Nicolo Barella once again received rave reviews from Italy’s media today following his performance for Inter in their Coppa Italia clash with Juventus.
Antonio Conte’s side were unable to stage a fightback in last night’s semi-final second leg at the Allianz Stadium, being held to a goalless draw which knocked them out 2-1 on aggregate.
Corriere dello Sport’s print edition identified Barella’s display as one of the biggest positives to take from Inter’s Derby d’Italia disappointment, handing the midfielder a rating of 7/10.
“He was everywhere,” the Rome-based paper wrote of the 24-year-old.
“Barella won the ball back, he helped keep possession flowing, he helped link attacks.
“He never stopped and he never dropped his tempo or intensity, playing with an incredible tenacity.”
Achraf Hakimi was adjudged to be the Nerazzurri’s other great out-field performance, with the Moroccan wing-back also picking up a rating of 7/10.
The 22-year-old made the ground shake beneath his feet whenever he ran at Federico Bernardeschi and Alex Sandro, the report argued, again demonstrating his remarkable acceleration skills on Inter’s right-hand side.
Samir Handanovic was the highest rated Inter player with 7.5/10, having produced three key saves to keep out Cristiano Ronaldo.
“He was playing Ronaldo more than he was playing Juventus and the Slovenian won the battle comfortably,” CdS wrote.