Inter's "Dual Vice-Captain" Shines with Smart Answers to Three Tough Questions: A Display of Growth Earns Universal Praise

In the ranks of Inter Milan, there is a unique player humorously dubbed by the Italian media as being "so close yet so far from the captaincy"—Nicolò Barella. This summer, Inter underwent significant changes, with both the captain and vice-captain, Samir Handanović and Danilo D'Ambrosio, leaving the club. The team announced Lautaro Martínez as the new captain and Barella as the vice-captain. At the time, the Italian media predicted that Barella would often wear the captain's armband. However, in today's Inter, Lautaro is indispensable, a hard-working ever-present player known as "El Toro" who rarely rotates, living up to his nickname by playing tirelessly.

Similarly, in the Italian national team, the upheaval surrounding Leonardo Bonucci and others has led to a situation where the captaincy is up for grabs. In the Italian team, where veterans prefer to take the glory but avoid the responsibility of officially naming a captain, seniority determines the armband's ownership. The player with the most caps gets the honor. Currently, Barella, with 50 appearances, is the second-most experienced player, thus making him the vice-captain. However, it's difficult for this vice-captain to wear the armband because leading the list is Gianluigi Donnarumma with 57 caps—a goalkeeper, whose position is rarely rotated.

In both his club and national team, Barella is the vice-captain, yet the opportunities to wear the armband are scarce. This paradox is why the Italian media humorously describe him as being "so close yet so far from the armband." Nonetheless, the dual vice-captaincy signifies that despite being only 26 years old, which in the tradition-bound Italian context still counts as young, Barella is considered a veteran, a stalwart, and a leader in both his club and the national team.

Critics often highlight Barella's occasional emotional outbursts on the pitch, gesturing and complaining. Most criticisms stem from a desire to see him improve his emotional control and play an even more significant role. The phrase "tough love" encapsulates this sentiment. However, at his core, Barella is a passionate and rebellious individual. It's challenging to expect him to completely suppress his fiery nature in high-intensity situations. Asking him to avoid all outbursts and maintain perfect composure is unrealistic.

In reality, the role of dual vice-captain has brought positive changes to Barella. Compared to previous years, he now shows more responsibility and maturity both on and off the pitch. This trend is commendable. At Inter, Barella's role has expanded this season, with more responsibilities in retrieving the ball and covering wider areas. This increase in defensive duties has led to a slight drop in his offensive statistics. However, in football, team success is paramount. Barella's contributions to the balance of attack and defense have been crucial to Inter's significantly improved league performance compared to the same period last season. If everyone only focused on their statistics and avoided the dirty work, it would be disastrous.

In the national team, Barella has also shown positive changes. This morning, during a series of interviews before Italy's crucial qualification match, journalists eager for sensational stories posed three difficult questions to Barella. His responses earned widespread praise.

The first question was about Italy's strategy against Ukraine. Both teams had 13 points, and Italy had won the first-leg match 2-1. A draw would suffice for Italy to qualify from this neutral ground match. The journalists asked if Italy's goal was to "defend for a draw" or "seek a win." Barella's response was insightful: “We have the advantage of controlling our destiny. We'll strive for victory, but naturally, knowing that a draw also secures qualification is helpful.” Compared to empty proclamations like “We are Italy, we always aim for three points,” Barella's answer was much more nuanced and realistic.

The second question revolved around the much-debated coexistence of Barella and Davide Frattesi. Should Barella keep insisting on playing alongside Frattesi, it might offend other teammates. When asked about this, Barella replied, “Whoever plays for Italy does a great job, including Frattesi. I don't know what the coach will decide, but whoever plays will give their best.”

The third question concerned Jorginho's recent penalty misses, which had led to widespread calls across Italy for a new penalty taker. Despite having an 80% penalty conversion rate (4 out of 5) at Cagliari, Barella hasn't had many opportunities to take penalties at Inter. When asked if he would take on this responsibility, Barella's answer was impressive: “I would be ready to take a penalty, but we have many players more accustomed to it than I am. Jorginho? Penalties can be scored or missed. We only thank him for all he has done over the years. The coach will decide, but Jorginho is an experienced champion who doesn't need our doubt or pity.”

These answers, articulate and clever, garnered applause. From his high-scoring assist in the previous critical match to his tactful responses to tough questions before the do-or-die qualifier, it's evident that dual vice-captain Barella has matured significantly compared to past years when his lack of diplomacy sometimes led to trouble.