Chivuenstein: Building the New Inter

“Invention is not a creation from nothing, but from chaos.”

Today marks a significant moment for the team as they prepare for a concrete test on the pitch. The amateur German side Aasen, as admitted by their captain Manuel Hall, had to juggle work commitments to secure the opportunity to face Inter in what is now commonly referred to as a joint training session, but once known as a friendly match. This afternoon, Inter will begin to reap the rewards of their early training days.

After leaving their training camp in Donaueschingen, where the team has rediscovered the joy of connecting with fans and enjoying leisurely bike rides, the squad is set to experience the thrill of playing in a packed stadium. Although it is merely a friendly, this match in Karlsruhe is highly anticipated, with tickets selling out in under 30 minutes. The encounter promises to be a festive occasion for Maximilian Senft, the Vienna-born coach making his debut outside his home country, barring a brief stint as an assistant at Barnsley in England.

For a team once dubbed the Eurofighters due to their UEFA Cup campaigns, this match serves as a crucial preparation step. They will face Arminia Bielefeld in their official Zweite Bundesliga opener, but first, they have another friendly against Hoffenheim. For Inter, this match is the beginning of a series of prestigious encounters that will take them far from home, with the season’s start looming.

The upcoming World Cup poses challenges for the coach, who will have to wait until just before the Serie A opener against newly promoted Monza to have his full squad available. Additionally, the current calm in the transfer market adds to the pressure. Piero Ausilio, the sporting director, recently expressed a calm demeanor, suggesting that journalists and fans are more anxious than the club itself. However, with past transfer blunders involving Marco Palestra and Anan Khalaili, a cautious approach seems wise, especially regarding the need for a new central defender and addressing the gap left by Denzel Dumfries. As time passes, fans grow increasingly impatient, whether justified or not.

Cristian Chivu likely anticipated entering this training camp with at least a new right-back, a situation that almost materialized until a CONI-imposed halt. Instead, he finds himself with a squad largely unchanged from the one that triumphed last May. While waiting for new signings, the current Inter must be imagined rather than created. The friendly against Aasen, while not definitive, provided some intrigue, such as seeing Kristjan Asllani, a midfielder by trade, deployed as a central defender, and Luka Topalovic, usually a trequartista, pushed into a forward role. These experiments are primarily aimed at distributing playing time and instilling early tactical concepts, gradually preparing the squad for the upcoming season. Unfortunately, Yanis Massolin and Asllani have already faced physical setbacks, sidelining them from matches in Hong Kong and Perth.

The ongoing question revolves around Andy Diouf, who is at the center of Chivu's ambitious plan to convert him into a full-fledged winger. The coach believes Diouf possesses qualities lacking in the current squad, as he demonstrated last season. While maintaining Diouf on the flank is manageable during summer, concerns arise if this temporary solution evolves into a permanent arrangement. Fans fear that the absence of a significant reinforcement in this position could lead to a reliance on the inconsistent Luis Henrique and Diouf, who is adapting to a role he doesn’t fully embrace. Such a scenario would feel like a betrayal of the legitimate expectations to see a player capable of filling Dumfries' shoes, especially as any name in this context risks feeling like a mere fallback option.

As Chivu continues to build this still-forming team, he is piecing together a squad that resembles a modern-day Frankenstein's creature. The challenge lies not in experimenting during preparation but in ensuring that what is assembled out of necessity does not deviate from the definitive vision for Inter. When the time comes, the right players must be in the right positions, equipped with the certainty needed for success. It is achievable.