A report from British newspaper the Guardian has complied its list of the 100 best players of 2020, with four Inter players appearing.
The report begins by highlighting the strong performances of 23-year-old Italian midfielder Nicolo Barella, who officially signed from Cagliari in the summer transfer window. This season he is a core part of coach Antonio Conte’s tactical system and his absence is clearly felt.
Here is how the Guardian described Barella, who was in 92nd place:
“A first-time entry, but unlikely to be the last for a player who has made himself essential to both Inter and the Italian national team.
“His 2020 highlights reel included a surgical dissection of the Dutch defence to set up Lorenzo Pellegrini in the Nations League this October, and an outrageous backheel flick to tee up Lautaro Martínez away to Real Madrid in the Champions League.
“Barella’s contribution to team play, though, goes so far beyond those eye-catching moments, with a tireless work ethic that serves him equally well in either the No 10 role or as a box-to-box midfielder.”
New Inter man Achraf Hakimi was also present. The 22-year-old Moroccan signed from Real Madrid in the summer transfer window and has quickly impressed in Milan, scoring four goals and providing five assists so far this campaign.
The British newspaper had this to say about Hakimi, who was in 76th spot:
“The perception in Italy was that Inter got away with daylight robbery when they snapped up Hakimi for €40m in July.
“Hakimi had contributed five goals and 10 assists while playing at Borussia Dortmund, on loan from Real Madrid, last season and wasted no time in showing what he could do for the Nerazzurri, delivering an assist off the bench on his debut against Fiorentina, then scoring in his first start four days later.
“There have been some missteps since, but Antonio Conte believes his lightning-quick full-back has room to get even better yet.”
The next Inter player on the list was 23-year-old Argentine forward Lautaro Martinez, who is contracted to the Nerazzurri until 2023. His strong performances last season saw him heavily linked with a move to Barcelona, but he has stayed with Inter and continued his strong performances this campaign.
The Guardian noted his appearance at number 44 as follows:
“After exploding into form under Antonio Conte in 2019, Martínez has oscillated between scintillating quality and frustrating anonymity.
“His numbers are good – he hit 21 goals across all competitions last season – and he has shown up in big games, scoring a double in the Europa League semi-final against Shakhtar Donetsk as well as grabbing Inter’s first away to Real Madrid in the Champions League.
“He turned around Argentina’s World Cup qualifier away to Bolivia with a goal and an assist in October, too. A little more consistency might be all that separates him from a big jump up this list.”
The Inter played who performed the best in the Guardian’s top 100 list was 27-year-old Belgian striker Romelu Lukaku. The former Manchester United man is the central part of Conte’s system and he is the clear driving force of the squad.
The Guardian described the 27-year-old Belgian, who came in 19th place, as follows:
“This has felt like a brilliant year but also a cursed one for Lukaku, the stand-out performer in an Inter team who finished as runners-up in Serie A and the Europa League.
“He won player of the tournament for the latter competition after scoring in all his team’s games, yet his own goal in the final was decisive, as was his accidental block of an Alexis Sánchez header as Inter dropped out of the Champions League.
“Things went better when he deputised as captain of Belgium for the first time in October, scoring both his team’s goals in a win over Iceland.”