Continuing on with our hit and miss list, we always counter the bad news with something good (it takes the sting out of it). Here are our top five hits of the season.
Hit #5: #Ask____
We start our hits off the field and online. Inter has embraced social media throughout the season and has used it to further strengthen the bonds between the club, players, and fans. The Nerazzurri staff has been proactive on Twitter, Facebook, and even starting their own Instagram account in hopes of reaching more of their fan base.
A few of the players themselves have taken to the internet to interact with everyone and it has been refreshing to see that a number of our players are not stereotypical, narcissistic professional athletes.
Hit #4: San Samir
Ah, Samir Handanovic. Where on Earth would we be if it was not for our wonderful Slovenian goalkeeper? Despite some fans calling for his head during the middle of the season (what is wrong with those who shall remain nameless), he has clearly cemented himself as one of the world's best.
We here at SBNI have known what a gem we possess and now the rest of the world knows it too. (FYI LaPinetina has been hot on his trail ever since he popped up at Udinese. Great eye for talent, that one.)
Hit #3: Rodrigol
Again, where would we be without our beloved Rodrigo Palacio? He was on fire for the first half of the season, but even when he was not scoring, he was always helping his team out by pulling defenders or tracking back.
'El Trenza' was not needed in goal this year (and hopefully will not be needed there in the foreseeable future), but he is very valuable to the team despite useless stats outlining his heading stat-line (har har har.)
Hit #2: Back in Europe
The objective this season was to get back to European competition and even though it may have been painful to watch at times, the goal was achieved. Granted, it would have been ideal to have made the Champions League, but it feels painfully obvious that the squad is not at a fully competitive depth to compete at this level.
Hit #1: The Future is Bright
Between a spine consisting of Mateo Kovacic, Mauro Icardi, and Juan Jesus, things actually look promising with Inter's youth movement. Mazzarri finally started to give young Kovacic a place in the starting XI and the Croatian took advantage of his opportunity, showing that he should have been playing all year long.
After the circus surrounding Mauro, the Argentine has put his scoring foot forward and has somewhat matured from not even six months ago. Hopefully he keeps his head on straight and becomes a force upfront for years to come.
Before Juan sustained his knee ligament tear, he was consistent in the backline, whether it was the Mazzarri favoured three or sometimes adjusted four in the back.
Three of our players made it to the Top 11 European based players list!
#Kovacic miglior giocatore d'Europa nell'ultimo turno. In top 11 anche #Handanovic e #Palacio pic.twitter.com/edhiDhM6qW
— Daniele Mari (@danmari83) May 16, 2014