Our Serie A All Star Team hosts five players from the top two, with Inter contributing three to Milan’s couple. With four of those five being defensive players, only one of our more attack-minded options comes from either of the Milan sides. Lazio are the only other team to supply more than one, with outstanding performances from midfield giving two of their players a slot:
Christian Abbiati is the top-rated keeper in Serie A, in a season that saw the Milan man play in 35 of his side’s games, missing just 3. Abbiati conceded just 24 goals in the entire campaign, chalking up a fantastic 20 Clean Sheets and he even picked up 1 Man of the Match award, for an overall rating of 6.98.
Maicon took part in just 28 of Inter’s fixtures but the right-back’s importance at the back and going forward stands out. He may have scored just 1 Goal from an impressive 1.2 Shots per game but Maicon was one of Inter’s key creators, averaging 2.11 Key Passes and picking up 8 Assists, with a Pass Accuracy of 84%. He also averaged 1.1 Successful Dribbles and won 60% of Aerial Duels on his way to 1 Man of the Match award. Defensively, Maicon’s importance is shown by 1.6 Tackles, 1.8 Interceptions and 2.8 Clearances per game, as he averaged 7.34.
Lucio is the second Inter player in the back four, with the centre-half managing 30 starts last season. As expected, it’s his defensive stats that impress the most; 2.9 Tackles, 4.9 Interceptions, 6.2 Clearances and 0.7 Blocked Shots highlights just how key his presence in defence is for Leonardo, with Inter managing only 10 Clean Sheets. Lucio was good in the air, too, winning 59% of Aerial Duels and his ease in taking the ball out of defence and distributing is shown by the 1.3 Successful Dribbles and a Pass Accuracy of 86%. Lucio scored 1 Goal and made 1 Assist, winning 2 Man of the Match awards for an average of 7.52, out top-rated Serie A defender.
Thiago Silva was immense at centre-half for Milan, starting 33 of the club’s matches as he helped the champions to the above-mentioned 20 Clean Sheets. Silva made 2.1 Tackles, 2.2 Interceptions, an amazing 7.5 Clearances and 0.5 Blocked Shots per game, in addition to winning 69% Aerial Duels. His distribution was outstanding- 92%- and Silva grabbed 1 Goal on his way to 3 Man of the Match awards for a rating of 7.45.
Domenico Criscito gets the nod for left-back in our XI, for a season that saw him start 36 of Genoa’s games. Criscito made a fantastic 3.8 Tackles as well as 2.7 Interceptions and 6.1 Clearances, helping his team to chalk up 12 Clean Sheets for the season. Going forward, his contribution isn’t quite so spectacular, though his average 0.75 Key Passes saw him make 3 Assists. Criscito also managed 0.9 Shots per game but failed to find the net, indicating his somewhat wayward shooting. With 4 Man of the Match awards, he carded 7.18 for the season.
Hernanes was crucial playing in the hole for Lazio last term, helping his side to a fifth place finish. He was more of a goal threat than a creator, though; 11 Goals and 2.7 Shots per game saw him end as top scorer and biggest goal threat. Hernanes showed plenty trickery, with 1.9 Successful Dribbles per game and had an 81% Pass Accuracy, picking up 5 Assists from an average of 1.36 Key Passes. His 35 starts also saw him average 2 Tackles per game, picking up 5 Man of the Match awards for an average of 7.27.
Mauro Zarate showed an adaptability for Lazio last term, playing in four different positions; all across the attacking midfield and up front. Zarate shone throughout, grabbing 9 Goals in his 28 starts as he averaged 2.3 Shots per game. The Argentine picked up 7 Assists, making 1.71 Key Passes per game and tormented teams aplenty with an average 2,2 Successful Dribbles. Zarate won 5 Man of the Match awards and was rated 7.06 for the season.
Luis Jimenez takes his place in left midfield for his performances over 30 games for Cesena. Similar to Zarate, Jimenez played in every the attacking midfield position and up front for his club, finishing top goalscorer with 9 Goals from an average 1.35 Shots, in addition to being the club’s main creator, making 1.97 Key Passes per game for an unfortunate return of just 2 Assists. Jiminez had 1.3 Successful Dribbles per game but also helped out defensively, with 1.7 Tackles and 1.3 Interceptions per game, an indication of his work rate. He picked up 2 Man of the Match awards for a rating of 7.00.
Josep Ilicic excelled as an attacking central midfielder in Palermo’s 4-2-3-1, his eye for a pass highlighted by the 2.56 Key Passes per game (superior to team mate Javier Pastore) that harvested 7 Assists. Ilicic isn’t full of tricks like Pastore, making just 1 Successful Dribble per game, with his Passing Accuracy (83%) enough to make all the difference. He averaged 1.6 Shots per game, scoring 8 Goals and picking up 3 Man of the Match awards for a season average of 7.28, the best of our midfielders.
Antonio Di Natale ended last season as Serie A top scorer; 28 Goals from 35 starts indicates just how deadly his eye for goal was. Playing as part of a front pairing in Udinese’s preferred 3-5-2 formation, Di Natale had 3.2 Shots per game and also averaged 2.06 Key Passes, his side’s chief creator. 7 Assists were, resultantly, the highest of any Udinese player. Di Natale picked up 8 Man of the Match awards and rated 7.62, the highest rated of any Serie A player.
Samuel Eto’o played mainly through the middle up front for Inter and showed he’s lost little of his goalscoring touch. Eto’o grabbed 21 Goals for the runners-up and averaged 2.55 Shots per game, more than any team mate. Eto’o was third best creator for Leonardo’s side, making 1.77 Key Passes per game, which saw him pick up 9 Assists. With an 81% Pass Accuracy and a fantastic 2.7 Successful Dribbles per game, Eto’o won 10 Man of the Match awards for a rating of 7.59.
