However, the midfielder feels his form is now returning.
“It happened the season we won the title,” he admitted. “When everyone was criticizing me at the start of the season.
“They were saying I wasn’t the usual Barella.
“There was a period where I wasn’t performing at my best due to personal reasons.
“I didn’t have a great passion for football. It was just work to me.
“I’ve never really spoken about these things, because I have a wife I can talk to about everything and I spoke with teammates and friends.
“They did something important by telling me to get over that moment.
“I was strong. Then finally my goal came, against Napoli. And from then on I started playing better.”
“I didn’t feel alone,” Barella added. “I felt like I was helping my teammates.”