Chivu Admits: "We Didn't Have Enough Belief Against Venezia"

Inter head coach Cristian Chivu admitted his side were fortunate to come away with victory over Venezia in Serie A, saying his team "did not take to the pitch with enough belief".

Inter struggled for much of the match at the Stadio Pier Luigi Penzo, but late own goals from Matías Moreno and Redouane Halhal secured a 2-0 win that took them past Lazio and back to the top of the table.

After chances at both ends, Moreno turned Marcus Thuram's cross into his own net with a miscued effort in the 71st minute. Just three minutes later, Carlos Augusto's header deflected off Halhal and into the Venezia net.

With one eye on the Milan derby on 31 October, Chivu rotated his squad heavily, and his side's performance fell short of a passing grade.

Assessing the match afterwards, Chivu said: "We lacked energy and were far too slow at certain moments. Even though we expected it, we struggled a little against the low block the opponents set up."

The Inter boss added: "We were lucky to leave the pitch with a win today. What mattered was staying in the game and continuing to believe, but it is clear that luck was on our side as well. Over the course of a season you can have two or three games like this, where you don't take to the pitch with enough belief. Credit to Venezia; they stopped us from making the right runs and creating one-on-one situations. There were moments when we were worried too; Ivan Provedel kept us in the game, and our experience and quality allowed us to find a way to win."

Though the Nerazzurri's victory was a fortunate one, they have now found the net in 19 consecutive Serie A matches.

With 25 points after nine matchdays, Inter have also made their best start to a Serie A season since the introduction of three points for a win in 1994-95. At the same time, Chivu's side became the first team to benefit from two opposition own goals in a Serie A match since Lazio's meeting with Benevento in April 2021.

Stressing the need for improvement, Chivu concluded: "We can improve, and we have to improve. Starting a season like this and showing this kind of determination is never easy. After a season that ended with a title, you have to maintain this level. I have a team that never stops working and believing, and that gives everything on the pitch. We need to find that extra spark and determination that so many games demand. There are a lot of areas where we need to get better, because the season is long, expectations are high, and what you did the previous season doesn't count for much in the new one."