Inter Milan manager Cristian Chivu rejected suggestions he has changed during his first season in charge, saying on Thursday that he is 'not a fool' and has merely adapted to shifting circumstances and media perceptions.
Chivu's side are nine points clear at the top of the Serie A standings, with the 45-year-old now leading a title charge that has reshaped expectations around a team and a coach who began the season under far less scrutiny.
The Inter boss was asked at a press conference ahead of Friday's home game with Cagliari whether he feels changed or if it is the perception of others which has changed.
"I can be many things, but I'm definitely not a fool," Chivu said.
"Life has taught me to adapt to moments and narratives, to the role I occupy and the leadership I have. If at the beginning what I wanted to convey to the group made me say certain things in a certain way, along the way those things changed.
"Because everything changed, and I adjusted."
There was much scepticism around Chivu's appointment when the club brought in an inexperienced manager to replace Simone Inzaghi who had won the league title and taken Inter to two Champions League finals.
Chivu, a former Inter player who began his coaching career with the club's youth teams, had taken charge of 13 games in his only senior managerial role with Parma last season. Inter losing two of their opening three matches did little to help his cause.
"We started out supposedly aiming just to finish eighth, that I was inexperienced and would be sacked after five matches, with people already thinking about who should replace me," Chivu said.
"Instead we kept going, thanks to a group of men who from the start aimed to be competitive."
LITTLE LOVE SINCE VALENTINE'S DAY
Chivu believes the media coverage around Inter changed completely after the Valentine's Day win over Juventus, with Alessandro Bastoni accused of diving to get an opponent sent off and then celebrating the red card.
"It has become a media pillory from every point of view, for Inter and for a player. That's where the narrative changes," Chivu said.
"But I've never been confrontational and I've never worn masks. I've tried not to talk about referees and I haven't done so. If we're at this point in the season and someone doesn't like what I say, that's not my problem."