Inter have 22 points after 8 matchdays, and that is their best opening to a Serie A season since 2017/18. The comparison matters because the club's previous benchmark in this run was also 22 points after eight games, when Spalletti was on Inter's bench. C. Chivu has matched that mark, while also moving ahead of Antonio Conte and Simone Inzaghi in the early-season comparison Sky Sport Italia drew.
Inter's opening run under Chivu
Sky Sport Italia described Chivu as maintaining a high points average, and the numbers do the rest. Inter are top of Serie A, unbeaten through 8 matches with 7 wins and 1 draw, and their goal difference stands at +13. They have scored 23 goals and conceded 10, so the start is not built on a string of narrow results alone.
The slightly more interesting part is how quickly that level has become the reference point. Since 2017/18, no Inter side in the comparison set had reached 22 points after eight league matches, and that was the season when Spalletti was in charge. Conte and Inzaghi were both behind this pace in their own early runs, which is why Chivu's first eight games already sit in strong company.
The Fiorentina win in context
The 2-1 win over Fiorentina on 25 October was another comeback in stoppage time, according to Sky Sport Italia. It does not change the bigger comparison on its own, but it does fit the pattern of a side that keeps finding points late. Fiorentina are 18th with 4 points after 8 matchdays, so the result also came against a team under real pressure.
Inter's recent league run has stayed strong as well, with 3 wins in their last 5 matches. That gives the opening stretch a bit more weight, because it is not just one fast start at the top of the table. The next league test is whether they can keep this level through the rest of October and into November, but the immediate fact is simple enough: after eight games, this is Inter's strongest start since 2017/18.
Written by Daniel Hartley with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →
