Inter captain Samir Handanovic feels that the team must accept that they’ve finished the season second to AC Milan, and that the Rossoneri are deserved champions of Serie A.
Speaking to InterTV following his team’s 3-0 win over Sampdoria, the 37-year-old reflected on the season and also gave the view that the team paid for the distraction of their Champions League round of sixteen tie against Liverpool.
The Nerazzurri had an evening of mixed emotions, cruising to a 3-0 victory against the Blucerchiati but ultimately ending the evening in tears as their city rivals won by the same scoreline to clinch the title.
The ninety minutes was something of a microcosm of the title race, with the Nerazzurri showing their strength but paying for being a little bit less consistent than their city rivals, who finished two points ahead of them, which Handanovic can only concede was deserved.
“We won two trophies, so we accomplished something positive,” the captain said. “We made progress in the Champions League, unfortunately we lost out on the Scudetto which was our goal.”
“The table doesn’t lie, the other team was better,” he said, “we could have done more.”
Handanovic then said that “We have to look ahead and think about the future. We’re proud of the fans and thank them not just for today but for the whole season. They’ve always motivated and supported us in our most difficult moments.”
“We were sorry today not to be able to reciprocate their support, we must continue to grow,” he added. “We lost something between the games against Liverpool, there was something that month took away from us, physically and mentally.”
“I would say that that month was decisive,” he added. “We dropped a lot of points in that month. But it’s normal, it happens to all teams. When you win, fatigue weighs on you less, but when you lose those games you certainly lose something mentally as well.”
“As a team we’ve grown,” he concluded. “I think we played good football. We played our game, we played 52 match, which is not a small numner. I’m proud of the guys and we keep going like this.”
