Inter midfielder Nicolò Barella took the opportunity after their 1-0 win over Bologna to address the controversial incident involving a penalty against Genoa last weekend. Speaking with DAZN after the Nerazzurri’s 10th Serie A win in a row, Barella commented:
“I want to congratulate Bologna; they’re a truly strong team. Their position in the standings is deserved. This is one of the most difficult grounds to come and play on. We also deserve credit for beating Bologna; it’s not easy. We showed the right attitude, suffered, and secured the win. You can’t always play well; today, it turned out this way. But we’re on an incredible journey. The group is fantastic; we’re all rowing towards the same goal without envy. Of course, there’s competition between those who play a lot and those who would like to play more, but even those who play less are always ready. This is the most important thing; the competitiveness we have is healthy.”
Reflecting on his individual performance, Barella admitted to his imperfections: “I didn’t manage to score, but if the team keeps winning, I don’t care much about scoring. I do what I can to help the team. Maybe today I didn’t play as well, but it happens against Bologna. Atletico Madrid? It’s normal that I want to win, just like we all do. It will be a good game. The Champions League is the most beautiful competition; we want to compete in it for as long as possible, like last year if possible. Scudetto? Let’s see how far off we are; it also depends on others. We always make sure to be ready to make it difficult for the others to catch up.”
Finally, Barella addressed the incident from the previous weekend against Genoa, expressing regret for his actions: “I wanted to add something. In the game against Genoa, there was an incident that everyone pointed out as simulation. I wanted to say that my intention wasn’t to simulate. Probably, I reacted wrongly, and when you make mistakes, you can apologize. I feel like apologizing for that moment. Maybe on the field, when you want to win, you do things you wouldn’t want to do. I wanted to apologize for that.”
