Tammy Abraham & Bremer Headline Serie A Team Of The Year

AC Milan won their first title in 11 years, leaving their rivals lamenting as they partied in Piazza del Duomo. But who were the best players in Serie A this term? Let’s take a look at our Team of the Season, with the caveat that we only allowed one player from each club to make things interesting.

Goalkeeper: Mike Maignan (AC Milan)

This couldn’t really be anyone else could it? Stepping in to replace Gianluigi Donnarumma should’ve been a difficult task, but Maignan did it seamlessly after his €15 million ($16.06m) move from Lille last summer.

He kept 17 clean sheets in 32 Serie A appearances and – according to this report – ended the campaign with the highest save percentage (79.4%) of any goalkeeper across the top five European leagues.

Right Back: Petar Stojanovic (Empoli)

A surprising name to many, but the 26-year-old was excellent down the right flank all season. According to WhoScored.com he created 1.1 scoring chances per 90 minutes, while averaging 3.2 tackles and 1.0 interceptions to put himself on the radar of Serie A’s bigger clubs.

Central Defence: Gleison Bremer (Torino)

The hottest defender on the transfer market this summer, Bremer exploded this term with consistently brilliant performances at the heart of the Granata backline that saw him named Serie A’s best defender.

Signed for just €5.8 million ($6.2m) back in 2018, his play has been so good that many reports expect a move for him this off season could cost potential suitors as much as €45 million ($48.13m).

Central Defence: Khalidou Koulibaly (Napoli)

Although there is no doubt that Milan duo of Fiyako Tomori and Pierre Kalulu deserve a mention here for their stellar play, the limit of one player per team has pushed other names to the fore, and Koulibaly was back to his best this season after struggling somewhat last term.

Now almost 31 years old, he was key to helping the Partenopei concede a Serie A-best 31 goals this term, but spent much of the past month deflecting questions about his future. The Sengal star is out of contract in June 2023 and Napoli owner Aurelio De Laurentiis has already admitted he can’t force a player to stay with the club if they want to leave.

Left Back: Destiny Udogie (Udinese)

Theo Hernandez was clearly a standout performer at this position, but Udogie was also impressive for an Udinese side that were easy to overlook this term. The 19-year-old had five goals and four assists while looking solid defensively, and it would be no surprise to see the Zebrette make a major profit on a player who cost them just €5 million ($5.35m).

Central Midfield: Sergej Milinković-Savić (Lazio)

Speaking of players who could be sold for a huge profit this summer, could this finally be the year that Lazio cash in on a 27-year-old who they signed for less than €10 million ($10.07m)?

According to many reports that is indeed the case, with some of Europe’s biggest clubs circling after Maurizio Sarri returned Milinković-Savić to top form, weighing in with 11 goals and 11 assists.

Central Midfield: Lucas Torreira (Fiorentina)

Marcelo Brozovic was key to Inter’s midfield, but the same can be said of the former Arsenal man who embodies everything positive that Vincenzo Italiano brought to Fiorentina. He finished the season with five goals and one assist, but it was his dogged, ferocious and relentless style that won over supporters of La Viola.

Central Midfield: Manuel Locatelli (Juventus)

Adapting immediately to life with the Turin giants, Manuel Locatelli clearly loved representing the team he supported as a boy and he brought some much-needed energy to a previously stale Juve midfield.

Along with Dusan Vlahovic, Federico Chiesa and Matthijs de Ligt, he is a player who provides hope for the Old Lady’s future after an underwhelming campaign that was discussed in detail in this previous column.

Right Wing: Domenico Berardi (Sassuolo)

Another excellent season with the Neroverdi for Berardi, who had an impressive 15 goals and in double figures for assists too, he provided a constant threat down the right flank as well as from set pieces.

Striker: Tammy Abraham (AS Roma)

Ciro Immobile, the Fiorentina version of Dusan Vlahovic, and of course Victor Osimhen could all have taken this spot, but instead it goes to Abraham for a wonderful debut campaign on the peninsula.

Seventeen league goals – including two against bitter rivals Lazio – have endeared him to the Giallorossi faithful, and the UEFA
EFA
Conference League

Left Wing: Ivan Perisic (Inter)

Rafael Leao undoubtedly deserves this spot, but the one player per team rule sees it go to Ivan Perisic instead, who was arguably the star man this term for Inter. Tirelessly manning the left flank, the Croatian had eight goals and seven assists despite primarily operating as a wing-back, and it is unthinkable that he might leave the Nerazzurri this summer.