Chivu's injury has undoubtedly further exacerbated Inter Milan's player crisis. With Samuel injured and Materazzi unable to shoulder the responsibility, *Milan Sports Daily* revealed that Benitez originally planned to move Chivu back to the central defender position to partner with Lucio. However, it seems that Benitez will have to reconsider this plan.
Out of Inter Milan's 11 main players, only Eto'o has escaped the curse of injuries, and he is also the only player who has performed consistently well for Inter so far. The rest of the key players have all been affected by injuries to varying degrees, such as Pandev, Milito, Cambiasso, and Chivu, whose injuries have recurred. It appears that there’s no end in sight to this endless cycle of injuries. With the winter transfer window still nearly one and a half months away, Inter must continue to rely on this current roster, but next weekend, the Champions League is set to resume.
Upon closer examination, Chivu is already the 10th main player for Inter Milan to be plagued by injuries since the start of the new season. At the end of September, during Inter's big win over Werder Bremen in the Champions League at home, Lucio was forced off the pitch due to a thigh muscle issue. In Round 5, after Inter lost to Roma, Pandev was injured and missed two games. In early October, both Cambiasso and Milito were injured during Argentina's friendly match against Japan. Following that, Inter's misfortunes continued: Zanetti felt unwell after Inter's game against Palermo; during Inter's away victory over Genoa, goalkeeper Julio Cesar suffered a thigh strain; and during Inter's home draw against Brescia, Samuel sustained a severe knee injury. Additionally, Sneijder suddenly fainted at halftime, and Mc孔 (McDon) was substituted out of the game due to injury just 27 minutes into the first half…
Just 14 minutes into the game, while dribbling in midfield, Chivu was challenged by Italian midfielder Alberto Aquilani. Chivu accelerated and moved past Aquilani, but then he suddenly slowed down, appearing to have strained his thigh during the previous action. Shortly afterward, Chivu was substituted off, replaced by teammate Goyan.
In the early hours of November 18, Beijing time, Italy drew 1-1 with Romania. Inter Milan was concerned not only about Santon's return to the Italian national team but also about Romania's national captain, Chivu. While Santon performed relatively steadily, Chivu once again dealt a heavy blow to Inter Milan when he had to leave the field due to an injury shortly after the match began, marking another casualty for the club.