Inter captain Samir Handanovic spoke to gathered reporters at a press conference today, ahead of the Nerazzurri’s Europa League clash against Bayer Leverkusen on Monday night. His words were noted by Italian media outlet FcInterNews.
First, he discussed the team’s successes in their win over Spanish side Getafe earlier this week.
“I like not conceding goals, when you don’t concede it’s already a good starting point. The team has always been tight, apart from the first 20-25 minutes when they came to press but we held our ground well.”
Handanovic also spoke about how the team’s defence has recently improved and what’s changed. The club have kept five clean sheets in a row across all competitions.
“What’s changed is that every game where you don’t concede a goal, it increases self-esteem and confidence, you feel charged and you feel stronger.
“We’ve changed our set-up, then to avoid conceding goals there must also be moments that work well for you. In the past we might have conceded goals despite playing well. This has changed.”
The 36-year-old Slovenian shot stopper, who is contracted to the Nerazzurri until the end of next season, has made 45 appearances across all competitions so far this season, for a total of 4050 minutes. In that time, he has conceded 44 goals and helped the side keep 15 clean sheets.
Inter are the favourites to beat the Bundesliga side tomorrow evening at the neutral venue in Dusseldorf and are hoping to go on to win the entire competition.
