Vaciago: Serie A, not a Champions League exit, is Chivu’s biggest job risk

Cristian Chivu’s position at Inter would be in greater danger if the club risked missing next season’s Champions League through Serie A than if they exited this season’s competition before the last 16, says Tuttosport director Guido Vaciago.

Speaking to Radio Sportiva, Vaciago argued that an early European exit would not justify an immediate dismissal while Inter are top of the league. The Nerazzurri have 16 points from six Serie A games, with five wins and one draw, giving Chivu a strong domestic position for now.

Inter have zero points in the Champions League, but Vaciago said he still believes they have a good chance of reaching the last 16. He distinguished that difficult start in Europe from the league campaign: the more serious alarm, in his view, would be Inter slipping into a position where qualification for next season’s Champions League was at risk.

Vaciago’s case for continuity rests partly on Chivu having won the Scudetto. He said a coach who has delivered the title deserves trust, and that an early Champions League elimination might instead lead to reflection at the end of the season. It would not, on its own, demand a change immediately.

That end-of-season review could still be affected by European results. Vaciago said two Champions League failures — including one involving Bodo — could weigh in the eventual decision. But he framed that as a matter for the season’s conclusion, not an automatic trigger for Chivu’s dismissal now.

The distinction matters for Inter: their current league form gives the coach some protection, while maintaining a place in the race for next season’s Champions League is the condition Vaciago identifies as decisive. Inter’s next league test is away to Bologna on Saturday, 17 October. For now, the league position is the clearest measure of Chivu’s security; a European setback alone would not change that, in Vaciago’s view.