Nicolò Barella hopes he won’t receive a two-match ban from UEFA and explains how Inter have developed under Simone Inzaghi.
The Italy international was awarded as the best midfielder of the year at an event organized by La Gazzetta dello Sport.
“It’s been an incredible year, but it all started with the defeat in the Europa League Final. From that moment, we’ve started a work that is continuing today,” he said.
Barella won the Serie A title with Inter, the first one in his career, and the Euros with Italy. The Nerazzurri are now the table leaders with a one-point lead over city rivals Milan. “There is more competition than last year, but we have something more than the others,” the former Cagliari midfielder said.
“We have awareness and experience, we know how to win because we’ve done it already. We feel this on the pitch and our opponents feel it too.”
But how have Inter improved since Antonio Conte left?
“Inzaghi is leaving us freer to do things. That’s not to say that Conte was forcing us to do something. But Inzaghi’s charisma makes everyone feel involved, allowing us to make decisions.
“That’s something we needed after two intense seasons where we always followed the same concept.
“A few players left [in the summer], but we signed other great footballers,” the 24-year-old continued, “but we want to show we are still the best.”
Romelu Lukaku returned to Chelsea in a €115m deal, while Achraf Hakimi joined PSG for €70m. Does Barella think they regret leaving Inter?
“I don’t know. Everyone makes his own decisions. They decided to leave and others decided to stay.”
On the other hand, Barella has recently extended his contract until June 2026.
“I’ve always said that I want to stay at Inter, at least for now,” he said.
“I am happy to stay here, everyone has his own history. At the end of the career I’ll know if I made good choices.”
Will Marcelo Brozovic do the same and extend his stay at the club?
The Croat’s contract expires in the summer and many clubs, including Tottenham and Barcelona, have been linked with securing his services.
“I know Brozovic loves these colours,” said Barella. “That’s proved by the spectacular way he is playing. He loves Inter, he’s given so much to this team, even when it was difficult to play here, then the choice is up to him.”
Barella received a straight red card against Real Madrid in the last Champions League match and hopes to receive a one-match ban, so he will be available in the second leg of the Champions League Round of 16 against Liverpool at Anfield Road.
“We dominated in Madrid for the first 60 minutes, then I made a mistake and ruined our game,” the midfielder said. “I hope I can be there for the second leg.”