Monza, 15 March 2025 - The statements of coach Cristian Chivu, made at the end of the Monza-Parma match, valid for Matchday 29 of Serie A Enilive 2024/25.
'We know the qualities of our players; we thought we could fill the box more and apply more pressure than we had up to that point. Then, the individual quality of the players emerges, their courage, their personality, and in the end, we managed to equalize. However, we could have done more in terms of play, courage, and personality. We are always reacting, whereas we have been talking for days about acting before reacting. In the end, we take a point that counts in the standings, but from my point of view, we could have done much better. We lost something both today and last week.
The team is growing in terms of character, and we could have gained a few more points in the last month since we arrived. However, they are working well; we need to be more composed in the final third and make better choices for our teammates. Right now, it's about sacrificing personal satisfaction and thinking more about the team. We need selflessness.
Lack of clinical finishing? We need to eliminate the doubts and insecurities we have. The standings don't help us, but the character is there, the reaction is there. This team deserves much more than what the standings currently reflect. During the week, I see a lot of quality and commitment, as well as ambition and the desire to improve. But we need to keep working, give continuity to our work and ideas, and gradually, we will also emerge in terms of character and courage.
Pellegrino? I liked his attitude. What he showed this week after his brace was not easy. He is a good guy, down to earth, and he has continued to work hard and improve in every aspect. Today he had a great chance, with that curling shot that was saved right at the top corner. Perhaps we could have given him a few more balls in the box, but we are happy with how he has integrated into the team. Serie A is a good starting point for him.
Bernabé? He showed some good things, but you can see that he has had some problems—both before we arrived and then missing a few matches due to other minor issues. He still lacks match fitness. We hope to have him fit until the end of the season without any physical problems because he is a player who gives us a lot of quality.
Keita? Mandi needs to do much more—I always tell him that. When we meet and talk, I tell him directly. In the last 30 minutes against Torino and today, when we were trailing, he pushed more in terms of aggression, reading the game, and using his qualities in possession. I want that player from the very start because he has significant room for improvement, and that is exactly what we need.'
