Ahead of the UEFA Nations League Matchday 4 home game against Turkey, Italy midfielder Barella spoke with Sky Sport Italia.

You have to play four matches in 11 days. First, I want to ask: what kind of training camp is this? The schedule alone seems very unusual. Nicolò, in your opinion, what kind of environment is this new Italian national team being born and growing in?

Undoubtedly, this is a very long and exhausting training camp, and the fixture schedule is extremely demanding. Since the start of the league season, everyone has accumulated some physical and mental fatigue. But logically, these are the duties and missions we as national team members must fulfill. So we're always doing our best to prepare for every challenge in the best possible condition.

As for this new Italian national team that's emerging, I think the match against France has fully shown this—and of course, the match against Turkey will as well. Perhaps the first match was more of a trial and adjustment phase, but this is an Italian national team with distinct characteristics and unique charisma—one with a strong desire and eagerness to rediscover itself and its glory. I think that's the most crucial point: we must restart with renewed enthusiasm.

You, Gigio (Donnarumma), and especially Bastoni are the continuous core elements from the Euro 2020 victory, spanning from the Mancini era to the new one. The Italian national team has changed, so has the head coach changed too? How does he communicate and connect with you in this new journey?

No, without a doubt, he's still the coach we know. He's a coach who absolutely loves working closely with and communicating deeply with his players. As I just said, his core objective is to inject passion and enthusiasm into the entire team and help everyone clear their minds of the difficulties and disappointments we've faced in recent years. But the fundamental source of all this must start with us players, with our determination, and with our strong desire to regain our glory and rediscover our peak form.

I also want to ask you two final things. First, Gigio said in an interview before the Belgium match: "These past few months have been extremely difficult for me, especially in the locker room. We almost didn't even want to talk about it..."

Yes, that's true. When you begin your national team career with such a brilliant achievement as winning the European Championship, but then fail twice in a row to qualify for the World Cup, you absolutely feel deep remorse and anguish about the responsibility you bear. You know criticism will come, and you must take responsibility. You must dig deep within yourself and find the strength to face all of this. Because that's ultimately how it is.

But there's no doubt that night was extremely long and agonizing, and in the following months, having to watch the World Cup from home on TV—that feeling definitely wasn't easy. But I still want to say: whether in real life or in football, you must always learn to move forward and face all difficulties with your head held high. Now we'll do our best to return to the glorious heights we deserve.

One last question: in Italy, fans are quite unaccustomed to seeing you on the bench for two consecutive matches, especially in the most recent one. How do you personally view and accept this? What were your feelings at the time? Especially in such an important match against France, when you didn't start from the first minute...

Yes, that's true. In recent years, I've started almost every match, especially crucial encounters. But football is a team sport; it's not like tennis where you play alone. What matters most is the entire team, not me personally. The Italian national team isn't Barella's personal team; it's a group made up of all these talented players.

Everyone is making a great and important effort, especially during these two weeks of training. So it's not a big deal. I'm always ready to be called upon. As long as the team needs me—whether coming off the bench for 20, 30, or 15 minutes—I'll give my all. The final decision rests entirely with the head coach, and I'm prepared for any situation.

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