Scout report: Why Europe's best all want Nicolò Barella
https://www.footballwhispers.com/blog/nicolo-barella-liverpool-spurs
Nicolò Barella is one of the hottest prospects in Italy.
At just 21 years of age, he is now in his third full season of Serie A football with Cagliari, and his excellent form is reportedly attracting interest from Premier League clubs, with Chelsea, Manchester United, Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur all linked
Following on from failure to reach the 2018 World Cup, Italy is in need of fresh talent and the dynamic midfielder is increasingly seen as an integral component in the country’s footballing future. However, considering the intensity of the recent transfer speculation, it is unclear how long he will stay in Sardinia for.
“Cagliari received offers and turned them down. I am happy to have remained with the club I support,” he said in an interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport. “If I had to choose between Serie A and the Premier League, I’d go for England, because I like the way they approach the game. Plus everyone there is just as irritable and prone to fouls as me!”
Who is Barella?
Born and raised in Cagliari, Barella came through the club’s youth academy before making his debut under the auspices of former Middlesbrough defender Gianluca Festa at the end of the 2014/15 season. Unfortunately, his introduction to the first team couldn’t halt their slide towards Serie B.
After the club’s relegation, he went out on loan to another second-tier side, Como, to gain more experience. Then, following Cagliari’s promotion back into Serie A in 2016, he became a regular starter under Massimo Rastelli’s tutelage.
In the two years since, Barella has established himself as a key player in central midfield, operating effectively in a number of different roles. Since Rolando Maran was appointed head coach over the summer, the youngster has played primarily on the side of a midfield diamond in a 4-3-1-2 system.
“I feel like a mezzala (the berth on the outside of a midfield three),” he said when asked to discuss his favourite position. “But I’ve also helped my team as a No.10 and a holding midfielder and did so with pleasure. It doesn’t matter where I play.”
What are Barella’s strengths?
After the recent draw with Milan, Maran spoke positively about Barella’s performance, focusing on the player’s tactical flexibility. “He is extraordinary,” the Cagliari coach said. “I put him as a playmaker in front of the defence towards the end and he didn’t put a foot wrong. He just gets better and better.”
This ability to play in any central midfield role illustrates the youngster’s versatility, something that explains interest from the likes of Tottenham, who switch systems from game to game and ask their midfielders to take up various different roles and responsibilities depending on the opponent.
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Scout Report: Nicolo Barella | Cagliari’s Complete Midfielder
Kaustubh Pandey provides a detailed scout report on Cagliari’s promising Italian midfielder, Nicolo Barella
http://outsideoftheboot.com/2017/10/16/scout-report-nicolo-barella-cagliari/
Who is Nicolo Barella?
Born in Cagliari, the capital city of the Italian island of Sardinia, Barella was picked up by the Cagliari youth academy at a very young age. And over the years, the 20-year-old has done very well in progressing through all the junior sides at the club, first representing them back in 2012 in the Primavera A during the 2012-13 campaign.
He made 10 appearances in his debut season, scoring twice. A season in the Primavera B followed, when he made 18 appearances, playing in the heart of the park for the Cagliari Primavera outfit. The following season, Barella made his debut for the senior side, before captaining the U19 side twice in the Primavera B division.
His Serie A debut came against Parma in April, 2015 but the midfielder had become a regular face on the bench for his childhood club, which had sacked three managers that campaign. Appearances against Cesena and Udinese followed and the future seemed bright.
The next season proved to be a breakthrough one for the Italian, despite the rossoblu’s relegation to the Serie B after having finished third bottom of the league. Barella made 16 first team appearances in the 2015-16 season, often playing as an attacking midfielder and as a left winger as well. His impressive performances helped the side finish top of the Serie B, helping them restore the first division status. He spent the second half of the season on loan at Serie B side Como, making 21 appearances.
Last season, Barella made as many as 28 first team showings in the Serie A as a 19-year-old, playing as a central midfielder and as an attacking midfielder in an almost equal share. Cagliari finished 11th, with Barella emerging to be one of the best players throughout the campaign.
On the international stage, Barella is quickly climbing up the ladder of recognition. Ranging from the U15s outfit to the U20s one, the youngster has made appearances at all levels, with his debut for the Under-21s coming this past September. Barella was a regular part of the Italy U20s side that took part in this past summer’s Under-20s World Cup in South Korea.
What is his Style of Play?
Originally a central midfielder by trade, Barella’s vital ability to bomb forward with the ball makes him versatile enough to play anywhere in the three behind the striker as well. He may not be the quickest or the strongest, but he has the tenacity to dominate the heart of the park at will.
