In the 85th minute, Sneijder was replaced by Montari. It was quite obvious that Benitez was reserving strength for the Champions League match in the middle of next week. During this game, Sneijder was subjected to fierce aggression from the opponent seven times, which also made Inter Milan nervous. For the purpose of protection, Benitez took him off early. Despite having experienced continuous midweek fixtures, at least from the situation of this game, there was no problem with Sneijder's physical condition. The Italian National Television gave a forecast at the end of the match: In the upcoming midweek match against Tottenham, Inter Milan will undoubtedly strive for victory, and Sneijder and Eto'o will be the biggest guarantees.
In the 39th minute of the match, Eto'o opened the door to success for Inter Milan, and the assist came precisely from Sneijder. From the interception to the backheel chip pass, Sneijder completed a series of actions within a few seconds. In front of Cagliari's defensive players, Sneijder's skills were displayed to their fullest extent. The "Milan Sports Daily" directly stated that half the credit for Eto'o's goal went to Sneijder. The Italian National Television also believed that Sneijder's condition during this game was no less than Sneijder himself; it was the two of them who jointly delivered victory to Inter Milan.
During this game, Sneijder had a total of 55 passes, one-third of which were through balls. His passing success rate reached 93%, ranking second among Inter Milan's starting players, only slightly behind captain Javier Zanetti. However, most of Zanetti's passes were lateral or backward passes. In comparison, Sneijder's data is more valuable. Additionally, the cooperation efficiency between Sneijder and the three main attacking players - Biabiany, Coutinho, and Eto'o - was 80%. Once Inter Milan launched an attack, the ball almost always had to be passed to Sneijder's feet for organization. What is the true core of midfield? Sneijder has already given the answer.
This summer, Sneijder followed the Netherlands to become the runner-up in the World Cup, and due to his outstanding performance, he became a hot candidate for the FIFA Ballon d'Or this year. After the baptism of the tournament, Sneijder underwent a fundamental change. Looking back at last season, although the Dutchman helped Inter Milan achieve the triple crown, his assists were mostly long-distance through balls. Moreover, long-range shots and free kicks were also Sneijder's treasures, as analyzed by the "Milan Sports Daily," the then Sneijder was more like an attacking midfielder rather than a brain like Xavi. But since the start of this season, whether in Inter Milan or the Dutch national team, Sneijder's short-pass penetration has significantly increased, and the efficiency and threat are breathtaking.
Last week during the international break, Sneijder helped the Netherlands secure two victories. Whether facing weaker opponents like Moldova or stronger ones like Sweden, Sneijder's through balls left the opponents helpless. The Dutch "Telegraaf" specially made statistics showing that in the two matches, Sneijder's through ball success rate astonishingly reached 70%. Such an impressive efficiency might even be incomparable to Xavi during his prime. And after returning to Inter Milan, Sneijder continued such form.
Inter Milan never lacked super forwards capable of breaking down defenses; in recent seasons, the successive eruptions of Milito and Eto'o have become the nightmare of all teams. But the real qualitative change in the blue-black army's offensive system mainly depended on Sneijder's magic. After the baptism of the World Cup, this Dutch core has completed the transformation from a forward attacker to the brain of the team. Real Madrid may have already regretted letting go of a master comparable to Xavi.