Inter Milan Defender Stefan De VriJ Lauded For 'Nullifying' Fiorentina Strikers Lucas Beltran & M’Bala Nzola

Stefan de Vrij has come in for praise for his rock-solid display in defense in Inter Milan’s Serie A win over Fiorentina.

As Italian news outlet L’Interista notes, the Dutchman received good grades across the board in the player ratings for the match in Italian media. The ratings particularly highlighted how de Vrij dealt with La Viola’s strikers.

So far this season, de Vrij has started every one of Inter’s Serie A matches.

The 31-year-old had not necessarily been first-choice for a lot of last campaign. That is because of the outstanding performances of Francesco Acerbi after his arrival from Lazio.

However, Acerbi may well find it difficult to regain his place from de Vrij.

The Dutch international has been a key part of the reason why Inter have managed to keep three clean sheets in three matches so far during the season.

Inter Defender Stefan De Vrij Praised For Nullifying Fiorentina Striker Beltran & Nzola

Against Fiorentina yesterday, de Vrij’s main job was to mark Fiorentina’s central striker.

In the first half of the match, that was Lucas Beltran.

The Argentine arrived at Fiorentina this summer from River Plate with a significant reputation.

However, Beltran was not able to make much of a dent in the Inter backline. It was de Vrij who marshalled the Argentine, both in the air and also on the ground.

At halftime, perhaps reacting to Beltran failing to make an impact, Viola coach Vincenzo Italiano decided to shake things up in attack.

On came former Spezia striker M’Bala Nzola in place of the Argentine.

However, the Angolan met more or less the same fate as Beltran.

Up against de Vrij, Nzola was not able to find much time and space on the ball. He was also unable to beat the Inter defender to get any clear chances.

All of the Gazzetta dello Sport, the Corriere dello Sport, Tuttosport, and Tuttosport graded de Vrij 7/10.