Chivu was too optimistic about Inter defending Arsenal corners

Arsenal scored yet another goal from a corner kick in an away 3-1 win over Inter on Tuesday, frustrating the Nerazzurri coach Cristian Chivu, who had appeared confident about his team’s defending on set pieces.

Inter lost their third consecutive Champions League game in January, leaving them out of the top eight with just one game remaining in the group phase.

The Nerazzurri played on par with the Premier League laders for considerable parts of the game, yet the Gunners scored twice in the opening 45 minutes, including one from a corner kick.

Arsenal‘s threat from set pieces surely comes as no surprise. Since the start of the 2034-24 season, they have scored 31 goals from corners.

MILAN, ITALY – JANUARY 20: Gabriel Jesus of Arsenal scores his team’s second goal during the UEFA Champions League 2025/26 League Phase MD7 match between FC Internazionale Milano and Arsenal FC at Stadio San Siro on January 20, 2026 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)

Yet, Inter coach Chivu seemed confident on the eve of the game that his team would have handled dead-ball situations well.

“Our way of defending on set pieces, especially corner kicks, aligns with the best approach to face Arsenal,” he said,” the ex-defender said in his pre-match press conference.

“If you mark man-to-man, you run into trouble. We need individual responsibility in carrying out certain tasks, but this doesn’t only apply to Arsenal, but to all teams. Opponents also deserve credit in certain situations, for their physical structure and how well they execute trajectories. They score a lot from set pieces, but so do we. And they should be worried about that too.”

Arsenal are currently the Champions League and Premier League laders and their record in Europe has been particularly impressive with seven wins in seven games. Yet, odds for Arsenal’s double with a casino 50 euro no deposit bonus look quite attractive for a team that has dominated the early part of the campaign.

MILAN, ITALY – JANUARY 20: FC Internazionale and Arsenal FC teams line up during the UEFA Champions League 2025/26 League Phase MD7 match between FC Internazionale Milano and Arsenal FC at Stadio San Siro on January 20, 2026 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)

Surely, their ability on set-pieces can just boost their hopes of finally lifting silverware this season.

After the match, Chivu examined Arsenal’s corner kick goal and praised the Gunners for their performance: “We were also unlucky on that goal on a corner, where it bounced off the bar and onto the head of an Arsenal player. In the second half, Arsenal raised the focus level and were also a little more humble, as there was some arrogance from them in the first half. They sat deeper, have physicality, and of course can bring players off the bench to raise the level further.”

Inter collected five wins and three defeats during the league phase of the Champions League, missing out on the top eight by just one point. The Serie A giants will face Bodo/Glimt in the knockout play-off later this month.