‘We’re starting from scratch, knowing we’re still the team to beat’ says Inter’s Chivu

Cristian Chivu said Inter were starting from scratch ahead of their Serie A debut in defence of their title against Monza Saturday knowing they were still the team to beat.
    “We’re starting from scratch, knowing we’re always the team to beat and no one will give us anything.

We’ll try to be competitive and achieve our ambitions,” said the Romanian manager ahead of their league opener at San Siro against the Biancorossi..
    “I’m talking about standards.

The team has shown it can be at this level and add a little more. With the room for improvement, with their spirit, and with the strength of this group, I think we can still do a great job,” he added.
    Inter this week finalized the purchase of England midfielder Curtis Jones from Liverpool, to replace Italy midfielder Davide Frattesi, who has moved to Lazio.
    This is now an increasingly English Inter side.
    After England and ex Man City defensive stalwart John Stones, who scored in his debut friendly against Real Betis, and Spurs and England left back Djed Spence. who is ready for his league debut against Monza, this is the third Englishman signed by the Nerazzurri this summer.
    In their more than 100-year history, Inter had previously had only three Englishmen in their squad: Gerry Hitchens, Paul Ince, and Ashley Young.
    The Nerazzurri will once again be the men to beat in the 2026/27 Serie A season, which kicks off Saturday at 6:30 PM, in a league where each of the top eight teams (the seven in Europe, with Fiorentina a candidate to join them) are starting with legitimate ambitions of revitalizing their form compared to last season, from Allegri’s new Napoli to a Juventus side aiming to at least return to the Champions League with Alajbegovic and Kolo Muani.
    Inter made significant changes to their defense, bringing in Stones from England in the center and Spence on the flank to replace Dumfries; they also made changes in goal, with Sommer departing, making way for Martinez or the newly acquired Provedel.
    Last year’s runners-up Napoli are trying to avoid another season plagued by injuries like their last under Antonio Conte.
    Under Allegri, the squad has remained largely unchanged, with the buy-outs of Alisson Santos and Hojlund, with some reinforcements expected in defence after Buongiorno’s collapse.
    Roma and Como have found important new additions to a largely intact backline, news that Gasperini, in particular, is pleased with: he has signed Castro and Molina, and most importantly, after much struggle, he is about to sign winger Rodrigo Mora.
    On the shores of Lake Garda, meanwhile, Fabregas has been guaranteed another year of Nico Paz, as well as several new defenders and a young Italian talent, Mattia Liberali.
    Then there’s Juventus, who, having parted ways with Vlahovic, have spent heavily to strengthen their attack and have found a starting goalkeeper in Vicario.
    And AC Milan, who—after a major managerial clear-out at the end of the season—are still a work in progress in Amorim’s hands.
    With so many redundancies, it’s still uncertain whether Leao will be part of the Portuguese front line under the new manager, with new center forward Goncalo Ramos and new winger Diego Moreira (even though he plays for Belgium).
    Bergamo is also undergoing a small revolution, with new arrival Sarri returning Atalanta to a back four after years and hoping to bring the club back to the top after a rather lackluster season following Juric’s initial disaster.
    Also leading the way is Fiorentina, whose exceptional transfer window has given them the chance to once again aspire to the top spots after a season marked by the fear of relegation.
    Tedesco’s Bologna and, especially, Gattuso’s Lazio are off to a rather muted start, with protests from organized fans still lingering and a disappointing Coppa Italia debut against Mantova.
    Torino and Sassuolo, with Abate and Aquilani, will attempt to shine, while Udinese aims to improve on last season’s performance with Runjaic consistently in command.
    De Rossi’s Genoa will attempt to free themselves from the relegation battle, which will likely involve all the other teams.
    Cuesta’s Parma, without Suzuki and Pellegrino, Di Francesco’s Lecce, and Pisacane’s Cagliari will try to leverage their experience against the newly promoted teams: Venezia, Frosinone, and Monza, with Juric seeking redemption.
   

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