Cristian Chivu believes he has grown as a person and coach throughout his first season in charge of Inter, which looks set to end with a Scudetto and a new long-term contract.

Chivu took the reins when Simone Inzaghi left the Nerazzurri in the aftermath of last year's Champions League final defeat to Paris Saint-Germain, joining Saudi Arabian side Al-Hilal.

The former Romania international was initially viewed as an underwhelming appointment and came under immediate pressure when Inter lost three of their first four games of the season, across all competitions.

But he has since overseen a staggering turnaround, with Inter now on the cusp of their 21st Serie A title.

They are nine points clear of last year's champions, Napoli, with six matches remaining, so a win at home to Cagliari on Friday would move them one step closer to the Scudetto. 

Reports have suggested the club plans to reward Chivu with a new long-term contract, doubling his salary and giving him greater control over recruitment.

And when asked about his development as a coach in 2025-26 at Thursday's pre-match press conference, Chivu described September's contentious 4-3 defeat to Derby d'Italia rivals Juventus as a turning point.

"I can be anything, but I'm certainly not a fool," he said. "I adapt. Life has taught me to adapt to moments and narratives, to the role I occupy and the leadership role I have. 

"If, at the beginning, what I wanted to convey to the group made me say certain things or in a certain way, along the way, that changed. Everything changed and I adapted.

"When we started, we were apparently going to finish eighth, I was inexperienced and they wanted to kick me out after five games, already thinking about who had to come in.

"And instead, we went on, thanks to a group of men who aspired to be competitive from the beginning. I think it all started after the Juve game. That's where the narrative changed."

Asked about his approach to man management, Chivu said: "Negativity sells, we live in a culture that despises people being content. I have to make the players feel important and loved.

"The most important thing in life is not to repeat you mistakes. And when you succeed, it means that you have improved and gained experience. You have to always have the desire to be better than the day before."

While Inter are closing in on the title, Cagliari are hoping to pull further clear of the relegation zone, as they sit six points clear of 18th-placed Lecce going into matchday 33.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Inter – Marcus Thuram

Having scored twice in Inter's thrilling 4-3 victory over Como last time out, Thuram has netted 10 times in Serie A this season.

This is his third consecutive season reaching double figures in the competition, making him only the third foreign player to accomplish that feat for the Nerazzurri since 1929-30, after Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Stefano Nyers (the latter doing so in his first five seasons).

Cagliari – Sebastiano Esposito

Esposito is on loan at Cagliari from Inter, with an option to buy, but he is eligible to face his parent club – and his younger brother Francesco Pio Esposito – on Friday.

He has been involved in four goals (three goals, one assist) in his last five Serie A appearances, the same number as he managed in his previous 13 games in the competition (four assists in that instance). 

With six goals and five assists, he has been involved in 11 goals in Serie A this season, surpassing his previous record in a single Serie A or Serie B campaign (10 – six goals and four assists for Sampdoria in Serie B in 2023-24).

MATCH PREDICTION: INTER WIN

Inter have scored in each of their last 26 home Serie A matches against Cagliari (57 in total – 2.2 per game).

Only against Udinese (31 between 1959 and 2010) have the Nerazzurri recorded a longer run of consecutive home games with a goal against a single opponent in the top flight.

Chivu's side have also scored 75 goals in Serie A this season, at least 19 more than any other side. Only once in the three-points-for-a-win era have Inter netted more than 75 goals after 33 matches played (79 goals in 2023-24).

In addition, the Nerazzurri have scored at least four goals in five Serie A home games this season. 

In their previous 66 top-flight campaigns, the Nerazzurri have only scored four or more goals in more different home matches once, doing so six times in 2020-21.

Cagliari are huge outsiders, then, though they did beat Cremonese 1-0 last time out, after only picking up just two points in their previous eight league games. Before that run, they secured three consecutive victories against Juventus, Fiorentina and Hellas Verona. 

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Inter – 74.7%

Cagliari – 9.9%

Draw – 15.4%