Inter at the Club World Cup: Chivu faces the attack emergency

The sliding door is about to open. Two days and for theInter will be Club World Cup, the appendix to the season, a point of connection between the old and new course. It will be the first experience in black and blue for Cristian Chivu, Simone Inzaghi's successor. Ready to go and the coach, just presented in Los Angeles, has an emergency to deal with. There is a shortage of strikers: Lautaro, Thuram, no more Taremi blocked in Iran by the war and not even the already sidelined Correa and Arnautovic. The role of first support to the starters will have to be shared by the two Esposito, Sebastiano e Francis Pius, flanked by Valentin Carboni.

Hence the sliding door, especially for the less young of the brothers. His last season was an apple cut in half. Seven goals in the first half of the season, Spalletti confirming in December that he was keeping an eye on him for the national team. Then just one goal in the second half of the season, against Inter where he had just returned, apologizing to the Nerazzurri fans at the Meazza. Due to the relegation, Empoli did not buy him out and the player found himself at the Club World Cup with his blood relative at his side. He has only one year left on his contract with Inter and the trip to America is perhaps the last opportunity to show that he can be someone from the "upper floor". His technical qualities are unquestionable, he has always lacked that necessary jolt to give continuity. In Conte's time he made his debut as a starter, scored a penalty against Genoa, but did not follow up: a few youthful errors, the coach who sidelined him, the restart from Serie B. Fate is giving him a new chance. He will have internal competition from Carboni, but initially not from Francesco Pio, who is undergoing therapy to overcome problems with a knee. He should recover between the last match of the group and the possible knockout phase. He has the spotlight on him: 19 goals in Serie B, half of Serie A calling Ausilio to have him on loan. The coach is the same one who launched him in the Primavera: it is difficult to find someone who knows him better.

There is little time to gain points in the eyes of the management. One between Bonny and Hojlund could be hired in the next few weeks, when the market risks reserving further surprises. Galatasaray, for example, is talking to Agent Gordon Stipic to get Calhanoglu. Inter is aiming high: 40 million. In Via della Liberazione there is no rush to sell a starter, if they do it they want to be sure to have the right nest egg for the successor. Also because, for people like Rovella or Ederson, at least 50 are needed.