Serie A Team of the Season

Putting together a best XI to represent an entire season of football is not a simple task. There may always be a few clear cut choices but other selections will inevitably be argued and scrutinized endlessly until a concensus can be agreed upon. Partisan viewpoints surely color the decisions of those creating the list and only serve to further complicate the process.

Now that I have your attention…

Lucky for me then that I’m the only Serie A contributor around these parts!

Relax, relax. I refrained from choosing the entire Milan squad.

Did I choose anyone from Inter? No. But while they did finish second, the season has to be called a disappointment by honest fan of the Nerazzurri. And a few of them made the second team, so they weren’t completely overlooked.

So here they are, my totally objective, third rate choices for Serie A team of the season. I know the midfield’s a bit crowded with similar players, but I tried to select those players who I honestly thought played the best football, regardless of their typical role.

Debate is encouraged. Clever jabs at Serie A will be tolerated. Enjoy!

2010-2011 Serie A Best XI

Abbiati

Maggio – Nesta – Thiago Silva – Balzaretti

Totti – Hernanes – Hamsik – Cossu

Cavani – Di Natale

GK – Christian Abbiati (AC Milan) – Simply put, AC Milan keeper Christian Abbiati lived up to his occasional nickname this year: “The Beast”. Abbiati led all Serie A goalkeepers with 18 clean sheets and posted a remarkable 0.54 goals against average. He was the only keeper to come in with a GAA under 1. When Milan were not at their sharpest, Abbiati was always there with a strong strong presence to keep things from unraveling. He certainly had a capable defense in front of him, but he was responsible for his fair share of the Rossoneri’s points during this championship season. Abbiati waited in Dida’s shadow (can you even imagine?) for a long while, but his patience has paid off and resulted in what will go down as a historic domestic campaign for a Milan goalkeeper.

LB – Federico Balzaretti (Palermo) – It might seem a little odd to include a Palermo defender, seeing as how the club conceded the second most goals in Serie A. But the Rosanero’s Federico Balzaretti has established himself  as an extremely capable defender over the last few seasons and his performance this year has earned him his first call-ups to the full Azzurri squad. Balzaretti chipped in with 2 goals and 7 assists, establishing himself as one of Serie A’s most talented left backs. He put in some tireless performances when it appeared others on his team were less interested and the fact that he has been linked to bigger clubs should come as no surprise.

CBs – Alessandro Nesta and Thiago Silva (AC Milan) - This is the last of the Milan men, I promise. But I will defend the selection of this central defensive pairing as the center backs of the season to my grave. With all the flair Milan played with at times this year, it would be easy to forget that this scudetto was won at the back. Milan gave up only 24 goals this season, and while they enjoyed solid fullback play at times, it was Nesta and Thiago Silva who deserve the lion’s share of the plaudits. I decided to include them together here because that is how they most effectively dominated Serie A this year. Nesta’s experience and positional sense, combined with Silva’s pace and tenacity made the Rossoneri one tough egg to crack all year. Silva deserves to be in on his own, but when Nesta was out even he suffered a bit trying to make up for some of the weaknesses of the various replacements. So over a few other possible CB candidates, Nesta joins his  partner and they go in as a pair.

RB – Christian Maggio (Napoli) - Napoli exploited the wings to great effect this season and the marauding runs of Christian Maggio terrorized opposing defenses already tied up with the likes of Cavani, Hamsik, and Lavezzi. This is maybe a bit of a copout since Maggio is more often used as a winger in Mazzarri’s preferred 3-5-2, but he’s been an RB almost his whole career, so I’m doing it anyways. Maggio scored 4 goals and pitched in with 5 assists for the 3rd place finishers. Along with Balzaretti, Cassani, Criscito, and Abate, Maggio joins an Italian fullback corps that leaves Mr. Prandelli spoiled for choice.

MF – Hernanes (Lazio) - The 25 year old Brazilian was the motor that made Lazio go for much of the season. Often playing in the deep role required of him by Edy Reja, Hernanes nonetheless led the Roman side with 11 goals and threw in 5 assists for good measure. He made some mazy runs from very deep positions and proved adept at providing a killer pass as well. While he may lack the flair of your typical Brazilian footballer, Hernanes was a pleasant surprise for Lazio fans this season, and his ability to fit perfectly into Lazio’s system earns him a place on this list.

