Benjamin Pavard could be a more ideal fit than Milan Skriniar at Inter Milan, based on their respective statistics.

This is the view in today’s print edition of Turin-based newspaper Tuttosport, via FCInterNews.

27-year-old French international Pavard will be the replacement for Skriniar on the right of Inter’s back three.

And part of the reason for this is that the role in Simone Inzaghi’s system perfectly suits the Frenchman’s style.

In the case of Skriniar, the Slovakian former Sampdoria defender made plenty of great performances on the right. He did so under both Inzaghi and Antonio Conte.

However, one issue had been that Skriniar was never fully comfortable as a wide defender.

In terms of his natural position, the 28-year-old has always been an out-and-out centre-back. He is not the quickest in his position, and relishes the defensive side of the game – tackling, marking, winning the ball, and physically battling with forwards.

Therefore, there was always a bit of an adaptation to what a coach like Inzaghi wants from the player on the right of his backline.

How Pavard Suits Inter Better Than Skriniar

The player who perhaps best represents what Inzaghi wants from a defender in a wide role is Alessandro Bastoni.

The 24-year-old plays on the left side of Inter’s back three.

Bastoni doesn’t struggle with the defensive side of the game. However, it is not where he shines brightest.

Rather, Bastoni has always particularly caught the eye with how he contributes to the attack.

The Italian international can move the ball forward in the buildup phase very comfortably. Moreover, he is capable of contributing in the final third, with telling passes and assists for his teammates.

Skriniar, by contrast, never quite contributed in this way.

The Slovakian was always most adept at defending.

Pavard, by contrast, has a slightly different balance. The Frenchman is capable of playing at right-back or centre-back.

Inter’s back three gives Pavard an opportunity to play somewhere between the two.

As Tuttosport notes, Skriniar’s pass completion rate may be 91.7% compared to Pavard’s 89.9%. However, the Frenchman is well ahead in terms of progressive passes, with 7.11 versus 4.11 per ninety minutes.

And Pavard also tends to win his duels. In the defensive side of the game, the 27-year-old wins the ball 58.5% of the time he tries to.