Inter Milan will monitor the condition of midfielder Nicolo Barella after a potential injury scare in the derby against AC Milan.
This according to today’s print edition of Milan-based newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport, via FCInterNews.
Inter coach Simone Inzaghi ended up completely overhauling his midfield with his substitutions on Sunday.
The Nerazzurri coach went with a quite predictable trio in the centre of the pitch to start.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Hakan Calhanoglu lined up alongside Italian international Barella for the derby.
Relatively early on in the second half, Inzaghi decided to take off both Mkhitaryan and Calhanoglu.
Those substitutions had nothing to do with fitness or injury. Rather, they were tactical as Milan had been overruning Inter centrally, with neither Mkhitaryan nor Calhanoglu at their best.
Moreover, Calhanoglu was on a booking. That frequently sees Inzaghi decide to take players off, particularly in big matches where there is the risk of a second yellow.
Inter To Monitor Nicolo Barella Fitness After Injury Scare Vs AC Milan
Inzaghi left midfielder Barella on as the last remaining member of the starting trio on Sunday.
However, the Nerazzurri coach then decided to take the 27-year-old off.
Former Napoli midfielder Piotr Zielinski replaced Barella to complete the trio alongside fellow substitutes Kristjan Asllani and Davide Frattesi.
This was something of a surprise. Inzaghi was effectively going with his “second string” for the closing stages of a match as important as the derby.
But the coach revealed after the match that Barella had been dealing with a bit of a physical problem.
This was not exactly apparent on the pitch, as Barella had not signalled he needed to come off.
But the former Cagliari midfielder told Inter staff that he was feeling some discomfort on the bench.
Now, the question is whether there is an injury for Barella, or whether this was just a bit of muscular fatigue.
Inter will monitor the 27-year-old in training.
At the moment, the club have not scheduled any medical tests.
But Inzaghi will make a decision as to whether or not he will risk Barella in Saturday’s match against Udinese.