MF – Andrea Cossu (Cagliari) - Cagliari lost their manager in the off-season and their top scorer in the winter transfer window. It’s a good thing they hung on to Andrea Cossu. The 31-year old Cagliari native finished second in Serie A with 13 assists and after Matri’s departure it was Cossu’s knack for spreading the ball around that helped balance out his side’s attack. He’s been a late bloomer, but this was by far his best season for his hometown club. While Cagliari dropped off towards the end of the season, Cossu’s steady presence ensured a comfortable finish for the Sardinians.

MF – Francesco Totti (Roma) - Totti can be a polarizing figure, even among Roma fans. Some bemoan that he remains the avenue through which Roma are seemingly required to play through, while others feel his talismanic importance to the club merits the large amounts of respect (and cash) that he is afforded. Whatever side of the debate you may fall on, there is no denying that Totti had a fine season. Totti was Serie A’s highest scoring midfield player with 15 goals, good enough to finish 7th in the league and pass 200 domestic goals all time. He also led Roma in assists with 8. It wasn’t just quantity that matters in Totti’s case though. He has a knack for popping up when Roma need him most and took many vital penalties for the inconsistent Giallorossi. With all sorts of turmoil at the club, Roma needed a rock this year. Il numero dieci provided it as usual.

MF – Marek Hamsik (Napoli) - Looks don’t count, so Hamsik’s contribution to Napoli’s free-flowing football this year can’t be overlooked. His continued development has proven he’s no flash in the pan, and his consistency puts him in this list above worthy teammate Lavezzi. Hamsik is a multi-tool player, with sneaky strength, an eye for goal, and an improved ability to control play. His 11 goals put him second among midfielders with Hernanes and honorary mentionee Javier Pastore. Napoli have just jumped onto a lot of peoples’ radars this season but they’ve been building something for some time and Hamsik has always been a vital part of that.

ST – Edinson Cavani (Napoli) – Napoli coming in tied with Milan with 3 players on this list is a testament to the style and skill that they played with this year. Their defense was solid but it was when they got forward that they became a real joy to watch. And the focal point of it all was Edinson Cavani. The Uruguayan standout scored all types of goals this year, often in bunches, and has become one of the most talked about strikers in world football. With 26 goals and a surprising 6 assists, Cavani had the strength to anchor Napoli’s attack and the flexibility to work with his talented teammates Hamsik and Lavezzi, often to lethal effect. This will be a fun squad, and a fun player to watch in next season’s Champions League.

OK, here's one WAG for you. Di Natale likes 'em zaftig.

ST – Antonio Di Natale (Udinese) - At 33 years of age and standing just 5 ft 7 in, Antonio Di Natale is your 2010-2011 Serie A top scorer. The evergreen Naples native lives to score, and with 28 tallies, he scored nearly half of his teams goals. Bologna works with a similar model in Di Vaio. But they finished 16th. Di Natale’s Udinese squad enjoyed an incredible second half of the season to qualify for Serie A’s final Champions League berth.Yes, Di Natale had a capable strike partner in Chile’s Alexis Sanchez, a future star of European football. But still, anyone who came up against Udinese this season knew not to let Di Natale beat them, yet he did it time and time again. Last year’s Player of the Year had yet another stellar season, and for me, should keep getting regular looks for the Azzurri while he stays on this kind of form.

2010-2011 Serie A Honorable Mention XI

Stefano Sorrentino (Chievo Verona)

Mattia Cassani (Palermo) - Lucio (Inter) - Alessandro Gamberini (Fiorentina) - Domenico Criscito (Genoa)

Javier Pastore (Palermo) - Dejan Stankovic (Inter) - Clarence Seedorf (Milan) – Ezequiel Lavezzi (Napoli)

Marco Di Vaio (Bologna) - Samuel Eto’o (Inter)

Good things come to those who wait.