Nicolò Barella has clear ideas about the future: his career will end at Inter. The midfielder, currently with the team at the training camp in Germany, gave a lengthy interview in which he spoke about the season’s objectives, his tactical evolution, and his bond with the Nerazzurri club.

At 29, the vice-captain is changing the way he interprets the game. “I try to develop a slightly different style of play, since my body sometimes responds differently. I’m trying to play a bit smarter football in terms of management, more conservative,” Barella explained. The system with the wing-backs that allows midfielders to push forward is helping him in this transition.

Coach Chivu is working the team hard with an intense training camp. “He asks us to improve even more compared to last year. We want to pick up where we left off, so playing our best football,” said the Sardinian player. The coach has also given him more responsibilities: “He asked me to help the team and now that Lauti is missing, whom I spoke to before the final, also to make myself heard more, to act a bit like the captain.”

Seven years in the Nerazzurri shirt have turned the midfielder into a point of reference. From a young player to discover to vice-captain, Barella’s journey at Inter has been one of continuous growth. “I never thought I’d become the player with the most assists in the club’s history, but I did. Nor did I think I’d become vice-captain,” he admitted proudly.

Last season he went through a tough time after failing to qualify for the World Cup. “When you hit rock bottom, and for me it was the second time I lost a playoff, you can only climb back up,” he confided. The turning point came in April, with 2 goals and 3 assists in 5 matches. His return to smiling was marked by the embrace of his teammates after the goal scored against Roma.

The goals for the new season are ambitious. “Since I arrived at Inter, first with Conte, then with Inzaghi and now with Chivu, the goal has always been to win,” declared the midfielder. After winning the league and the Coppa Italia, the ambition is to repeat the double, add the Supercoppa and improve in the Champions League.

To celebrate last season’s successes, Barella treated himself to a fine bottle: a 1999 Henri Jayer Vosne Romanée Cros-Parantoux. But the greatest gift he hopes for is another: “I’d like to become the player with the most appearances in this shirt, but I don’t think about it. When I arrived here I just wanted to give everything and win everything.” And on the possibility of ending his career with the Nerazzurri he confirmed: “Yes. Then it depends on how quickly I age.”

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