Inter Milan's new coach Cristian Chivu team president Giuseppe Marotta shake hands after Chivu's formal introduction at a soccer news conference in Los Angeles, Saturday, June 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Greg Beacham)

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (AP) — Cristian Chivu believes the current Inter Milan squad should be remembered for much more than its historically lopsided loss in the Champions League final.

The new manager also says the Club World Cup is an opportunity to alter the narrative of Inter's current campaign while he gets a head start on next season.

Chivu praised his new players Saturday during his introductory news conference with Inter Milan, which will begin Club World Cup play in Southern California on Tuesday. He also realizes that many of those players are still reeling from their 5-0 thrashing at the hands of Paris Saint-Germain last month.

“Of course, there is disillusionment (over) what happened at the end of the season,” Chivu said. “The expectations were high. But what I try to tell them is that the road, the thing that they have done, it’s something special, it’s something amazing. Of course, the objective is important to be reached, but we don’t have to forget the journey, because the journey is very important.”

Inter's loss in Munich — the largest defeat in the 70-year history of major European finals — was followed three days later by coach Simone Inzaghi’s exit for a lucrative job at Saudi club Al-Hilal.

But Inter's season isn't over. The first 32-team Club World Cup provides an opportunity for the 44-year-old Chivu — the longtime Inter defender who then spent six years coaching the Nerazzurri's youth teams — to begin work several games early in the top job.

“It’s still the season – last season,” Chivu said with a grin. “It’s not a new season, so we are here to do our best. ... I think we need to honor this competition, because this is what a team should do when you can represent your team in this kind of competition. There are only 32 teams in the world represented here, and this is a proud moment for world soccer.”

Chivu spoke to the media at the team hotel for the first time since Inter’s brief coaching search brought him back to the club last Monday.

Inter begins Club World Cup play Tuesday against Mexico’s Monterrey at the historic Rose Bowl in nearby Pasadena.

Inter chose Chivu despite his lack of managerial experience. He had never been a top-level coach until last February, when he left Inter's under-19 team and took over at Parma, which avoided relegation during his 13 matches in charge of the 16th-place club in Serie A.

Inter reportedly considered Como's Cesc Fabregas, Marseilles' Roberto De Zerbi and Genoa's Patric Vieira in its search, but team president Giuseppe Marotta said Chivu was a frontrunner in the race from the start.

“This wasn’t a fallback,” Marotta said through a translator in Los Angeles. “Despite what’s been said, there was no confusion. We made our choice quickly, within 24 hours. There were just some bureaucratic steps to complete.”

Chivu said he had to accept Inter's call when the job was offered to him after developing a deep bond with the club. He also knows the particulars of Inter's style well enough to coach the current team in the U.S. before making any possible changes for next season.

His 33-man roster for the Club World Cup includes most of the key players from the Champions League run, along with summer signings Luis Henrique and Petar Sucic, but without the likes of departing striker Marco Arnautovic.

“I know this club, and I’ve been here before, for many years,” Chivu said. “In the time I spent with the under-19s, I spent a lot of time with these guys, so I know them. I don’t know if it’s difficult for them to call me Mister, or to call me by my name. I know what kind of human quality I have inside this dressing room, and what I can give.”

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