Inter midfielder Nicolo Barella may have taken a booking in the first half of yesterday’s Serie A win over Salernitana deliberately to get his suspension out of the way.
This according to today’s print edition of Milan-based newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport, who suggest that he could have been well aware of what he was doing when he picked up the yellow card and got the suspension.
Inter had two players who were one booking away from suspension for yesterday’s trip to Salernitana, namely Barella and striker Lautaro Martinez.
Martinez started on the bench perhaps partly for this reason, while Barella played from the start.
The 24-year-old got a deserved booking for a wild tackle on Salernitana defender Riccardo Gagliolo, and will miss Wednesday’s clash with Torino as a result.
The Gazzetta suggest that the midfielder will have been at least partly aware of what he was up to and is getting his suspension out of the way to clear his record with many important games coming up after the winter break.
