Milan Škriniar joined Inter Milan from Sampdoria in the summer of 2017 and has become a mainstay of the Nerazzurris defence since then.
The Slovakian defender has gone from strength to strength and established himself as one of the best centre-backs in Europe.
This tactical analysis will profile Milan Škriniar, utilising statistics and game footage to highlight his strengths.
Who is Milan Škriniar?
Škriniar is a 24-year-old defender from Slovakia.
He started his professional career at MŠK Žilina before moving to Serie A in 2016.
At that point, Škriniar joined Sampdoria after their renowned scouting system had identified him as a future defensive lynchpin.
In his first full season, Škriniar became a regular at the heart of defence as Marco Giampaolo established his footballing philosophy at the club.
After a successful season, Inter targeted Škriniar as the man to build their defence around as they looked to build a team capable of challenging Juventus for the Scudetto.
Škriniar had a tremendous first season at the club and has continued to impress this season, alongside either Stefan De Vrij or Miranda, at the heart of Inters defence.
Despite his age and relative inexperience, Škriniar has become one of Inters most important players.
Milan Škriniar style of play
What kind of defender is Milan Škriniar, then?
Actually, the Slovakian is quite the complete package.
In Serie A this season, Škriniar averages 2 tackles, 4 clearances and 0.9 interceptions per game.
Hes extremely good physically, both in the air and along the ground, with impressive speed.
Below, Ill examine his one-on-one defending, positioning, and passing.
Fantastic one-on-one defending
Whats most impressive about Škriniar is his one-on-one defending.
This is due to him doing the basics extremely well.
The image below is a case study illustrating how to defend oneself in one-on-one situations.
Firstly, Škriniar looks at the ball rather than Coutinhos quick feet, looking to deceive him.
The way he positions his feet is exemplary.
He is always side-on, and that allows him to move in all directions.
Here, Škriniar can move to his right, to his left and towards Coutinho.
This is what allows him to push forward, make the tackle and win the ball here.
The image below highlights Škriniar defending one-on-one against one of Serie As best dribblers, Alejandro Gómez.
The defender has a perfect body position to defend the situation.
If Gómez goes down the line, Škriniar can
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