Inter midfielder Nicolo Barella has become a key cog in linking defense, midfield, and attack for Simone Inzaghi’s Inter team.
This is highlighted in today’s print edition of Rome-based newspaper Corriere dello Sport, via FCInterNews, who note that the 26-year-old had played a vital role in both of the Nerazzurri’s goals against Lecce last weekend.
Barella is the one midfielder at Inter who is virtually equally likely to pop up on the edge of his own penalty area, in the opponent’s area, or anywhere in between.
In the final third, the former Cagliari has taken leaps and bounds forward since Inzaghi took over in particular, as he has become a player capable of easily reaching double digits in a season for assists, and has also become more of a goal threat than ever.
Moreover, Barella’s ball-carrying abilities and eye for when to release a pass forward have meant that he is important for staring off both counterattacks and longer possession sequences from deeper in the pitch.
Against Lecce, the full range of the 26-year-old’s abilities were on display.
Barella assisted Henrikh Mkhitaryan’s opening goal with a clever dummy and then deft pass inside the Lecce penalty area to set up the all-important opening goal.
Then, in the second period, it was Barella who started off the quick and vertical passing move that saw the ball end up at the feet of Denzel Dumfries, who then played in Lautaro Martinez in space to score the Nerazzurri’s second and wrap the victory up.