Midfielder Nicolo Barella wants to be the player to be at the heart of a resurgent Inter in both Serie A and the Champions League next season.
This according to today’s print edition of Milan-based newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport, who report that the 25-year-old is taking his vacation to reflect and restore his energy for what promises to be another gruelling campaign.
Barella and his teammates had plenty to celebrate last season as they won both the Coppa Italia and Supercoppa Italiana, but the final impression left by the campaign was disappointment after they narrowly lost out on the Scudetto.
City rivals AC Milan clinched the title on the final day of the season, and the Nerazzurri are out for revenge, whilst they will also want to show that they’ve learned from the moments of naivete that saw them crash out of the Champions League against Liverpool.
In Serie A, Barella’s fatigue occasionally showed, with the midfielder having played a total of 3934 minutes across the campaign with little time for recovery, but next season things could be a little different.
The 25-year-old is finally having an extended break from football to recharge and could return looking much closer to his best, whilst missing the World Cup with Italy could give him even more opportunity to be fresh and in top form during the season.
Meanwhile, in the Champions League Barella missed the decisive round of sixteen tie against Liverpool due to a rash red card received in the final group stage match against Real Madrid.
The midfielder was forced to watch on as his teammates put in a display worthy of the occasion in both legs of the tie but had their attacking edge blunted by the Reds’ formidable defense and paid for a couple inattentive moments defending set pieces.
Barella is aiming to play a big role in building on last season’s exploits in Europe’s top competition and going even further.
