Thursday, September 22, 2022 at 13:25• Tom Rofekamp • Last update: 13:31

Internazionale’s season is not going smoothly yet. I Nerazzurri bivouacking after seven league matches in seventh place in the Serie A and also conceded eleven goals; a feat in which only the four lowest-ranked teams surpass them. The fingers begin to point en masse to the central trio, where Stefan de Vrij in particular seems to be getting the hang of it.

Inter have conceded 13 goals in nine official games across all competitions. The numbers confirm the difficulties the Milan superpower faces in the early stages of the season. Over the past two years, the reliability of the defensive package has been one of the cornerstones of Inter’s success, epitomized by De Vrij, Milian Skriniar and Alessandro Bastoni. However, the performance of the Dutch in particular is becoming increasingly worrying.

De Vrij, whose contract with Inter expires in June, is currently experiencing a period of enormous sporting decline. Should the 58-time the Dutch-international still appear at the kick-off in the first six competition matches, trainer Simone Inzaghi chose Francesco Acerbi against Udinese (3-1 loss). In that game, De Vrij was allowed to show up in the 79th minute. The stopper was responsible for Jaka Bijol’s winning goal, by first ‘giving away’ the preceding corner and then losing sight of his man. It was a mistake that was not overlooked by Inzaghi.

For the first time in his five seasons as an Inter player, De Vrij’s position is under discussion. His performance raises many questions for the Milanese, given that the ex-Feyenoord player will run out of his contract in nine months. Inter is urging De Vrij to provide clarity about his future, but has not yet received this. That, combined with his loss of form, could have huge consequences for his playing time this season.