrated into the training plan without any restrictions. There are no underlying issues affecting the team or him personally. He's systematically trained with the squad for four or five days, completing five high-quality sessions. Of course, we must account for his long recovery period and the vacation he took after the World Cup. Roughly speaking, he's been away from competitive football for two months, and he's only trained with the team five times. But he's now completely at our disposal and will be included in tomorrow's squad. We're very pleased to see him return from injury, and happy to see his smile, fighting spirit, and the quality he's shown.

Reporter: Hello. I'd like to ask you, a football expert who has played for top clubs like Ajax and Internazionale, a tactical question. In national team matches, we saw Italy switch to a 4-3-3 formation with Bastoni as a central defender. Recalling Internazionale's tactical turning point in 2010, when the team switched to a trident with Sneijder supporting from deep, I'd like to ask: if a striker were to play up front in the future with Lautaro and Thuram behind him, could Internazionale's current defense support a four-man backline, or would the current tactical structure make it too demanding?

Chivu: Regarding our team's structural setup, the outside world always repeats the same clichés and stereotypes that are, in my opinion, meaningless. These arguments have nothing to do with our actual identity or the foundation we've built this season. Switching to a four-man defense does not guarantee success, and playing with three at the back offers no absolute security either. Therefore, spending time discussing formation numbers is completely pointless. I've repeatedly emphasized that for me, the core is tactical principles and playing philosophy, not static formation numbers.

I want to reiterate: this team is built to implement a specific playing philosophy. I'm not referring to the static formation on the field, but rather our tactical principles, tactical execution, and ability to adapt during matches. Football is not like foosball, where players are fixed in a 3-5-2 formation. We have excellent positional mobility and high tactical flexibility, capable of offering multiple solutions at specific moments, whether with or without the ball.

All my deployments are based on the team's characteristics, their playing habits, individual technical qualities, and the team's inherent technical style. I firmly believe that if needed in the future – as we've tried many times – the team can always switch to a four-man defense. But whether to completely change to a four-man defense for the entire season? I'm not sure, and we won't blindly pursue things that deviate from the team's actual characteristics and don't align with our tactical approach. Tactical principles are always adapted to the opponent, with flexible adjustments for each match.

Reporter: Hello, coach. This international break was particularly important for Calhanoglu. He had the opportunity to represent Turkey against Italy but ultimately missed out due to injury. How is his physical recovery progressing? Is he fit to start?

Chivu: He was very eager to play that match! Hakan joined full training starting Monday and has trained normally with the team for a full week without any physical limitations, so he's completely at our disposal. Regarding some of the rumors circulating – I read the club's media monitoring report every day – I want to clarify: there were claims that as Turkey's captain, he deliberately refused to attend to support his national team on Monday. In fact, the problem was with me; this decision was entirely my responsibility. We scheduled the joint training session for the evening, and that day happened to be his first full team training after recovering from injury. I had to ensure his full participation; otherwise, I could have given him the day off to support the national team. Hakan was very keen to go, but he had previously encountered injury obstacles, and the three-week recovery period aligns with medical norms for such an injury. On Monday, when Italy played Turkey, due to the evening training session, I did not approve his request to leave so he could fully participate in the first training. This is because we need Calhanoglu, we need his technical ability, and everything he brings to the team.

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