Marotta: Chivu proving himself worthy of Inter, Simeone is fake news

MILAN—Inter president Beppe Marotta has dismissed Spanish-media claims that the club have struck a deal with Atlético Madrid coach Diego Simeone to replace Cristian Chivu next season, branding the story “absolutely fake news” and insisting the Romanian is earning his place on the Nerazzurri bench.

Speaking to Sky Sport Italia on the eve of tonight’s must-win Champions League play-off return leg against Bodo/Glimt, Marotta underlined his faith in Chivu, who must overturn a 3-1 deficit after last week’s shock loss on the artificial turf of Aspmyra Stadion.

“It’s not even worth talking about,” Marotta said of the Simeone rumours. “We are extraordinarily happy with Chivu; the coach is proving himself worthy of the Inter job.”

The first-leg defeat in Norway was compounded by a soleus injury to captain Lautaro Martinez, who is expected to miss a month, and a continued spell on the sidelines for midfield metronome Hakan Calhanoglu. Yet Marotta struck an optimistic tone.

“Anything is possible in sport. They have a big advantage, but it is not insurmountable,” he stated. “We must have respect for our opponents, but never fear, and we have the strongest motivation.”

Denzel Dumfries returns to the bench for the first time since 9 November following ankle surgery, while Davide Frattesi has been preferred to Henrikh Mkhitaryan in midfield, partly on the strength of his dramatic Champions League winners against Bayern Munich and Barcelona last season.

Among the high-profile spectators at San Siro will be club icon Ronaldo and Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola. “Being able to emulate Ronaldo even just a little bit would be a dream for our young players,” Marotta smiled.

Inter have reached two of the last three Champions League finals, so an exit before the Round of 16 would dent the club’s revenue projections. Marotta, however, played down the financial angle.

“If we were to miss this objective, obviously we’d have to make some adjustments, but it’s not a problem, certainly. This is a night of sport; we want to honour it in the best possible way.”

Kick-off is moments away, and the mountain is high, but Inter’s president is backing his embattled coach and his players to climb it.