Cristian Chivu may start gathering a reputation for excuses after Inter’s Champions League exit.
The Romanian’s fine start in Serie A was put on the backburner as Inter were knocked out of Europe’s top tier by Norwegian sensations Bodo/Glimt.
After losing the first leg in Norway 3-1 Chivu cited Bodo’s synthetic pitch as part of the problem, and following a 2-1 second leg defeat at San Siro he had more.
“We tried, with our limitations and our strengths,” he said post-match.
“It’s a shame because if we had scored 1-0 we would have put more pressure on Bodo.
“Energy is hard to find when you play every three days. We could have attacked the opponent’s penalty differently, but I have nothing to reproach them for.
“We could have found a little more energy by unlocking them, but with ten opponents in the opponent’s penalty area it was really difficult. There’s bitterness.
“In the last three months, Bodo have played four games, all in the Champions League. They really had a lot more energy, but that’s the Champions League. Let’s turn the page.”
He added: “We tried everything we could from the start.
“Bodo were very well organised in a low block with 10-11 players under the ball, and not scoring the 1-0 lead created a sense of comfort for them, knowing we’d be forced to score two goals in extra time.
“I have nothing to reproach the boys for. They had much more energy in the second half and created chances.
“There’s a lot of disappointment; we tried to advance, but today we faced a team with much more energy who did what they had to with determination. Congratulations, because Bodo deserve to advance.”
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