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Extended Clip - How Inter Milan Created The Samir Handanovic Problem & Are Repeating It With Stefan de Vrij
976 Plays3 years ago
Nima Tavallaey analyses the reasons behind Inter Milan's Samir Handanovic problem, how the solution is spelled Andre Onana as well as lament how the same mistakes are being repeated with regards to Stefan de Vrij.
This is an extended preview of this weeks free Monday episode of The Italian Football Podcast which is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Google podcasts.
To listen to ALL complete episodes of The Italian Football Podcast, go to Patreon.com/TIFP and become a Patron for only $2.99 USD per month (excluding VAT).
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Transcript
Controversy: Samir Handanovic's Performance Debate
00:00:00
Speaker
Welcome to the Italian football podcast.
00:00:06
Speaker
All right. Well, somebody we have to go to your your man. So I'm sure somebody that you are going to assert did not show up. And I think anybody with a set of working eyes would assert did not show up. Samir Handanovic, one of it. Listen, there's a few things people argue about. OK, is the earth flat? Did the moon landing really happen? Does Samir Handanovic suck?
00:00:34
Speaker
because you have one side that will say yeah well you have one side that says well look at the the clean sheets look at the look at everything is one and then you have the other side they will just show last night or what happened in the derby on loop and it's just this clash of i won't say titans because i think everybody loses in this argument but oof
00:00:59
Speaker
Look, for those who say he sucks, this was a checkmate, at least for round one.
Samir Handanovic: From Star to Liability
00:01:06
Speaker
Well, before we get to the problem at Inter overall, and I'm glad that you spoke about, that you raised this issue first, because I do want to talk about Samir Hamdanovic's situation, because it's a situation that has, you know, incredibly almost become politicized in how it's become polarized. And I mean- But hang on real quick, before you get deep into it, no, the great thing is you already have a solution.
00:01:27
Speaker
Well, listen, I'm going to get to that. I'm going to get to all of that almost. I mean, it's become politicized because there is because as a result, the discussion the discussion is incredibly shallow and I use this term seriously, incredibly stupid.
00:01:43
Speaker
Samir Handanovic joined Inter in 2012, and for about 7-8 years he was together with Mauro Icardi, the only shining light during what was the club's darkest decade in its modern history. But equally as true, he is a burden and a huge liability today, and he is ruining his legacy at the club by extension. And I can't blame him for that.
00:02:08
Speaker
and I'll get to why. Now, I mean up until and including the 2018-2019 season where he was named both the best goalkeeper by the Italian Footballers Association as well as the Serie A itself, he was one of the best goalkeepers in Italy and Europe.
00:02:23
Speaker
And even back then, when he was at his peak, there was some wannabe celebrities on Twitter posing as journalists who created as a gimmick and marketing PR tool for themselves to push this agenda that, oh, Handanovic doesn't even try to save the shots and he doesn't move. And that's just a little ludicrously silly because it only showcases a deep lack of understanding of the game in general and goalkeeping in particular because Samin Handanovic's biggest strength has always been his reflexes, his ability to react.
00:02:51
Speaker
whilst his biggest weakness has always been his positioning.
Career Evaluation: Fair or Unfair?
00:02:55
Speaker
Now after the 1819 season where he peaked he's been on a slow and yet steady decline which exponentially has gotten worse with every single season. Now what does that mean? It means that his reflexes and ability to react that were really good have gone from good to bad
00:03:11
Speaker
and his positioning has gone, if not from bad to worse, it certainly hasn't improved. And now we have this incredibly untenable situation where every weakness that he has is exposed. When Handanovic was signed by Inter in 2012, in the summer of 2012 from Udineze, he replaced Julio Cesar who had peaked in 2010 during the treble season. And he in turn was brought in once to replace Francesco Toldo before his
00:03:38
Speaker
inevitable decline to avoid the situation we're in. So therefore, this notion that Handanovich has always been mediocre by measuring him at the twilight of his career now and ignoring what he actually has achieved at the highest level, which he consistently played at for about five to seven years, is frankly at best unnecessarily reactionary. And maybe it
Comparative Decline: Stefan Defray and Goalkeeping Issues
00:03:58
Speaker
was dishonest and populist, and it's just aimed to get interactions on social media.
00:04:03
Speaker
Because, look, the same situation is now being repeated with Stefan Defray. He peaked during Antonio Conte's first season, when he was named Seria's best defender, 2019-2020. The following season, when Inter won the Skoretto, you saw signs of a slow decline. And last season, when this podcast was still behind a paywall, those of you who were patrons and listened will remember that I warned that this could be another Handanovic situation.
00:04:28
Speaker
And now I don't think we can deny that this is the case, because for a defender it's highly unusual for someone like Defry's age, he only turned 30 last February, and it's usually at this age when defenders peak. Now I'm not entirely comfortable or convinced to say that it's a mental thing or if it's a genuine physical decline that's causing it, but it's been going on long
Inter's Goalkeeper Dilemma and Potential Solutions
00:04:50
Speaker
enough
00:04:50
Speaker
He's never been quick, though, to Fry. No, but listen, it's a weird thing. Yeah, but it's been going on long enough so that we can't turn a blind eye to the fact that whatever it is, just like Handanovic, it's not a matter of being out of form. And I think his father time is undefeated. So with Handanovic and to Fry, with a Handanovic thing, I don't blame him for any of the goals as such against Milan on Saturday. But the difference is exactly what you said, Carlo.
00:05:17
Speaker
Mike Manion makes those saves. Samir Handanovic is no longer able to make those saves. And that is not Samir Handanovic's fault. That is Inter's fault for not having addressed the situation like they did with Julio Cesar, like they did with Handanovic himself.
00:05:35
Speaker
And here we are. But like John said, the answer is on the bench and his name is Andre Onana and they have to integrate him into the starting lineup immediately. No one, we cannot keep watching this.
00:05:50
Speaker
And the problem is, though, just like you said, Carlo, with Mike Manion and France, Hugo Louris is the captain of the French national team. Samina Nanovich is the captain of Inter. So it's just a giant shitstorm that Inter have created.
Join the Full Discussion on Patreon
00:06:05
Speaker
And they're repeating with Stefan Defray. Listen to the full show and all other episodes by going to patreon.com slash T-I-F-P and become a member for only $2.99 per month.