29 years old with a light but solid frame. Best as a lone pivoté. The lynch pin for Contes Inter and vital to their Scudetto winning campaign. High volume passer with an excellent variety of techniques and ranges. Comfortable at breaking lines. Comfortable with receiving deep as an extra CB. Comfortable with receiving high as an advanced DM. World class reading of the game allows him to dictate tempo and find important progressive passes to open up pockets of space in the final 3rd, although he rarely enters it himself with only 4.7 prog carries p90 (69th percentile for midfielders). Ambipedal with a strong bias towards his right, but no bias when confronted with challenging angles. Excellent at playing in the press shadow of the opponent midfielders/forwards. Very press resistant, providing an excellent spatial outlet for his CB’s.
Tackling: Very narrow and upright approach. Phenomenal timing and reading of the game allows him to do this without significant impact on performance. Possibly retains energy. Aggressive core in the tackle, but avoids follow through when possible. Very leggy. Can be too narrow making him slow to turn. 3.5/5
Aerials: Solid presence in the air. Decent jump. Very good core strength mid-air. Not much acrobaticism. 3/5
Ball Striking/Control: World class passing range and versatility. Comfortable with both feet. Intelligent receiving, good first touch. Beautiful and consistent weight of pass. Elite accuracy allowing him to thread the needle easily. Fantastic choice of pass. Good carrying when necessary, prefers to pass. One of the best passers in the world. 5/5
Shooting: Good shot from distance. Likes to use dip but to an inconsistent degree. Usually aims for the far post from left to right. 3/5
