Armband humility! Barella insists Lautaro is true leader despite inspiring Inter comeback

Nicolo Barella wore the captain's armband in the absence of the injured Lautaro Martinez as Inter secured a hard-fought 3-1 victory over Bologna. The Italian midfielder played a pivotal role in turning the tide, setting up Marcus Thuram's equalizing header just before half-time.

Despite wearing the armband, Barella remained quick to defer leadership status to Martinez.

He praised his team-mates for showing maturity after conceding early at the Dall'Ara.

Speaking after the match, Barella made it clear that Martinez's influence inside the dressing room remains unmatched regardless of injury. "The captain is Lauti, even if he's not here," Barella stated. "He's been here for years, I just want to help."

"I think I've shown that I care over these years, even without the armband."

"I can only congratulate Carlos Augusto. When you have players like him coming in so well, it shows everyone is aiming to help Inter win."

Despite the positive result, Barella warned that Inter must eliminate slow starts to avoid putting unnecessary pressure on themselves. "We know we need to improve," Barella admitted. "Even today we struggled in the opening minutes."

"We can improve our approach, because if we change that, we'll become really difficult to play against."

"Football is like that, but everyone is working to defend the Scudetto on our chest."

Barella's leadership and creative output proved essential in navigating a tricky away fixture without key starting personnel.

The Nerazzurri will look to refine their early-game focus ahead of upcoming Serie A and European ties.

With Martinez continuing his recovery, Barella and the senior group will keep driving Inter's title defense.