Lautaro: Chivu hugs me more than my wife
Lautaro Martinez insists he “really needed a coach like Cristian Chivu” at Inter and jokes that “I get more hugs from him than from my wife”.
The media tried to stir up rumors of tension behind the scenes when the captain was substituted early in the defeats to Milan and Atletico Madrid last week.
The striker responded to the criticism by scoring twice in a much-needed away win against Pisa, insisting his relationship with the coach is very good.
“It’s fantastic, we talk every day, he always hugs us, maybe a lot,” Lautaro Martinez told Sky Sport Italia during the Gran Gala del Calcio ceremony with a laugh.
“I get more hugs from him than from my wife, but that’s his style. It’s a pleasure because he’s experienced what it’s like to be a player in that dressing room and he understands everything. We needed a coach like him because he gives us freedom, trust and tells us that we have to show our quality on the pitch. I’m happy with the way his adventure at Inter has started. The group is above all, that’s the most important thing to find fresh energy and try to win trophies. We’re not all friends, but we still have good relations. Inter have to try to go all the way in every competition,” he said.
This team worked for many years under Simone Inzaghi, winning the Scudetto and reaching the Champions League final twice, so how does Chivu differ from that experience?
“They’re similar coaches because they both want us to play beautiful football,” Lautaro Martinez explained.
“With Cristian, we press higher, we try to recover the ball immediately. It’s something we’re trying to improve every day and it’s brought us a lot of benefits this season,” he added.
However, they’ve already suffered four defeats between Serie A and the Champions League, struggling in the big games.
“We talk to each other about everything and work on the details. Usually the performances are good, we just need to have that mental change during the game. We need to adapt to the situations,” he concluded.
