Midfielder Nicolo Barella has won lavish praise for his performance in yesterday’s 2-0 Inter Milan win over Lecce in Serie A.
Today’s print edition of Milan-based newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport, via FCInterNews, award the 26-year-old a score of 8/10 in the player ratings for the match.
Barella wore the captain’s armband for Inter yesterday evening with Lautaro Martinez on the sidelines due to injury.
And as it has done with Martinez, the armband seems to have stirred something in Barella.
The Italian international put in an incredibly dynamic display on both sides of the ball.
Inter coach Simone Inzaghi gave Barella plenty of license to move around the pitch and get forward.
And the former Cagliari midfielder made great use of that freedom.
Nicolo Barella Praised For Performance In Inter Serie A Win Vs Lecce
Earlier on in the season, Barella did not quite look to be at his best.
The 26-year-old didn’t have the influence on matches that he tends to at his best. Rather, he looked more like a cog in the machine whilst Hakan Calhanoglu and Henrikh Mkhitaryan really shone.
But in the past few weeks, there have been clear signs that Barella is getting back to his best.
The Italian scored his first goal of the season against Napoli earlier this month.
And perhaps that goal had broken the dam a bit. Barella has followed it up three weeks later with an excellent strike against Lecce.
The 26-year-old showed how well he can time his runs into the penalty area.
And after latching onto a backheel from striker Marko Arnautovic, Barella showed great composure and technique to manoeuvre the ball into a shooting position and slot it past Lecce keeper Wladimiro Falcone.
Barella’s performance was not just like that in the penalty area.
On the contrary, the Italian’s smart positioning, dribbling, and endless running was key in the midfield battle.
