You’d have to be really daft not to fancy this bloke…
When it comes to Italian Midfielders they tend to always produce either great technicians (Pirlo, Verratti, Locatelli), or great destroyers (Gattuso, Materazzi, Cristante). But what they tended to lack when it comes to developing that stardust of a player on the highest stage was an energetic, all action, box to box merchant who only gets tired when it’s time for bed with the last noticeable Italian in this mold being Claudio Marchisio (rememeber him?), if our memories aren’t mistaken. And it’s because of the above statement why many were surprised when on Tuesday July 2nd, 2024, they opened their SMW app or website to see Nicoló Barella getting a rating boost which now deems him to be one of the best Midfielders on the planet! 😯
PLAYER BIO
Nicoló plays as if he was meant to be born in England instead of Italy. Although technically skilled, what separates him from the rest is his incredible high energy both on and off the ball hence why he has been on the radar of top Premier League clubs for quite a while. He is a wonderful mixture of the technique of an Andrea Pirlo, with that pitbullish tenacity of a Gennaro Gattuso which makes him quite perfect for the modern day M(C)
BEST ATTRIBUTES WITHIN SM25
SM25 HAS ARRIVED TO THE SOCCERMANAGER BLOG!!! 🎉 🙌
Our new interface shows the attributic stats that make up an individual player within SM25, and over the course of this mini-pack we will be showcasing the best attributes for each player so that you have a clear understanding of what the ‘SMW Superstar’ excels at which will of course aid in both your tactical decision making and your ability to visualize what will be happening within a match…
Every World Class Player (94-99within SMW) has a host of various top-level attributes but we are only focusing on the ones that are ’80’ and higher as to be able to perform a specific trait at this level puts them within the upper echelons of that specific skill…
Nicoló Barella excels at what you would expect a player of a similar mold (like a Mateo Kovačić) to excel at with attributes like Passing, Creativity, Work Rate, and Composure all representing Nicoló’s game well. The creators of the Soccermanager franchise (Invincibles Studio) got most of the Italian’s attributes spot on albeit we would’ve made some slight changes (like reducing his Passing since he isn’t the best passing M(C) in the world, while increasing his Dribbling which was at a measly 77, for example)
BEST ROLES
Nicoló is of a rear breed of ‘Box to Box’ Midfielder that excels both in the creative and physical departments which give his various Soccer Managers a nice list of options tactically in terms of how they can consider utilizing the Italian international and Internazionale Vice Captain. And it’s this kind of content that make us stand out from the crowd as many others would think that the Italian should be able to play anywhere in midfield since he is rated ’94’ and is positioned as aDM,M,AM(C), but that’s just not the case, and after today’s episode you Soccermanagerites will know exactly how to get the absolute best out of NicolóA midfield trio might be Nicoló’s fortay, but he is more than capable of operating in a double pivot due to his physical prowess without losing any of his strengths within his game…Nicoló can also thrive in a more attacking position (say, as a no.10), albeit he is limited to the role in which he will be playing if you were to ever play him in such a position. More on this once we get to the best teammates to associate him withAs per usual, we have to display how Nicoló will operate within a back 3/5 formation, but this time we also showcase that he is an accomplished ‘Playmaker’ as well as his natural role as a ‘Box to Box’ Midfielder. Nicoló possesses enough creativity to be given this responsibility, but we’ll get into the extra requirements necessary for it to work properly in a minute…
HOW TO BEST USE HIM
Nicoló Barella is indeed a solid representation of the modern day M(C) which is why we have him playing in the typical formation that almost every team plays in world football, with the option of him technically or explosively seeking to exploit his opposition
WHO ARE THE BEST TEAMMATES
