Was Chivu's Defense Wrong Against Real Madrid? An Analysis

The Champions League season begins with its debut, following last year's criticisms for the elimination against Bodo Glimt. The match took place in Madrid, at the Santiago Bernabeu, against former mentor Josè Mourinho. More importantly, it was against formidable players like Bellingham, Mbappé, Vinicius, Valverde, and former Inter player Denzel Dumfries. It was one of the most challenging games of the season, with two goals conceded due to significant individual errors. Jones' pass and Bisseck's imprecision, followed by Martinez's goalkeeping blunder that gifted Valverde the second goal. Chivu has now lost six out of eleven Champions League matches, with Real, Bodo, Atletico, Arsenal, and Liverpool being the teams that overcame them.

DEFENSE

The choice of the defensive trio raised doubts. Chivu opted for Bastoni, Bisseck, and Pavard – an untested combination that had never played together. Pavard, returning this summer, had only featured against Cagliari as a right-sided defender, later moving further up the flank in a five-man defense during the game. In Madrid, Chivu started him with Vinicius and Mbappé on his side. Pavard was responsible for an error late in the first half that nearly led to a third goal from Kylian. He also made the back-pass to Martinez that allowed Valverde to score the second goal.

Bisseck was deployed as the central defender in the trio, a role he has occupied on occasion. However, the German had an excellent start to the season when played on the right. Against Napoli, he was centimeters away from scoring a goal that would have ignited the stadium. He was gaining consistency in that position, often seen pushing forward, making it logical to maintain him there. It's no coincidence that at the start of the second half, with Stones entering as the central defender and Bisseck shifting to the right, Inter certainly faced pressure but did not concede further goals. The better tactical decision would have been to start with this trio from the beginning.

GOALKEEPER

Martinez's error was extremely serious. While the Spanish goalkeeper's reactions were indeed notable, saving the Nerazzurri on multiple occasions, such a lapse in concentration in Madrid is difficult to forgive. These individual mistakes, part of a general underperformance by the Nerazzurri, had also put Chivu's team in jeopardy against Napoli. At the Bernabeu, it seemed like a lack of communication, with a reconfigured defense unaccustomed to playing together. This was compounded by a 'new' goalkeeper between the posts, making only his third career appearance in the Champions League. A defeat in Madrid is understandable, but the manner in which it occurred, considering the team's overall good performance, leaves a significant sense of regret.