Inter are hoping to finally get the very best form out of midfielder Nicolo Barella by rotating the midfield more this season to rest him more frequently and preserve his energy.

This according to today’s print edition of Milan-based newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport, who report that the Nerazzurri are hoping that if the 25-year-old isn’t playing as frequently, exhaustion won’t creep into his game and hamper his performances as it sometimes has in the past couple seasons.

Barella was not always at his best last campaign, and it had been observed that he appeared fatigued on the pitch, not surprising given the scope of his commitments between his club and the Italian national team, starting nearly every match for each.

This season, the Nerazzurri brought in Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Kristjan Asllani who they hope to give prominent roles in midfield, and the thought is that if the rotation options can be regularly trusted, a key starter like Barella won’t have to play as much as the 84% of all available minutes that he did last season.

The former Cagliari midfielder was dropped in Inter’s Champions League group stage opener against Bayern Munich, with Henrikh Mkhitaryan being given a chance in his place.

It was made clear to the 25-year-old that he must show a consistent performance standard when he does play to earn his place in the team, and that with the chance to keep his energy levels up, he must now earn his place in big matches ahead of the other midfield options.