Nicolo Barella says he needs to score more for Italy, while praising Roberto Mancini for helping the squad regain confidence ahead of Monday’s Nations League meeting with Turkiye.
The match at Bologna’s Stadio Dall’Ara kicks off at 19.45 UK time (20.45 CEST).
Italy’s second spell under Mancini has produced mixed results so far. They began with a disappointing 2-0 home defeat by Belgium, responded by beating Turkiye 4-1 in Bursa and then earned a creditable 1-1 draw away to France.
Barella did not travel to Turkiye and was introduced only as a substitute in Paris. However, he is widely expected to return to the starting XI against Turkiye, with his selection for the pre-match news conference adding to that expectation.
“I am not old, but I do have a lot of games in my legs and have had to learn how to listen to my body,” said Barella.
“When you play 70 games a year, you don’t have the same sharpness as you did at 23. But if you look at the statistics, I am still one of the players who covers the most ground.
“For the Nazionale, the only thing I am missing is a few goals. That is where I am behind.”
The Inter midfielder said he had accepted being left out of the starting line-up in France.
“This is a team sport, it’s not tennis,” he said.
Mancini’s return to the Italy bench had prompted some concern, but Barella believes the team is improving with every match.
“One of the best things about the coach is that he allows us players to feel a sense of peace,” he said.
“We had some very difficult and negative experiences in recent years, especially for me, Gigio Donnarumma and Alessandro Bastoni.
“The coach asked us to rediscover our enthusiasm, and I think we are doing that. Otherwise, we would not have got back on track in France and then come so close to winning the game at the end.”
Bastoni has also responded strongly after receiving a red card in the World Cup play-off against Bosnia and Herzegovina, scoring in each of his last two appearances for Italy.
Turkiye have lost all three of their Group A Nations League matches, scoring once and conceding eight goals. Their squad is also missing Juventus striker Kenan Yildiz and Inter midfielder Hakan Calhanoglu because of injury.
“Hakan is a champion. I first got to know him as an opponent and then as a team-mate,” said Barella.
“He is a leader, so naturally his absence is a major loss for them. But they have other players we must be careful about. Turkiye will be hurt by their recent results and will certainly be eager to send a message.”
Monday’s fixture is the fourth match of this international break, part of a new calendar introduced this season.
“I don’t know whether it is better or not,” Barella said. “The positive is that we have more time to work and understand the coach’s ideas. But there are long journeys, we play every two days and return late, so that also has to be considered.”
