Inter: Martinez Lauds Chivu's Impact As Inter Clinches Scudetto In First Season

Lautaro Martinez highlights Cristian Chivu’s influence on Inter’s Scudetto season and stresses a clear message before facing Lazio, stating there is no interest in leaving the club, as Inter arrive in Rome already crowned Serie A champions and targeting further records under a head coach in the first year in charge.

Inter clinched the Scudetto last week with three matches left, beating Parma 2-0 thanks to goals from Marcus Thuram and Henrikh Mkhitaryan, and Chivu becomes only the fifth coach to win Serie A in the first campaign with Inter, following Arpad Weisz in 1929-30, Alfredo Foni in 1952-53, Giovanni Invernizzi in 1970-71 and Jose Mourinho in 2008-09.

Chivu took charge in June after Simone Inzaghi left for Al-Hilal following a 5-0 Champions League final defeat to Paris Saint-Germain, yet the former defender quickly earns trust from Inter’s players and support from fans, with Martinez explaining how a different mindset and leadership style stabilise the squad ahead of the away trip to Lazio on Saturday.

Speaking to Cronache di Spogliatoio before travelling to the Stadio Olimpico, Martinez explains how the group reacts to that managerial change and says: "Last year we suffered a lot. We couldn't achieve all these goals we had at the end of the season, it was a very tough year for all of us, the striker said. But Cristian arrived with a new mentality and air, with a lot of leadership that can also be seen from the outside. This gave us a lot of confidence. He added some things of his own style, but he didn't take away anything that we did well for four years with Simone, with whom we had done a great job. We have to thank the coach because he made us feel very comfortable this year."

Martinez leads the Serie A scoring chart this season with 16 goals and continues to attract transfer speculation, with Barcelona mentioned often as a possible destination, yet the Argentina forward rules out a move and underlines commitment to Inter, describing the club environment and life in Milan as central to personal and family contentment.

Asked directly about his plans, Martinez responds: "I'm loyal to the Inter project, because I still have a contract and I feel like I'm at home here. From day one they treated me in a way I had never thought possible. I have reached important personal goals, also as a group, and so today I have nothing else to think about than Inter. Here, I am happy, together with my family, in Milan we also have a restaurant. We are fine, we are very happy."

Inter vs Lazio Serie A: form guide, key players and Opta odds

Lazio go into the match in eighth place on 51 points after a disappointing domestic campaign, sitting 11 points behind sixth-placed Como in the race for European qualification, and the Biancocelesti now face an Inter side already on 82 points, one more than last season after 35 games, with Chivu’s team chasing previous tallies of 90, 85 and 89.

Player trends offer several subplots for this Inter vs Lazio Serie A meeting, with Pedro and Thuram both in focus; Lazio’s Pedro has a strong record off the bench and against Inter, while Thuram approaches a personal scoring milestone and extends a prolific run in the league that recalls Julio Cruz’s streak from late 2007.

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Historical data favours Inter for this Inter vs Lazio Serie A fixture as Lazio have failed to win any of the last six Serie A games against Inter, recording two draws and four defeats, after previously winning three of six, while Inter’s 2-0 success in November means Lazio risk losing both league meetings in one season for the first time since 2016-17.

Inter also score in 13 straight Serie A matches against Lazio, averaging exactly two goals per game across that spell, and could now achieve consecutive clean sheets against Lazio for the first time since 2010, although Lazio are unbeaten in the last five league matches against sides starting the day top of the table, with two wins and three draws during that improved sequence.

OPTA data further tilts the prediction towards the Nerazzurri for Inter vs Lazio Serie A, giving Lazio a 24.3 per cent chance of victory, a draw at 25.7 per cent and Inter on 50 per cent, underlining why the new champions enter the Stadio Olimpico encounter as favourites while aiming to extend strong domestic form and underline Chivu’s successful first campaign.

With the title already secured, this Inter vs Lazio Serie A contest offers Inter a chance to strengthen impressive numbers, while Lazio seek a response in front of home supporters, and Martinez’s praise for Chivu, combined with a clear statement on staying, reflects a settled champion group that now targets closing the campaign with further strong performances.