The Inter midfielder in the eye of the storm for the simulation in the match at San Siro: “When you want to win you do things you don’t want to do”. Inzaghi and Zangrillo praise him
Last Monday, after Inter-Genoa 2-1, the controversies ran as fast as he does on the pitch: Morten Frendrup’s slide into the area, the ball rolling over the back line and he – Nicolò Barella – in pain to claim the just do it. And it was an intervention beyond the limits of the regulation also according to referee Giovanni Ayroldi, who had pointed to the penalty spot. Beyond the analysis of the episode, the following day many fans pointed the finger at the midfielder’s apparently exaggerated reaction to an overall light contact. Today, interviewed after the match, the protagonist of the story spontaneously wanted to close the issue with his own thoughts.
my fault
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After examining the victory at Bologna on the sidelines, Simone Inzaghi’s midfielder himself asked to speak: “After Genoa they pointed out to me that I am a simulator. My intention was not to do a simulation, but I made a mistake in the reaction. When you make a mistake you can apologize, I feel like apologizing for that moment. When you want to win, you do things you don’t want to do and so I wanted to apologize.” This is a gesture of maturity from a footballer who often gets carried away by the competitive spirit of the 90 minutes. Inzaghi had repeatedly admitted his desire to see a more responsible Barella on the pitch (mainly after episodes of nervousness) and, when asked about the midfielder’s apologies, he complimented him: “I heard him, he was very good. We all know Nicolò, he is a boy with great values. Sometimes even we who are on the pitch, due to the adrenaline, can make mistakes. The important thing is to realize this. We hadn’t spoken about it personally, but I think the gesture was appreciated by everyone. When he I’ll see him again, I’ll congratulate him.” Applause also came from the president of Genoa, Alberto Zangrillo: after the Giuseppe Meazza match he had criticized Barella and this evening, under a post from the Gazzetta dello Sport, he commented: “This is how a champion speaks.”