In the 7th minute of the match, Barrera made a sticky slash to help Italy take the lead. It was Barrera's first goal for the senior national team, and with this goal, his position in the heart of manager Mancini will be even more secure.
In the past, Italian teams would always persuade the stars of hope in the team to marry earlier. The reason is also very simple, when a person's family life tends to be harmonious and stable, then he will focus more energy on the court, which is very good for young players who are in the growth stage. This view seems a little outdated in the moment, but this life trajectory is perfectly illustrated by Niccolò Barrera, the young talent who has shined in Cagliari in Serie A this season. The 21-year-old midfielder, who has a childlike appearance like a high school student, has a sibling affair with his wife, who is 7 years older than himself, and now they have a 1-and-a-half-year-old daughter.
According to the results of the 2016 census, the average age of first marriage for men in Italy today has risen to 37.38 years, which is typical of late marriage society. It is rare for a young man like Barrera to choose early marriage and early childbearing, and he has not yet gained a great reputation in European football, and he has been called "the country's premier midfielder" by the Italian domestic media. In the future, perhaps he will become an important role like Pirlo who can support the entire Italian national team midfield.
Blues newcomers
After 60 years of missing the World Cup again, the Italian national team is trying to make a comeback, and the first task of the new coach Mancini is to help the team complete the replacement of the old and the new as soon as possible. In the Italian national team roster announced on the evening of November 9 last year, there were new national team rosters such as Tonali and Grifou. In fact, this has been a regular phenomenon since Mancini took office – every time the training roster has some fresh faces. Even if the current results are not very satisfactory, this eclectic approach to employing people can help more and more players to go to a bigger stage, and Barrera is also wearing the national team shirt in this environment. In October, in a friendly match against Ukraine, Barrera made his adult debut.
The result against Ukraine was not perfect, but Barrera's performance in the game was unanimously praised. He was placed in the left midfield position and after the tension and excitement of the opening stages, the Cagliari youngster quickly got into shape. With his broad view of the big picture and his strong athleticism, he has constantly created opportunities for the three smallest dead in the front line - Insigne, Bernardeschi and The Younger Chiesa - to bring out his own characteristics to the fullest.
After 28 rounds of contention in Serie A, Barrera's average running distance in the game ranks third in the Serie A overall list, but in terms of total playing time, no one in the top 5 players can surpass Barrera. In terms of statistics for the right to play, Barrera ranked at the top of the Italian players with 46 times, ranking 15th in the overall list, which is enough to prove the player's physical superiority from the side.
Barrera has the characteristic sardinian personality of the unbridled enthusiasm of the Sardinians, and the 21-year-old has a lot of room for improvement, and he is also seen as the Italian version of the former Sardinian idol Nainggolan. Being able to be compared to the top midfielders in Serie A shows Barrera's popularity in Cagliari. Barrera himself has made it his goal to be a player like Nainggolan, saying: "Nainggolan is one of the best midfielders in Europe and I want to be able to play like him and dominate the whole world on the pitch. "Assuming that one day Barrera can become Nainggolan II, then he will become the player that all Serie A players are very eager to play.
Mancini's baby
Judging by what has been shown in the last few Training Lists and matches in Italy, Mancini intends to carry out the passing football in the team to the end. This style of play requires the support of players with strong technical ability. As a result, Barrera was given the opportunity to partner with the two star midfielders of Zoginho and Verratti. Jorginho moved to Premier League giants Chelsea in the summer for £50m and quickly became the core of a new generation. Verratti has been playing for Ligue 1 giants Paris Saint-Germain for many years. It can be said that among these 3 midfielders, Barrera is the least famous one. But the first-time duo of the 3 still played the content in the game, even if the results against Ukraine and Poland were not satisfactory, but the reform always had to pay a price, Mancini's blue jacket new midfield has officially set sail.
"Jorginho and Verratti are both very good players and this is the first time I've played with two partners and I feel very good. I am very happy that this game (referring to Ukraine) has been recognized by Coach Mancini. Barrera said this after the 1-1 draw with Ukraine, with a hint of excitement in his regret. Facing Poland after today, it was a crucial battle to decide whether the two sides could stay in the First Division of the Nations League. Mancini continued the three-midfield configuration of the previous game, and Italy was able to take the initiative in the whole game, but could not seize the opportunity on the front line. It wasn't until the 92nd minute that "great left-back" Biragi stepped forward and received a header from Lasania that crossed the net, ending an embarrassing record of not being able to win an official match since 9 October 2017. This new three-midfield configuration has finally achieved strategic success.
After the match, The Milano Sport newspaper commented on the match: "This is not Mancini's Italian team, this is the team that belongs to Prandelli and Sarri. At the same time, it also integrates the football style of me advocated by Dezerbi (Sassuolo) and Giampolo (Sampdoria), and it can be said that this Italian team integrates the tactical essence of all the current excellent Italian coaches. Mancini did not get carried away with such a compliment, and in an interview he did not forget to encourage his beloved Barrera, he said: "I want to build a team that can play at home or away, can be based on me, press the opponent under the feet, and dominate the attack." Barrera is our key person. ”
Mancini is true, because for a long time in the past, Italy has been very inclined to cultivate midfielders in the direction of Pirlo, which has led to many players who have made their debut in recent years have a single technical characteristics and too similar styles. For example, Gagliardini, Lokatri and other players are in this way, because they are not perfectly qualified for the positioning of the B2B midfield at the club, they quickly disappeared from the crowd, or mixed with small teams. Obviously, Barrera's appearance can make up for the shortcomings of Italian football in this regard.
After Pirlo and De Rossi gradually faded out, the Blues have always struggled to find a fixed and reliable starting combination in the midfield position, and with the success of the combination of Barrera, Jorginho and Villati, the call for these 3 people to be used as a fixed combination is getting louder and louder. In the autumn of 2018, the Italian Football Association celebrated its 120th anniversary, and the veteran football powerhouse, which started as a defensive powerhouse, finally decided to show a new look after the trough of the century, and integrating the attack into the heartlessness of Alanine football was the first step.
In fact, it is not only Barrera, including Keane Jr., who also scored against Finland, and Kyesa Jr., who is tired of injury, and other rising stars in Serie A, proving that Italy has a rich talent reserve on the offensive end, as long as Mancini can maximize the ability of these young talents, I believe that the Blues will soon be able to return to the first-class level in Europe.
The wonderful performance also made Barrera a great feast in the transfer market, and Cagliari boss president Giurini said not long ago that Barrera will definitely go to a big club in the future: "Barrera has never been close to leaving in January, of course I can't deny that Napoli are interested in us in January. Sarri also wants him to go to Chelsea, and as for Inter, it was just a chat, nothing else. He reminds me of Nainggolan, but Barrera may be more talented in technology than he is. ”
Hope for revival
Of course, Barrera also has its own weaknesses. As mentioned earlier, he has a strong running ability in the game, and he is also willing to invest energy on the defensive end, and is a very active player. Perhaps overly aggressively, Barrera often appears a little reckless in the game, and he still has many deficiencies in the judgment and selection of the opponent's position when defending, and it is very easy to cause fouls and eat cards. Last season, he received a total of 13 yellow cards in the league and had an experience of turning two yellows into one red. This season has only reached the 11th round of the league and he has already received 3 yellow cards. This problem must be taken seriously, otherwise it will become a constraint on his development.
But the flaws are not hidden, the appearance of Barrera has made the wasted Italian football see hope, see the future, and the responsibility of reviving the Blues is entrusted to Barrera and his friends. Italy will be playing portugal and the United States in a row in November, so let's look forward to Barrera's performance.