Inter Milan 15/16 Player Ratings: Goalkeepers and Defenders

Now that the 15/16 season has concluded we can look back and assess the individual performances of the Inter players. I would imagine there will be some disagreement with some of the ratings and if you think somebody should have been rated higher (or lower) feel free to sound off in the comment section what you thought their grade should have been and why. Only players who made more than three appearances this season are being included for consideration.

Samir Handanovic: 8.5

Batmanovic was back at his best this season. During the seemingly endless streak of 1-0 victories during the first half of the campaign he made a number of world-class saves to preserve a clean sheet in those rare times the defense was broken down. When the wheels fell off during the second half of the season you could still see him trying his hardest for the team (unlike in the 14/15 season when it looked like he just didn't care anymore towards then end of that season). His comments about being disappointed with not making the top-3 and not being sure if he would stay only show how hard he worked this season.

Juan Pablo Carrizo: 6

He only made a handful of appearances in Serie A and the Coppa Italia which is the way it should be. Carrizo didn't have any horror show performances like he did in the 14/15 season but even on his best day he will not make Handanovic worried about losing his place in the side. His best moment was his two great saves very late on in the Coppa Italia comeback against Juventus.

Danilo D'Ambrosio: 6

I can only really describe D'Ambrosio as solid. When he played you knew to expect a modestly reliable performance from the Italian, not really offering much going forward but fairly strong defensively. He played surprisingly well as a center-back when asked to do so. During the second half of the season he became one of Mancini's go-to fullbacks and though he played alright, he never truly impressed and he probably shouldn't be a consistent starter next season if the club really wants to challenge for the Champions League.

Juan Jesus: 7

Despite Roberto Mancini having way too many fullbacks to choose from he decided to try adding JJ to that list this season. He actually didn't do half bad, and was basically another D'Ambrosio (strong at the back but god forbid he decided to cross). Later in the season he was shifted back to center-back and would sometimes play there when one of Miranda/Murillo were unavailable. When he was next to Miranda he was usually calm and composed, when he was next to Murillo his game would be a bit more erratic (though not anywhere near as bad as it had been when he played alongside Ranocchia). I think Miranda has helped improve his overall performances and especially his reading of the game.

Joao Miranda: 9

I owe Miranda an apology. When news first broke of his potential arrival I ripped into the idea and essentially called the thought of him coming idiotic. Towards the end of the article I said "Maybe Inter will sign him for a reasonable figure. Maybe he will adapt seamlessly into Serie A and prove to be an inspired signing. If that happens I will gladly eat my words". That day has come. Miranda walked into this team and stabilized what had previously been a comical bordering-on incompetent backline. He provided the guidance and experience that Vidic had been selected for.

The second half of his season was not as great as the first but he still played better than I ever would've imagined. His presence alone allowed both Murillo and JJ to play better, and I'm sure in training he is helping to mold them into better defenders. I am sorry for doubting you Miranda, I blame my cynicism on Vidic.

Martin Montoya: 3

When Lukas Podolski first arrived at Inter, a couple of my friends who were Arsenal fans told me not to get excited because he would only disappoint. My brother is a Barcelona fan and when the news broke that Montoya would be coming to Inter, he told me the same thing. I was still curious to see how he did in Serie A though and was pretty surprised when week after week went by and the Spanish fullback didn't play. Eventually I feel like Mancini got tired of all the questions as to why Montoya wasn't playing and in December gave him three starts in a row against Udinese, Cagliari (in the Coppa Italia), and Lazio. It became very apparent why he hadn't been playing, he straight up couldn't defend. He was like Dodo minus the energizer bunny-like constant running. Montoya played in one more match after that and then he was gone, and not a tear was shed for him.

Jeison Murillo: 8

The other half of the superb M&M duo, Murillo had a very good first season at Inter. The youngster was brought in from Granada and dominated opposing attackers in the first half of the campaign. The Columbian's market value increased dramatically this season and it looks like Mancini could have a future defensive star on his hands. His rating would have been higher if not for his sudden drop of form in the second half of the season and his 4 red cards (3 in Serie A and 1 in the Coppa Italia). That kind of disciplinary record needs to improve but the youngster has a lot of time. I look forward to seeing if he can emulate his superb performances from the 2015 calendar year next season.

Yuto Nagatomo: 5.5

I said that D'Ambrosio probably shouldn't be a consistent starter next season, but Nagatomo definitely shouldn't be one. I get that he performs really well in training and he's apparently a great person, but he isn't starting material for a club like Inter. The only positives I can say about his performances is that he runs a lot and that he really tries to give it his all, unfortunately that's just not enough. When he goes forward he does the same thing almost every time, run towards the byline and try to send in a hard cross. Since he rarely changes it up opposing fullbacks know what to expect and the cross usually gets blocked (and even if it doesn't it usually fails to find an Inter player). I don't know why Mancini chose to make him part of his first-choice backline.

Andrea Ranocchia: 4

Poor Ranocchia. He just barely hit the required appearances to make this list, mainly because he was pretty much immediately kicked from the starting lineup for M&M. In the times he did see the pitch he didn't really play terribly, he just didn't perform anywhere near the levels that Miranda and Murillo were at during the first half of the season. It quickly became clear to the former captain that he didn't really have a place in the side and if he wanted a chance of making it to Euro 2016 (lol) he would have to move on. The reason the Italian international (lol) received so low a rating is twofold; first when he did play he always seemed super nervous that he would make a mistake, which made us as fans super nervous about him too. The second reason is because of the shocking number of high profile errors that he made while playing for Sampdoria during the second half of the season. Now I know I really shouldn't be using his playing time for Samp to influence my ratings here, but I did because it disproves the theory that Ranocchia played so badly only because he had too much pressure at Inter. He played badly because well, because he's kind of a bad player...

Davide Santon: 6.5

Santon was probably the biggest victim of the large number of fullbacks that Mancini had available to him this season. He played the first couple of matches but then was suddenly dropped from playing in Serie A from October until the end of January where he played in the Derby Della Madonnina and had a terrible game (which could only be expected given his time out of the side). He returned to the bench until April where he had two late substitute appearances and besides playing in the comeback against Juventus in the Coppa Italia that was just about it. I feel like he is one of the better fullbacks on the squad (he is at least one of the best crossers) and I don't understand why Mancini didn't play him more. I wish I could give him a higher rating.

Alex Telles: 7

Honestly, Telles and Santon should've been the go-to fullbacks this season. Just like Santon, Telles had sporadic bursts of playing time during the season then was inexplicably dropped for D'Ambrosio and Nagatomo. When he did play the Brazilian was actually pretty decent going forward (and like Santon he could actually cross the ball) but didn't sacrifice his defense duties in the process (I'm looking at you Dodo). The failure to reach the Champions League and the impending arrival of Caner Erkin for free means that Telles most likely will not be sticking around and that's a shame, I feel like he was the best fullback this team had.