Barella admits Inter have changed derby approach in recent years: “We’re too inconsistent”
After the game, Nicolo Barella attempted to lessen the damage of last night’s loss to AC Milan in his post-game press conference.
For Milan, last night was another instance in what is becoming a new norm. After Inter’s streak of derby wins, it’s now the Rossoneri who are enjoying themselves. They’ve won each of their last four meetings and haven’t lost in eight games.
In short, despite all of the managerial changes that have taken place, the Diavolo remain on top when it comes to playing the Nerazzurri.
Of course, last night’s win was also monumental considering what it meant for the Serie A table. Rather than falling 10 points behind, they only sit four points behind Inter and Lazio, who share first.
Barella’s admission
Speaking at a post-match conference, Barella admitted that Inter are going through a bad cycle in the derbies, but was keen to remember the streak from a few years ago, as MilanNews relayed.
What was missing? The approach?
“Certainly, if we talk about this, we’ve been lacking the ideal approach to matches since the start of the year. Right now, it’s a clear criticality for us.
“It’s true that we’ve shown our strength on many occasions, perhaps coming out on top in the second half or whenever we manage to break the deadlock, but it’s clear that not every match goes that way.
“We can’t expect to always repeat the same pattern, especially when we face a packed schedule with matches every three days. Fatigue, both physical and mental, is starting to take its toll, and we need to learn to manage matches better without being forced to keep them in the balance until the ninetieth minute.”
Is there a feeling that, whatever you do, Milan will prevail in derbies?
“Let’s say I’ve also experienced it the other way around. I’ve had a lot of derby wins in a row, so I don’t know if it’s a cyclical thing, but it’s definitely a game we haven’t approached in the best way in recent years, recently.
“There have been derbies where we’ve played well and lost, where we’ve played poorly and maybe drawn, but we’re too inconsistent in derbies, and right now, even in important matches. Even though we won, we still needed to do better.”
Do you still have the fierce desire to prove that you are the strongest?
“Being the strongest is sometimes not enough, because we’ve also been the strongest team, or the one everyone thought was the strongest, but then we didn’t win. So right now, I think we need to focus on something else rather than our strength.
“It’s true that if we look back at the last few games, many goals come from individual errors, and we need to improve on those, each of us, because unfortunately, individual errors work against the team. But as a team, we need to improve a bit in terms of solidity, which is what has always set us apart, what got us to the Champions League final, what helped us win the Scudetto, and perhaps right now we’re not the best version of ourselves. So we need to work on that. We still have the desire to win, for sure, because that’s what keeps us going to the pitch every day and motivates us, but we need to improve.”
