Nicolo Barella believes Antonio Conte has turned Inter into ‘his perfect team’.
Conte’s future remains uncertain as he awaits a meeting with club president Steven Zhang, where the pair will discuss the Nerazzurri’s prospects for next season.
Inter’s head coach is thought to have asked Suning not to sell any of their star players in the summer, including Barella, who has enjoyed another spectacular season at San Siro.
In an interview with France Football, the midfielder said: “Conte has his ideas, they’re the ones we’ve known about for years.
“You only need to watch the games and you can see them.
“He’s great at everything, not just mentally but also tactically and in training.
“It’s not easy to assimilate his ideas.
“Last season we were a Conte team, but this season we’re Conte’s perfect team.
“We’re smiling and joking as we go along because it’s not as if we’re in the army, but we still have the objective of winning on Sunday (against Udinese), there’s no other choice.”
Inter have cantered to the Serie A title this season but the Nerazzurri have still received criticism, with some arguing their style of play is too defensive.
Asked what he made of those accusations, Barella responded: “Everyone has their own ideas and I respect their opinions.
“But before Atalanta started scoring six goals per game, we had the league’s best attack and we still have the league’s best defence.
“We’ve won the Scudetto, why do people need to criticise a team that’s done all this?
“I can understand people saying they’d prefer a different style of play and possession, but Inter have opted for a style of play which suits the team’s characteristics.
“Why would you keep possession when you can go straight through on goal with Lauti (Lautaro Martinez), Romy (Romelu Lukaku) and Achraf Hakimi?”
Barella has formed a fantastic midfield trio with Marcelo Brozovic and Christian Eriksen and explained how they work together for Inter.
“I’m the most attacking midfielder in the team who tries to link midfield and attack,” Barella explained.
“Brozovic and Eriksen are more in the ‘traffic’ whereas I make forward runs like the coach asks, or alternatively we look to serve Hakimi on the right with his pace.”
Barella also touched on the difficulties of playing football through the COVID-19 pandemic this season.
“Sometimes I felt tired before games,” he admitted.
“It got to the point where I would ask myself: ‘How can I play today?’
“But with our hard work and our passion, you can put the fatigue and struggles behind you.”
