Inter midfielder Nicolo Barella’s issues with controlling his temper during matches came under the spotlight during the team’s Serie A draw away to Sampdoria on Monday, but they are nothing new.
This is highlighted in today’s print edition of Milan-based newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport, via FCInterNews, who note that the 26-year-old had already developed a reputation for sulking and showing his frustration with his body language whilst he was a Cagliari player.
Barella is known for being a player who wears his heart on his sleeve during matches, with his body language always an indication of when he is irritated or upset.
This has extended to sometimes openly showing frustration at teammates for mistakes, something which striker Romelu Lukaku had clearly had enough of when he gestured and shouted at the midfielder during Monday’s Serie A match at the Marassi.
In truth, however, this is nothing new from Barella.
The midfielder has occasionally had incidents of this nature throughout his time as an Inter player, and they in fact go back well beyond then.
Barella had initially emerged during a loan spell at Como, which led him to quickly be given his chance with his boyhood Cagliari.
At the Rossoblu, Barella became not just a player at the heart of the team on the pitch, but also a leader behind the scenes due to his talent and intensity on the pitch even in his late teens and early 20s.
However, the midfielder also started to develop a reputation for his negative body language and gestures of frustration during matches with Cagliari.
This is something that has only followed Barella around since leaving the Sardinian club to join Inter in the summer of 2019.