Some seasons are, for some players, unforgettable, as in the case of Barella, and his history of the 2020 European Championship and the Scudetto with Inter are a testament to this. Sacchi said about him that in the national youth teams he was not a phenomenon and was physically weak but then he improved exponentially thanks to training and hard work. Sacchi is
certainly not mistaken, calling him the prototype of the modern midfielder, capable of attacking, defending, playing for the team and scoring important goals. After three seasons as a starter at Cagliari, the player moves to Inter and, despite someone’s initial skepticism, makes the leap in quality.
In particular, last season, he became an indispensable pivot of the Inter midfield and confirmed himself as one of the protagonists of Italy’s victory at the European Championships . His flexibility and the ability to know how to do everything and cover all the roles of the midfield make him similar to Kante and Jorginho .
Barella History of the 2020 European Championship – Mancini’s journey with Italy
Barella has played in all the Italian youth national teams and also performed well in the Under21 of Gigi Di Biagio , who was very unlucky at the 2019 European Championship . The first call-up to the senior national team arrives in October 2017, to replace Verrattiin qualifying matches for the World Cup , but never takes the field.
On 10 October 2018 his real adventure in blue begins with Mancini, who lines him up in a friendly match against Ukraine and immediately considers him a permanent member of his national team.
Euro 2020 qualifiers
His path in the Euro 2020 qualifiers was glorious, like that of the entire Italian national team; In fact, Barella played 8 games and scored 3 goals, against Finland, Greece and Armenia.
Nations League 2020-2021
He was also one of the protagonists of reaching the Nations League 2020-2021 semifinal , which will be played in October 2021 between Italy and Spain ; he has in fact played 6 games, scoring the decisive goal against the Netherlands.
The following clip shows his beautiful header:
Qatar 2022 World Cup Qualifiers
As for the Qatar 2022 World Cup qualifiers , Barella participated in Italy ‘s first three victorious games , against Northern Ireland, Bulgaria and Lithuania.
Barella History of the 2020 European Championship – Euro 2020
The Inter midfielder has played 6 matches in theEuropeans , resting only against Wales , with the qualification for the Round of 16 already consolidated. Barella started very well, offering excellent performances in the first two races; he then reached the climax with the beautiful goal against Belgium and appeared a bit in the shade in the last two games of the competition, perhaps because his tiredness made itself felt.
In the match against Turkey , after a somewhat sterile first half, in the second half he took part in the blue triumph, serving Berardi in the action of Demiral ‘s own goal and sending Insigne into goal in the third goal. In reality, he also puts a hand in the second goal, communicating very well with Berardion the right.
Against Switzerland, Barella offers an even better performance than in the first match and serves Locatelli in the action of the second blue goal. He plays one of the best games of him, guaranteeing quality and substance in the center of the field and always running without ever saving himself.
The match against Austria is very difficult for Mancini ‘s Italy , which is struggling to find space. Even Barellahe suffers and, although he has a good chance in the first half, neutralized by an excellent intervention by the goalkeeper, he appears tired. Austrians use hard manners and hit him hard on several occasions; this probably affects the match, which was also tainted by a coarse warning for protests. He gives way to Pessina in the 67th minute , who scores the decisive goal in extra time. Belgium is a squadron but they have to deal with Italy , which proves to be superior on the pitch
. Barella is the author of a capital performance, certainly his best match of Euro 2020 and dominates against the great Belgian midfielders. The Inter midfielderhe unlocks it at half an hour, with a goal from the film library, which is a concentration of grit, technique and heart, which sends the Azzurri fans into raptures.
The match against Spain is the toughest because Luis Enrique ‘s midfield is very technical and in the middle the Red Furies have the numerical superiority. In the first half , Barella is the best of the blue midfield and also takes a post after 3 minutes, with the action that is spoiled by an offside. Then he has another chance but doesn’t kick right away and is neutralized. In the long run he suffers from prolonged Iberian ball possession and gives way to Locatelli.
In the final against England, our opponents close after the advantage and it is hard for our midfielders to find space in the first half. Barella suffers from British pressure and seems to have run out of energy; for this reason, Mancini removes it in the 54th minute to make room for a fresher Cristante, who makes a great contribution to the Azzurri victory.
