Inter midfielder Nicolo Barella spoke to Milano based newspaper la Gazzetta dello Sport today ahead of the Nerazzurri’s league clash against Juventus tomorrow night.
“The loss against Barcelona has remained inside us. Losing has not went away. But more than the result, more than the refereeing, that game showed who we are. For 65-70 minutes we put Barcelona, the top team in the world, under our belt. Of course, the victory would have amplified everything. But we showed personality, it will be important for our future.”
The former Cagliari player discussed the idea that the squad would sacrifice the Champions League in order to focus on the championship.
“It’s a difficult group, but we’re Inter: I don’t know where, but we’ll go and get the points we need to pass.”
Barella then commented on the Juventus squad.
“Juve also has experience, the fact that they have known each other as a group for a long time. But the coach immediately asked us to do things that were clearly defined and we’re putting them into practice, which is why I say that we’re on an equal footing. Juve won the championship by 21 points last year: we want to close the gap; we’ll see in the end if we succeed.”
He also mentioned that he didn’t need much convincing to join the Nerazzurri.
“Look, Conte can be convincing right away: no more than one phone call was made…”
The 22-year-old highlighted what Inter need to do to improve.
“We create a lot, but we don’t always finish. It’s the next step.”
The Italian international then discussed coach Antonio Conte.
“He has a different attitude, a way of talking to you that gives you something new. For him I’d get myself killed, it applies to all his players. And that makes all the difference. Have you seen how Conte’s teams run? Eh, it’s not just because they’re well prepared. It’s the result of what he puts in your head.”
Barella also spoke of the differences between Conte and the Italian national team coach Roberto Mancini.
“They are different in their training methods and in the way they put the team on the field. Similar in the trust they give to the players and in the attention they give to their opponents during the preparation of the match: with both of them, when you go on the pitch you already know what to do.”
The player also touched on his least favourite aspect of football.
“The falsehoods. Then there’s fantasy football: not the game itself, but there are people who insult me because they say they lost the game because of me…as if I was happy with my bad performance. Well, I’d love to send them away. Besides, I can’t stand labels. Like being a bad guy.”
Finally, Barella spoke about the recent incidents of racism in football.
“It’s sad, I have teammates who suffer from it. I think campaigns like Inter’s or Everton’s banner are very important. Then you also have to see the context: it’s not certain that if a Curva boos a player it’s because they’re all racists.”