Nicolò Barella is ‘proud’ to be the only Italian candidate for the Ballon d’Or but admits he felt ‘too much pressure’ when the Azzurri met North Macedonia in 2022, failing to qualify for the World Cup for the second time in a row.
The Inter midfielder spoke at a press conference attended by Football Italia on Thursday. Italy will face North Macedonia in the 2024 Euro qualifiers on Saturday. It will be the first meeting with the Macedonians since their 1-0 win in Palermo in March 2022 which kicked La Nazionale out of the World Cup playoffs.
Barella was asked which error the Azzurri must not repeat in Skopje on Saturday.
“Personally, I felt the weight of that [World Cup playoff] game too much, we felt we didn’t deserve to be there,” Barella admitted.
“We were hasty and perhaps, thinking of playing another game in three days also had an impact. It’s no excuse, anyway. There were many factors that influenced us and made us lose our focus.”
Italy have collected three points in two games in their Euro 2024 Qualifying Group, so the upcoming match against North Macedonia is a must-win. It will be Luciano Spalletti’s debut on the Azzurri’s bench too.
“Every coach has his own qualities and tries to use his players at his best. The coach has given us great ideas, now it’s up to us,” said Barella.
“They [Mancini and Spalletti] are two people who interpret their roles differently, but I don’t want to talk about their differences. Spalletti has been honest with me and this is something I appreciated.
“The coach [Spalletti] has always made his teams play well. He played great football with Napoli bringing great ideas not only with attacking movements but also with the defensive line.
“Roberto Mancini believed in me when I was in Cagliari and I can only thank him. We won the Euros and this is something that will always keep us tied, especially because we played good football.
“This is a new phase, with a coach who is just as good and with different ideas. I will never say who is the best, surely we need time, but I’ve seen great availability from everyone and we’ll try to do our best because we need two wins.”
Barella is among the four Serie A candidates for the 2023 Ballon d’Or and the only Italian on the final 30-man shortlist.
“I thank all my teammates. We had a great season, even if we didn’t win the Champions League. I thank Simone Inzaghi and my teammates.
“It’s not an extra responsibility, there are many players who have been included in the list before and, perhaps, deserved to be included this time. I am proud to represent Italy on this list and I am sure somebody else could have been there. I can only say that I am proud and thank everyone who helped me be on this list for the second time in three years.”
Barella won two domestic titles with Inter, Coppa Italia and Supercoppa last season, but lost the Champions League Final to Manchester City. What did he learn in 2022-23?
“It was an amazing experience to play against the best teams in the world, it helps you improve against the best clubs,” he said. “I think it’s been a gradual improvement, not only during the last year, which has made me develop under many aspects. Maybe I need to further improve a side of my character.”