Inter’s frustration during their Serie A clash with Sampdoria yesterday evening seemed to be summed up in a moment where things boiled over on the pitch between teammates Romelu Lukaku and Nicolo Barella.

This is the view in today’s print edition of Milan-based newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport, via FCInterNews, who suggest that the pair were feeling the pressure as they became agitated towards the end of the first half and the striker made his frustration with the midfielder clear.

As a first half that saw Inter dominate possession without breaking through against Sampdoria came to a close, Lukaku looked to have finally had enough of the negative body language from his teammate Barella.

The former Cagliari player made a gesture of frustration, not a rare sight when things aren’t going according to plan for the Nerazzurri, and the Belgian appeared to imitate his gesture to show his disapproval, waving his finger.

“Don’t keep doing this,” the Belgian told his teammate, “get a hold of yourself, that’s enough!”

As the Gazzetta notes, Lukaku shouted “Enough!” at Barella three times, as the striker had clearly grown so tired of the midfielder’s antics that he could no longer keep quiet.

There even seemed to be a suggestion of profanity from the former Manchester United, Chelsea, and Everton striker as he appeared genuinely irritated with the body language from his teammate.

In truth, the newspaper suggests, this was hardly a real interpersonal conflict between the two Nerazzurri players, however.

Inter coach Simone Inzaghi was keen to stress in his postmatch remarks that there was no conflict between the pair and that they remain good friends.

“These are things that can happen on the pitch,” the coach had said, “it’s not something that we like to see, but it won’t happen again.”

For the Gazzetta, the flare-up between Lukaku and Barella had little to do with any real dispute between the two players.

Rather, it had much more to do with the mounting pressure in the Inter environment brought on by the seeming impossibility of catching Napoli, ratcheting up the tension on frustrating evenings like the team’s goalless draw against Sampdoria.

It was an evening to forget for the Nerazzurri all around as the stubborn resistance of a Blucerchiati side who they should have easily beaten on paper was never broken.

No one felt that more than Lukaku and Barella, and for a short moment, the pair took their frustrations out on each other for lack of any other real outlet for their feelings.