Inter Milan defender Stefan de Vrij has won praise for his dominant performance at the back against Lecce yesterday.
Today’s print edition of Turin-based newspaper Tuttosport, via FCInterNews, highlight the Dutchman’s indomitable presence in defense and give him a 7/10 score in the player ratings for the match.
Inter kept yet another clean sheet in Serie A yesterday evening.
And they owe a lot of that to the performance from defender de Vrij.
The 32-year-old former Lazio defender started his third match in a row across all competitions. With fellow ex-Biancocelesti man Francesco Acerbi still out injured, de Vrij marshalled the defense.
And it was a highly convincing display from the Dutch international.
Stefan De Vrij Lauded For Defensive Performance Vs Lecce
De Vrij even grabbed his first goal of the season from a corner.
But considering that this was for Inter’s fourth goal in a match where the team were already going downhill, it was just about the least important goal that the Dutchman will ever score.
Therefore, the header may give de Vrij even more confidence, but it was not the real strength of his performance.
The former Lazio and Feyenoord man had plenty of work to do at the back, however.
Lecce played an aggressive, high-tempo style, particularly in the first half.
This meant that Inter’s penalty area was under a lot of pressure.
De Vrij had to contend with 23-year-old striker Roberto Piccoli, a player whose physical presence has caused problems for a number of defenders in Serie A.
But the Atalanta-owned striker got little joy out of de Vrij.
The 32-year-old used all his experience, as well as formidable physical presence, to keep Piccoli quiet.
On the ground and in the air, de Vrij’s marking job was virtually flawless.
And the Dutchman’s calmness and awareness in the penalty area was the glue that kept a makeshift backline with Carlos Augusto and Yann Bisseck in it together.