And it can very well be said that young Nicolo Barella is a complete midfielder, who is a jack of almost all the trades, but a master of none.
What are his Strengths?
One big advantage that Barella brings to the plate is his box to box nature and his engine, which can help him be equally active in either of the boxes to do a job for the side. It is his tenacity and hunger to always be on the ball and be at the center of things that makes him so.
Another thing that tenacity makes him do is recover balls in the heart of the park, despite a frame that isn’t too imposing- 5 foot 7 inches tall and weighing only 68 kilograms. This season, the Italian has won 2.9 tackles per game, making 1.4 interceptions per game too. He isn’t a typical defensive midfielder who sits in front of the back four and shields the defense, but likes to bomb forward with purpose very often.
Despite being a rather diminutive midfielder, Barella uses his body well to retain the ball and keep it away from the opposition players. Not just that, but the threat that this 20-year-old carries on the break when carrying the ball forward is substantial. This season, he has completed 1.4 dribbles per game and last season, he made 1 per game.
Above, watch how Barella’s impressive balance on the ball and directness helps the rossoblu find the back of the net on the counter-attack with perfection. After having picked up the ball in midfield, Barella does very well in running directly at the opposition, before setting up an on-rushing attacker to grab an impressive assist.
His tendency to give his all and cover every blade of grass on the pitch has often drawn comparisons to a former team-mate of his- Radja Nainggolan, who now plies his trade with Roma. And while Barella is well aware of these lofty comparisons, his performances don’t show signs of dipping.
What are his Weaknesses?
One slightly concerning aspect of Barella’s play is his tendency to be rash in the challenge and pick up unnecessary bookings. Last season, he picked up nine yellow cards and one red card throughout the season and has already picked up two yellows this season at the time of writing. Being aggressive is an important part of his repertoire, but a youngster such as him has to be careful with not crossing the line with it. It’s always good to have a bit of fire about oneself, but it can sometimes let one down too.
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https://www.whoscored.com/Players/148684/Show/Nicolò-Barella
Barella's industry is undeniably impressive.
Blessed with incredible stamina, he gets through an impressive amount of work in the middle of the park and, in that sense, it's easy to understand why two midfielders-turned-coaches in Gennaro Gattuso and Diego Simeone are both so enamoured with him.
No outfield player in Serie A has made more recoveries than Barella this season (72), while only five players have won more tackles than him (16). Only one midfielder has made more interceptions, while he ranks fourth in terms of duels won.
However, there is more to his game than tenacious tackling and a relentless pursuit of possession. Barella is also both talented and brave on the ball.
At just 21, he has already developed into a leader at Cagliari, a player willing to take charge of the game. Only six midfielders in all of Serie A have had more touches than he this season (557), which only serves to underline his importance to the Cagliari side, while his long, raking, right-footed passes are a feature of every game the Sardinians play.
He is willing to take players on too. He has completed more dribbles (8) than wingers Douglas Costa and Ivan Perisic (6), while he has created more chances (12) than the likes of Radja Nainggolan (9) and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic (9).
As an aggressive, indefatigable midfielder lining out for Cagliari, comparisons have obviously already been made with Nainggolan and Barella admits that he is just as committed as the Belgian.
"I think people say we're similar because we always give 100 per cent on the field," the youngster reasoned. "I hope to have a career like his but I still have so much to learn to reach those levels."
Indeed, while Barella is also versatile like Nainggolan, capable of playing anywhere in a midfield three or as an attacking midfielder because of his excellent vision and technique, he knows that he needs to score more.
The Gazzetta dello Sport once labelled him 'The Sardinian Steven Gerrard' but, in truth, he has yet to find goals as easy to come by as the former Liverpool captain. Still, he is improving in that regard, hitting six in 34 Serie A outings last season.
There has also been constant speculation linking him with a move to Anfield, sparking giddy talk that Liverpool could use Barella's love of their most famous stakeholder, basketball superstar Lebron James, to lure him to Merseyside, butGoal understands that the Reds are happy with their midfield options right now and have told Giulini that they will not be meeting his €50m asking price.
Essentially, Liverpool have no intention of being lured into a bidding war, particularly after spending over £100m strengthening their midfield with the recent acquisitions of Naby Keita and Fabinho.
That is not to say that Barella will not end up in the Premier League, though.
As a proud Sardinian who took his first steps towards becoming a professional at the football school founded by Cagliari legend Gigi Riva, he loves both his club and his city, but he has made no secret for his fondness of the physicality of the English game.
