Inter Milan ready to turn page in Club World Cup opener: Chivu
PASADENA, UNITED STATES: Inter Milan's new coach Cristian Chivu said Monday the Italian giants are ready to put recent history behind them as they prepare for their Club World Cup opener against Mexican side Monterrey.
Inter kick off their Group E campaign at the Pasadena Rose Bowl on Tuesday, just over two weeks after being thrashed 5-0 by Paris Saint-Germain in the heaviest UEFA Champions League final defeat in history.
That mauling in Munich came hard on the heels of domestic heartbreak, with the Italians finishing one point behind eventual champions Napoli after a tense title race that went down to the wire.
Chivu, who was last week named as the successor to departing Inter coach Simone Inzaghi, said the Club World Cup represented a chance to turn the page.
"You mustn't think about the past," Chivu told a press conference.
"We cannot do anything about the past. You can't change the past.
"So this is the end of the 2024-2025 season and it is a competition that you need to honour.
"A team like Inter comes here, and they need to be the best version of themselves that they can be.
"We mustn't try to find excuses or alibis for our physical condition or our mental condition.
"We are ready. We've worked very hard these past few days. We've been trying to create a united squad and a mental and physical serenity that will allow us to have a good performance."
Inter, who also face Japan's Urawa Red Diamonds and Argentina's River Plate in Group E, will be lining up against a Monterrey side led by former Real Madrid stalwart Sergio Ramos, who joined the club earlier this year.
"We have a lot of respect for Inter," Ramos said Tuesday. "Obviously they have many more names, they're much bigger favourites than us – but it's also a great opportunity.
"We're going to go toe-to-toe against every opponent and give it our all."
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