Former Inter defender Marco Andreolli believes that some of the criticisms directed at current Nerazzurri goalkeeper Samir Handanovic are too harsh.
Speaking to Inter TV following the Nerazzurri’s draw against Atalanta at the San Siro yesterday, the 35-year-old defended the current Number One from some of the criticisms aimed in his direction and suggested that the standards which he is being held to are too high.
Handanovic will have been an Inter player for a decade at the end of this season, having held the unquestioned status of first-choice keeper since his arrival from Udinese in the summer of 2012.
The Slovenian has earned the captaincy at the Nerazzurri and has been lauded for the quality of his performances including in seasons where the team as a whole looked to be in disarray.
However, now as the club looks to be at its strongest position in many seasons, the 37-year-old has been accused of not being up to the standard set by his teammates.
“When I hear or read some of the criticisms reported against him I have to laugh,” Andreolli said of these criticisms. “Maybe he has accustomed us too well to expecting such a high level of performance. When you commit a little error in that role, if you have a bit of bad luck everything is a disaster.”
He went on, “He’s a little bit of that generation where the role of the goalkeeper was different. You didn’t ask the goalkeeper to participate so much in the buildup and maybe he is used to that kind of setting. He had to adapt and he did so very well.”
“He has improved a lot and even today he will also be important in the development of play from the back,” Andreolli opined.
He stated, “We know that with the way Atalanta press their opponents, the goalkeeper is the freest player and will be called into question a lot. like Icardi and like Lukaku, all the other players have also grown in terms of responsibility. After having had a season like last year the leap in quality has been made by many players. Which has led critics to find their way to the goalkeeper.”
