Chivu rotates goalkeepers and backs Mkhitaryan's case for Fiorentina test
Cristian Chivu explains the reasoning behind starting Ivan Provedel in goal and Henrikh Mkhitaryan in midfield as Inter chase Lazio at the top of Serie A.
Cristian Chivu made two notable changes to his Inter line-up for Sunday's home game against Fiorentina, bringing in goalkeeper Ivan Provedel for his debut and recalling Henrikh Mkhitaryan to central midfield, Football Italia reports.
Provedel replaces Josep Martinez, who had started every Inter match so far this season. Chivu explained the decision was tied to timing as much as merit, telling DAZN before kick-off: "Provedel deserves to start after this week, when his child was also born, and for the work he's done these months, supporting Pepo too. From here to the end of the season, he'll help us rotate."
Rotation is a squad-management tool, not a one-off reward
Framing the change around rotation rather than form says something about how Chivu is managing his goalkeeping resource across a season that still includes Serie A, the Champions League and Coppa Italia. A backup keeper who sits for months risks losing sharpness regardless of talent; giving Provedel a competitive league start, rather than a cup fixture, signals that Chivu intends to use him in matches that matter, not just as insurance.
That matters tactically because goalkeeper continuity affects build-up patterns. A keeper who rarely plays has fewer live reps distributing under pressure against a side set up to press high, which is relevant against a Fiorentina team Chivu described as well drilled.
On the opponent, Chivu was blunt about the gap between Fiorentina's underlying quality and their recent results. "It's a hard game. Fiorentina are a well-trained team," he said, before adding: "Recently, they've earned less than they deserved. They have many things that can make you struggle; they do many things well. We can't choose; we must leave everything we have on the field."
Mkhitaryan's recall is built on recent match evidence
The more tactically significant selection is Mkhitaryan's return to the midfield three alongside Nicolò Barella and Hakan Calhanoglu. Chivu's justification was explicitly performance-based rather than about squad politics: "I don't look at the ID, nor at who was born earlier or later," he said, adding separately: "The last few times he was on the pitch, he added something we missed, and he deserves to start."
The clearest example came in midweek. Mkhitaryan was central to Inter's 1-0 Champions League win over Shakhtar Donetsk, setting up Carlos Augusto for the goal while Inter were already down to ten men.
Operating effectively in a midfield three while a man light is a specific demand. With one fewer body to cover the horizontal and vertical spaces that a three normally shares between Barella, Calhanoglu and Mkhitaryan, each player has to compress distances and cover more ground in transition, both when winning the ball back and when the team needs an out-ball under pressure. Mkhitaryan supplying the assist for Carlos Augusto in that context shows he was not just surviving the numerical disadvantage but still finding and exploiting space to progress play into the final third.
That is the kind of contribution Chivu referenced when he said Mkhitaryan added something the team had missed. It points to Inter needing a midfielder capable of combining defensive discipline in a compact block with the composure to pick a final pass once possession is recovered, a dual role that is harder to fill than a straightforward passing or ball-winning profile.
The table adds pressure to the selection calls
The context around Sunday's lunchtime kick-off sharpens the stakes attached to both decisions. Lazio beat Parma 2-1 on Saturday, meaning Inter, the defending Serie A champions, need a win over Fiorentina at San Siro simply to draw level with the Biancocelesti at the top of the table.
That situation explains why Chivu is pairing a goalkeeper rotation built for the long haul with a midfield selection built on the most recent evidence available to him. Provedel's inclusion is about pacing a season that still has months to run. Mkhitaryan's recall is about trusting what he showed days earlier against Shakhtar, in a game where Inter had to defend a lead with ten men and still create a clear chance.
Inter now have to translate that balance of long-term management and short-term form into three points against a Fiorentina side Chivu has already warned is better than its recent results suggest.