Inter Captain Samir Handanovic: “Not Hard To Understand We Lost Our Compactness Against Udinese, Not Bitter When Andre Onana Selected”

Inter captain Samir Handanovic feels that it’s not complicated to try and understand why the team fell apart to lose 3-1 to Udinese in Serie A earlier this afternoon.

Speaking to Italian broadcaster Sky Sport Italia, the 37-year-old admitted that the Nerazzurri lost their compactness and were punished, whilst he also made clear that there are no hard feelings when he is benched for Andre Onana and that he continues to do everything he can to support the team.

Everything looked briefly to be going according to plan for Inter after they went ahead in the fifth minute through a Nicolo Barella free kick, but the warning signs immediately appeared as the Bianconeri overran them in midfield before eventually finding an equalizer.

Two goals late in the second half piled even more misery upon the Nerazzurri who could not even settle for a point, suffering their third loss in the league in just seven matches played.

“First of all we have to congratulate Udinese,” Handanovic said. “They did everything that can be done to do to win a match. Until it was 1-1 the match was in the balance, but usually then it goes to the team who deserve it and want it more.”

The captain called the team’s three away defeats this season “Different matches, but it’s never a coincidence or an accident when these things happen. Not much to talk about, we have to work.”

“When we defend, we defend with eleven men,” he said of the team’s defensive struggles. “We have lost the compactness that we had before, and that’s weighed on us in addition to being technically sloppy.”

“Today we paid the price on two set pieces,” he noted, “which shows that there’s not enough concentration. It’s not hard to understand, everything is clear.”

And asked if he’s felt the effect of being rotated with Onana recently, Handanovic said that “I’m a serious professional, I know what my job is. Then the coach makes his decisions. I’m not going to be a problem for Inter but I can be a solution.”

He concluded that “I’m not bitter, I’m here to support the team if other players play.”