Chivu warns Inter ‘not qualified’ and sees Di Maria in Mastrantuono | OneFootball

Inter coach Cristian Chivu warns that the Nerazzurri have not yet qualified for the Club World Cup Round of 16 and sees similarities between Angel Di Maria and Franco Mastantuono.

The Nerazzurri meet Argentine giants River Plate in their final Club World Cup group stage game.

The Serie A giants only need one point to qualify for the knockout phase, while any draw from 2-2 or higher gives a pass for the next stage to both sides.

“We are expecting a tough game, similar to the previous two,” Chivu said at a press conference via Inter’s official website.

“These teams have ambitions; they want to showcase their worth, and they always make your life difficult on the pitch. The physical condition of the American teams is better than that of the Europeans, as the latter have just ended long batches of games. It’s never easy, we take on this challenge and try to find the best mental and physical energies.”

Chivu praises River Plate and Mastrantuono

VICENTE LOPEZ, ARGENTINA – OCTOBER 6: Luciano Ferreyra of Platense fights for the ball with Franco Mastantuono of River Plate during the Liga Profesional 2024 match between Platense and River Plate at Estadio Ciudad de Vicente Lopez on October 6, 2024 in Vicente Lopez, Argentina. (Photo by Daniel Jayo/Getty Images)

Chivu also shared his thoughts on Inter’s next rivals.

“I have great respect for Gallardo, he’s awesome. He’s been relevant as a player and he’s a very good coach: with River Plate he achieved great results,” he said.

“What can I say about River? They’re a good team, featuring players who have experienced European football, as well as World Champions. There’s Mastantuono, who will be next seen in Europe. River is part of the story of South American football; we look up to them.”

There’s great anticipation for an Argentine reunion between Inter captain Lautaro Martinez and his compatriot Mastrantuono, who will join Real Madrid after the competition.

“He was born in 2007 and has already got many games under his belt. I like seeing him play. Who does he remind me of? Maybe I see Di Maria in him a bit, with his left foot: he’s good and he’ll be the delight of football in the future. It won’t be easy at Real Madrid, but I think he won’t disappoint,” said Chivu.

How about the pitch? There have been complaints about the state of the turf at the Club World Cup.

“We cannot complain, we are used to it,” said Chivu.

“Even in Los Angeles, it wasn’t the best. We always adapt to what we find on the spot. I must say that all the facilities we’ve been are excellent. It’s not in Europe, as this is an NFL stadium, so it’s not ‘soccer’, but it isn’t bad.

“We have the right mentality, every game needs to be approached seriously, we are in better shape now. We look ahead; we will try as usual to step onto the pitch to display our football,” Chivu continued.

“I’m happy about everyone, about the new arrivals too, even though it has been written that their performances were not up to standard. Here we often forget that they have joined us in a rather difficult context, and they’ve played a match after only two training sessions. Think about Luis Henrique: he’s joined after a two-week holiday and these are not friendlies, this is a World Cup. They have all been available to help: at the 75th minute of the game, I asked Luis Henrique if he wanted to come off and he said that he’d rather continue, even though I knew he was finished. I appreciate this type of thing a lot, as I appreciate the contribution of the lads from the Under 20: Cocchi, Re Cecconi, De Pieri, and Berenbruch have plenty of energy, they raise the level of the training sessions, helping the veterans too.

“I appreciate seeing Colidio [River Plate striker, ex-Inter man]: he’s been with me in the Under 20, before he went back to Argentina. He gave me a hand during that time; he’d give advice to the lads, always being extremely professional. I can’t wait to see him again.”

Chivu on Inter’s morale

PASADENA, CALIFORNIA – JUNE 17: Cristian Chivu Head Coach of FC Internazionale Milano reacts after the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 group E match between CF Monterrey and FC Internazionale Milano at Rose Bowl Stadium on June 17, 2025 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)

Did the latest win over Urawa Reds boost Inter’s morale?

“I think the players must have listened to my advice: do not read comments and the news,” noted Chivu.

“It’s been over a month since the final in Munich, we cannot still talk about it every single day, or we’ll never get past it. We have learned to leverage a crucial thing: during tough times, we need to find some humanity, kind words, thoughtfulness, and appreciate the things that allow us to put behind the obstacles that life presents us.

“Bad moments can happen, but it’s easier to overcome them if you have by your side a group of men who look you in the eye. This team has the right motivation and mentality; the last years are proof of this. They have played three European finals in six years, won the Second Star, and came close to winning more trophies.

“We tend to focus on the wins; I don’t, because the journey is more important,” Chivu continued.

“Champions, when the time comes, always manage to give something extra; what’s next is what matters. We need to roll up our sleeves and eat some sh**.

“We need to chew it, look at ourselves in the mirror and accept that’s what we have got to do. The group is giving me good signals, they always try to look their team-mates in the eye and try to create together what they’ve managed in the last five years.”

“We haven’t qualified yet. We should think about what we have to do out there on the pitch, we will see if River will mirror our formation or they’d stick to what they’ve done in the past. We don’t look at that much, we will be focused on our football, being ready to understand the moments of the game and try to turn them our way, aware that we will face different types of moments tomorrow. We will adapt, without forgetting our principles and values, adding something extra every now and then with the hope ours will be a really high performance.”