Samir Handanovic underlined how defeats brought Inter ‘back to reality’ ahead of their Coppa Italia final with Fiorentina.
The Nerazzurri have an exciting end to this season, facing the Viola in the cup final on May 24 before taking on Manchester City in the Champions League final on June 10, giving Inzaghi and the players the chance to end the 2022-23 season with a bang.
Inter have struggled to show their best across this Serie A season but Juventus’ 10-point deduction has removed a lot of the anxiety surrounding their fight for a top four finish. The team’s final two league games are against top four rivals Atalanta and Torino.
Speaking in a press conference, Handanovic was first asked to sum up this season for Inter.
“I can’t define it because it’s not over yet, the remaining matches will determine a lot.”
He spoke about how it felt to met Sergio Mattarella, the President of Italy.
“A different experience, nice to see. When he shook my hand, he knew I was Handanovic and told me that the Slovenian president had been here three days ago. I didn’t know that… And he knew the players well.”
The 38-year-old was asked about the turning point for Inter this season.
“When you lose, you grow. Defeats bring you back to reality and take away superficiality. Then the victories brought others, increasing self-esteem.”
The veteran goalkeeper was also asked about his future at the club. His current contract expires at the end of next month.
“I still don’t know anything, I’m waiting for this match like all the others. We are here at Inter to lift trophies, in recent years we have brought the team back to compete for what they deserve.”
Handanovic spoke about his reduced playing time at Inter this season.
“Since 2004, since I arrived in Italy, I have always been a professional. You have to adapt to roles, it’s not only important on the pitch but also off it. I have had people to learn from, the thing that has pleased me most in my career has been growing year after year.”
Finally, Handanovic discussed the increased responsibility of the players this season.
“Every season has its why. And when there is a bit of nervousness it’s good, it means people care. It’s not nice to see two people telling each other off, but it’s worse if no one says anything.”