Chivu Defends Josep Martinez Despite Inter Milan Conceding Three Against Udinese
Inter Milan extended their winning run in Serie A with a thrilling 5-3 victory over Udinese at San Siro on Tuesday, but Cristian Chivu was quick to defend goalkeeper Josep Martinez despite his side conceding three goals.
Inter were forced to come from behind after Udinese scored twice inside the opening 25 minutes. James Abankwah opened the scoring before Jurgen Ekkelenkamp doubled the visitors’ advantage, putting pressure on the Nerazzurri early on.
Chivu’s side responded emphatically, however. Carlos Augusto pulled one back before Nicolo Barella levelled the contest. Marcus Thuram then put Inter in front, with Francesco Pio Esposito and Ange-Yoan Bonny adding further goals to complete an impressive comeback.
Udinese managed to reduce the deficit through Idrissa Gueye deep into second-half stoppage time, but Inter held on to secure another three points.
The victory allowed the Nerazzurri to maintain their perfect start and keep pace with AS Roma, who have also won their opening four Serie A matches.
Chivu was subsequently asked about Martinez’s performance after the goalkeeper conceded three times. The Romanian coach, however, remained firmly behind his player and rejected the idea that the number of goals conceded should automatically be blamed on the goalkeeper.
“Last year, you asked me about the problems with Yann Sommer, and this year you’ve started with Martinez. He and [Ivan] Provedel are two goalkeepers who contribute to the team,” Chivu said, as quoted by Goal International.
“As long as people keep talking about them, I will defend them to the death.”
The former Ajax midfielder also expressed his frustration with the tendency to place excessive blame on goalkeepers whenever a team concedes several goals.
Chivu acknowledged that mistakes are an unavoidable part of football and insisted that Martinez has not been a problem for Inter. Instead, he believes the goalkeeper deserves the same support as the rest of the squad.
The coach’s stance is significant given Inter’s demanding schedule and their intention to compete for major honours on multiple fronts. Maintaining confidence within the squad could be just as important as correcting the defensive issues that allowed Udinese to score three times.
For Inter, the victory provides another strong foundation ahead of a huge Serie A encounter next weekend. The Nerazzurri will travel to the Stadio Olimpico on Saturday, September 19, to face AS Roma in what could be an early title-defining clash.
Both teams have won their opening four league matches, meaning the winner in Rome would move into outright control of the Serie A summit. With momentum firmly on both sides, the meeting between Roma and Inter promises to be one of the most significant fixtures of the opening weeks of the season.
