Inter made the perfect start to 2026 by brushing aside Bologna 3-1 at San Siro and climbing back to the top of the Serie A table, with Aleksandar Kolarov praising captain Lautaro Martinez and joking after head coach Cristian Chivu lost his voice.
With Chivu virtually voiceless after an animated night on the touchline, it fell to assistant coach Aleksandar Kolarov to sum up the performance across DAZN, Inter TV and the post-match press conference, with quotes courtesy of FCInterNews.
And he indeed offered a clear picture of why Inter’s approach worked so well.
Kolarov suggested the staff felt Inter had already been on the right track even in the previous outing against Bologna in Riyadh.
However, he noted that this time the execution was sharper from the first whistle.
“I have to keep a good level of communication, because he speaks in a really strong way,” Kolarov said, referring to Chivu’s messaging.
“He also understood that in Riyadh we didn’t take advantage of our chances, but the team played well from the very first minute.”
Inter 3-1 Bologna – Kolarov: ‘Training Tweaks Benefit Lautaro’
The former Inter full-back then highlighted a key theme of the current coaching staff: tweak and refine, rather than rip things up.
“We didn’t want to change everything, but to add things,” he explained.
“The team came close to winning a lot, but didn’t take full advantage of what it created. We touched on some human aspects, then working on the pitch the team is taking an important direction. Now we’re top and we want to stay there, even if there’s still a lot of work to do.”
One of the biggest beneficiaries of that work has been Lautaro Martinez, who again led the line with authority and intelligence.
Kolarov was emphatic about the captain’s standards and influence extending beyond matchday.
“Lautaro is what we see not only on the pitch, he has always been our leader and he deserves compliments,” he said.
“He does this in training too, he never makes mistakes.” Kolarov also lifted the lid on the tactical plan, explaining how Inter wanted to manipulate Bologna’s defensive reference points.
“Today we wanted to make a square by pushing him up and isolating Marcus in front of the defender,” he noted.
“Then he’s very good at understanding where to move, the action for the first goal comes from this work.”
Kolarov Hails Dominant Inter After 3-1 Win Over Bologna
After speaking to DAZN, Kolarov reiterated the same message on Inter TV, praising the intensity and the control Inter displayed.
“It was a very important win, but I think both today and in Riyadh the team played an important match,” he said.
“Today we dominated the match from the start and I congratulate the players.”
He also stressed that concentration has become non-negotiable for a side chasing trophies on multiple fronts.
“We work on this: being present in every minute because we know how details can change the match,” Kolarov said. “It’s a shame about the goal we conceded, but it’s fine like this.”
That late concession was one of the few points that annoyed him, and he returned to it again when addressing the media in his press conference.
“There’s always room to improve from many points of view,” Kolarov insisted.
“We try to be perfect, knowing it’s impossible. After a great match, I didn’t like the goal we conceded.”
Still, he emphasised the trajectory is positive and the group is responding.
“We’re trying to improve, today we added something more compared to Riyadh. There’s great willingness in the group. You play how you train,” he said, while warning that standards must remain high as the season turns.
“It will definitely be another league in the second half of the season. We’ll have to keep a high level.”
Kolarov Provides Insight On Tactical Adjustments
Kolarov also provided an important tactical detail about how Inter defended, explaining that what looked like a back four at times was part of a prepared set of shifts rather than a wholesale structural change.
“The 4-4-2 out of possession? We prepared it like that both tonight and in Riyadh,” he said.
“We wanted Luis Henrique to step out onto their full-back. It’s not a fixed back four, but rotations we prepared in training. In Riyadh it also went very well, from our point of view.”
When asked whether this was Inter’s best performance of the season, Kolarov resisted the temptation to deal in absolutes, even while acknowledging the level was high.
“Well, the first feeling is that we played a great match,” he said.
“I’ll have a clearer image after watching it back. The team has always played great football – we sometimes lacked sharpness in front of goal. But even in Riyadh we played a great second half.”
Kolarov After Inter 3-1 Bologna: ‘Lautaro Doesn’t Get Things Wrong, Chivu Shouts More Than Inzaghi!’
Asked to “rate” Lautaro like a journalist, Kolarov gave a line that captured both his personality and the dressing-room’s respect for the captain.
“Me? I’m trying to understand you, but luckily I don’t do your job – you have to do the ratings,” he said, before circling back to the point he clearly feels most strongly about.
“Lautaro is more than important. He never gets a training session wrong. He’s a great player and an example for us.”
When asked who shouts more between Simone Inzaghi and Chivu, Kolarov delivered the punchline.
“Chivu looks calm, but he isn’t at all, Cristian shouts more,” he said, adding with a grin that he couldn’t compare too closely because he wasn’t positioned near Inzaghi back then: “I wasn’t that close to Inzaghi, I was on the other side…”
Finally, with January’s schedule already looming, Kolarov underlined the practical reality of managing energy and recovery.
“Today recovery is fundamental, so we try to recover as much as possible because there’s a match in 72 hours,” he said, before returning to the running joke of the night and the coach who had talked himself hoarse.
“It’s fine like this – he’ll recover by tomorrow. At least I hope so.”
if there’s one thing to work on is that we need all the players to try to keep the composure when they shoot the ball especially bare. it’s been while since he scored