De Vrij - Skriniar: The components of the Inter wall receive recognition

MILAN - When ‘Skriniar-De Vrij’ is written, the first thing that springs to mind is ‘Nerazzurri wall’. Their embrace at the end of the #DerbyMilano came after magnificent performances by the pair, both defensively and in the opposition penalty area. Together, Stefan De Vrij and Milan Skriniar form a barrier that Inter fans love – fans that have historically been used to watching strong central defenders that provide security at the back. The Dutch centre-back capped off an incredible display against Milan with a header that found the back of the net to make it 0-2. This was a perfect response to the mistake he made in the Europa League against Eintracht. After all, champions always react.

De Vrij’s impressive displays are backed up by the statistics provided by Opta, who have ranked him in the top 11 when it comes to how Serie A players performed over winter. Twelve games were played over this period, with De Vrij having played every minute (1,080) and having displayed excellent performance levels. The Dutch defender has been named as one of the best performers on the basis of certain criteria that took into account last man tackles, interceptions and, last but not least, decisive goals. And that’s not all: out of all the players who played every single Serie A game this winter, the Dutchman was the best in terms of successful passes (90.6% pass completion).

Then there’s Milan Skriniar, De Vrij’s defensive partner. The Slovakian defender, who was also impeccable in the #DerbyMilano, has just received an important award in his country: he has been named as the most-loved player in Slovakia after a vote was held. This recognition follows on from the centre-back just missing out on being named as Slovakia’s footballer of the year in 2018. He came in second place just behind Marek Hamsik. Well done, Milan… keep it up!