As with every SMW Superstar, there are stipulations required in order to get the absolute best out of them and we have these stipulations in the form of a ‘Ball Playing Defender’ and ‘Wingback’ within the backline, a ‘Playmaker’ alongside him, and any type of ‘Target Man’ up front (‘Robust, Technical or Explosive’). The ‘B.P.D’ adds an extra creative aspect to your team’s build up play which allows Nicoló to play more of his high energy game. The Italian is indeed a box crashing type of M(C) who enjoys getting in the box which is why a ‘Wingback’ will be necessary in order for Nicoló to get that extra bit of time necessary to make the box and get unto the end of one those ‘Wingback’ crosses. A ‘Playmaker’ is pretty self explanatory since he will do most of the creativity while Nicoló will do most of the leg work (it is also important to note that if you choose a ‘Playmaker’ it means that Nicoló will automatically play as an ‘Explosive Box to Box’ Midfielder unless you’re playing a possession based style of play). Lastly, We’ll need to utilize one of Barella’s best traits which is his movement, and there’s no better No.9 to have within the team to do this than a ‘Target Man’ who excels at playing with their back to goal in order for Nicoló to continually make runs off of him. It is almost a similar set up in a formation like the 4-2-3-1B, with both the ‘B.P.D’ and ‘Wingback’ still intact, while we have the addition of an explosive type ‘Winger’ since ‘Technical Wingers’ don’t play their best in a 4-2-3-1B. This ‘Winger’ will be doing a similar job to the ‘Wingback’ in that they give the Italian time to find himself inside the box to get on the end of their crosses. We also have a ‘Classic No.10’ in that number 10 slot behind the F(C) which negates Nicolo’s need to be too obsessive with getting unto the ball and making his team tick. Of course, the ‘Target Man’ remains the focal point in order for Nicoló to have extra time to get into the boxAs you can clearly see Soccermanagerite, there’s a pattern that is on display here as no matter the formation or position, the support cast of Nicoló Barella should remain the same if you truly want him to be one of the best players within your gameworld. This time we have Nicoló in a 4-2-3-1A and has been given the task of being your no.10. He’ll seek to drive his team up the pitch as much as he can via the use of his dribbling capabilities, but his primary aim will be to get into the box and become a goal-scoring midfielder with each of his key teammates doing the exact job that we’ve already explained Lastly, we have Nicoló playing as your ‘Playmaker’. Like we mentioned earlier, he has a bit of Pirlo within him which means that he could be given the responsibility of dictating your game, but Nicoló is quite limited in terms of how much he actually wants to do such a task (forget about what you see on SM25…). He’ll recycle the ball well enough, but when it comes to making those killer passes that the elite of the elite can do in their sleep, he may choose the route of taking an extra touch so that he can utilize his dribbling capabilities or even just get a bit closer to goal based on his habitual instincts. We mean, you can play him as your ‘Playmaker’, but it is VERY important that he has at least one other support cast capable of assisting him in possession which is why we both recommend that you play a ‘B.P.D’ behind of him and aim to only choose to use the Italian as your ‘Playmaker’ in 3 or 5 at the back formations since he may just give away the ball more often due to his desire for a dribble. In addition to everything mentioned, Nicoló won’t change up his game that much, so a wide player willing to put crosses into the box, and a ‘Target Man’ who will hold itup are still crucialHere we have another important part of your tactical growth… The ONLY way to ensure that Barella (and every other player) will be operating as your primary Playmaker is to tick the ‘Use Playmaker box’ and place his name in the ‘Playmaker’ slot. There is no other way around thisIf you were ever wondering what will happen if you placed Nicoló’s name under the ‘Playmaker’ slot without ticking the ‘U.P M’ box then it will indicate that you are aiming to use Barella as a ‘Technical Box to Box’ Midfielder. This won’t always work for every player which is why it’s very important for you to understand the differences between each player within SMW (ESPECIALLY the Superstars!)
We absolutely adore Nicoló Barella and his trajectory as a player so far within his career. Internazionale better take heed as he could be on another big club’s radar in 2025.
Coming up next, we have a once teenage sensation, who was then considered a flop, to then become a good player, to now being arguably the world’s best player within his current position…
The Soccermanager Experience 