Is Inter’s Nicolò Barella One Of The Best Midfielders In The World?

Taking on Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena is undoubtedly a tough challenge, one requiring visitors to have a combination of quality, gritty determination and a little luck. In their UEFA Champions League quarterfinal, Inter had all three. They also had Nicolò Barella.

The Bavarian giants had not lost at home in Europe for over four years, but the Nerazzurri no.23 has always relished encounters on the biggest stage and once again delivered a stellar performance.

Now 28, Barella is a rare breed of Italian midfielder. While many of his compatriots are very much one or the other, he – along with Newcastle’s Sandro Tonali and, perhaps, Juve’s Manuel Locatelli – is capable of blending physicality and finesse, style and substance.

Arguably better than both, Barella’s quality was on full display against Vincent Kompany’s side as he made his presence felt both in and out of possession in an action-packed 90+ minutes.

Nicolò Barella helps Inter topple Bayern Munich

Defensively, he was the key man in Inter’s pressing game, using his footballing intelligence to narrow angles and cut off passing lanes, suffocating countless attacks before they truly began.

According to fbRef.com, Barella weighed in with one tackle and one interception whilst also recovering a team-high five loose balls as Bayern – who enjoyed 58.2% of possession – dominated large portions of the game.

But when Inter did have the ball, it was often Barella who sparked them into life. Indeed, the same source shows that he had two successful take-ons and three progressive carries, driving at the Bayern defence at every opportunity.

He also completed 45 of 49 pass attempts (91.8%), making six progressive passes and one key pass. Those attacking qualities were all on display in the most decisive moment of the game too, collecting the ball from goalkeeper Yann Sommer and instantly looking to seize the initiative.

Firing a smart pass ahead to Lautaro Martínez on the halfway line, Barella sprinted forwards to receive it back, picking out the run of Carlos Augusto who laid on the match-winning goal for Davide Frattesi.

“Barella stood out above everyone else,” proclaimed Wednesday’s edition of La Gazzetta dello Sport, going on to describe his performance as “exemplary in every way” and that he played with “dazzling confidence in his technical ability.”

Nicolò Barella consistently brilliant for Inter

It is impossible to argue with that assessment but, in truth, the game against Bayern was simply a continuation of how Barella has consistently played over recent seasons. Part of the Italy squad that won Euro 2020, he is now a 28-year-old arguably in the midst of the best form of his career.

According to fbRef.com, he has recovered an average of 6.08 loose balls this term, the highest mark of any midfielder in Serie A putting him firmly among the top 15 across Europe’s top five leagues.

That he does so while committing less than one foul per game (0.91 per same source) shows that Barella has learned to channel the combative nature that saw him repeatedly rank among the league’s most penalised players.

Only four players in Italy have notched more assists than Barella this term, while he also ranks 5th in key passes, 6th in progressive passes and has made more through balls than any other player in Serie A.

With winner’s medals from league titles and two Coppa Italia triumphs already tucked away, Barella is still not satisfied and has eschewed the usual bland responses to lay bare his ambition.

“When I play for the national team, I want to win everything there is to win with the national team,” he said during an interview with RAI’s Tg1. “When I play for Inter, I want to win everything there is to win with Inter. I think hiding that is useless.”

He has helped give the San Siro-based outfit the best possible chance of advancing in the Champions League, while they are in the Coppa Italia semis and sit at the top of Serie A with just seven matches to play.

Hungry to win more silverware and clearly talented, the Nerazzurri are blessed with one of the best and most in-form midfielders in the world. With Nicolò Barella, Inter always have a chance.