Serie A Team of the Season so far

Carlo Garganese

• Updated: 28 Dec 2021 12:23 GMT
• 7 min read

Serie A may no longer be the best league in the world as it was during its heyday in the 1980s and 1990s but it is hard to argue against it being the most exciting championship.

Once again, in 2021-22, more goals have been scored in Serie A than any of Europe’s other five major leagues.

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With an average of 3.04 goals per match, there have been numerous offensive players who have shone.

This has made selecting a best XI for the first half of the season very difficult but we have done our best here.

Here is FootballTransfers' XI of the best players in Serie A in 2021/22.

GK: Mike Maignan (AC Milan)

There are few bigger tasks in football than having to succeed a goalkeeping phenomenon.

It is a problem that haunted Man Utd for years after Peter Schmeichel left and it is one that many feared would afflict Milan when Gigio Donnarumma left for PSG this past summer.

However, Mike Maignan has been so good that Donnarumma has barely been missed at all.

Apart from one poor game in the Champions League exit to Liverpool – and an unlucky spell on the sidelines - Maignan has been supreme. He has looked like the complete goalkeeper, commanding his box and defence with authority. He will surely be France’s long-term number one very soon.

RB: Juan Cuadrado (Juventus)

It is a mystery why Juan Cuadrado is so unpopular with Juventus fans given his level of output throughout his time in Turin.

He has a brilliant 50 assists during his Juventus career and, although he has none this term, he has been Juve’s most consistent performer from an offensive point of view.

Cuadrado has scored four Serie A goals, just one strike less than Juve’s top scorers (Paulo Dybala and Alvaro Morata).

He scored a crucial late winner against ex-team Fiorentina and hit a rocket into the top corner versus Bologna. He will deservedly sign a new contract, with his current deal expiring at the end of the season.

CB: Milan Skriniar (Inter)

Many expected Inter to decline massively following the exits of Antonio Conte, Romelu Lukaku and Achraf Hakimi, but they appear to be cruising to a second straight Scudetto.

Milan Skriniar has been one of the pillars of the team, leading an Inter defence that has conceded just 15 goals in 19 games.

The Slovakian boasts the heart of a lion, never shy to throw his body in the way and make last-gasp challenges – just watch his performances against Real Madrid and Shakhtar for evidence of this.

But he has also improved this season from a technical point of view. His 92.6% pass accuracy in Serie A ranks third in the whole division.

CB: Bremer (Torino)

Bremer has been highly-rated for a while, with the Brazilian heavily linked with a move to the Premier League last season.

However, it is this season where he has truly exploded and demonstrated that he is certainly ready to join a big club.

The 24-year-old has barely put a foot wrong for a mid-table Torino side that has the fourth best defensive record in Serie A.

The centre back boasts excellent pace, is aggressive and is superb in the air. He has the most interceptions and has won the most headers in the league in 2021-22.

LB: Aaron Hickey (Bologna)

Is there a nation on the planet that has a bigger abundance of top left-backs than Scotland right now?

After Liverpool’s Andrew Robertson and Arsenal Kieran Tierney, another hugely promising Scottish left-back is exploding.

Bologna’s Aaron Hickey, who is still a teenager, has been a revelation this campaign. Far more solid defensively than he was last season, it is going forward where Hickey has really shone.

Technically elegant on the ball, Hickey’s overlapping runs have caused all kind of problems and he has contributed four goals. His form has alerted a number of Premier League clubs.

CM: Marcelo Brozovic (Inter)

Ask any Inter fan who is the one irreplaceable player in their team and they will all reply with the answer; Marcelo Brozovic.

Statistics don’t tell the story of just how important Brozo is for the Nerazzurri. Deployed as the deepest of Inter’s three-man central midfield, he is both the brains and legs of the team.

He directs the play, he protects the back four, he organises the team. He has been the glue that ties everything together.

Statistics don’t tell much of the story of just how good Brozovic is and as we approach 2022 most Serie A fans agree that he has been the player in Serie A.

CM: Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa (Napoli)

Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa has been one of the surprises of the season, not just in Italy but in all of Europe.

Those who watched the Cameroonian at Fulham would not have believed that the central midfielder had it in him to become a top-class player.

However, that is exactly what Anguissa has been since moving to Napoli on loan for the season, with an option to buy.

The 26-year-old has been an indomitable force at the heart of the Napoli side, providing the brawn to Fabian Ruiz’s brain. But for such a big guy, he is also brilliant on the ball and he is fifth in Serie A for the most dribbles.

CM: Hakan Calhanoglu (Inter)

Some Milan fans weren’t too bothered about losing Hakan Calhanoglu on a free transfer this summer to their local rivals Inter.

For while most supporters believed that the Turkish attacking midfielder was a good player, no one believed he was as good as he has been for Inter this season.

Calhanoglu has six goals, only one central midfielder in Serie A has more. He has seven assists, the joint-most in the league. He also has the third-most key passes in Italy and has become the best corner-taker in world football.

Milan fans now feel very differently.

RW: Antonio Candreva (Sampdoria)

Antonio Candreva turns 35 in the new year but he has shown this season that he is still a top Serie A player.

His numbers for an ordinary Sampdoria team are absolutely outstanding. He has five goals – including some absolute screamers – and six assists, just one less than the division leader.

Playing on the right of midfield in a 4-4-2, these are hugely impressive figures. He also has the second most key passes in the league and the second most crosses.

ST: Dusan Vlahovic (Fiorentina)

Cristiano Ronaldo hit 33 Serie A goals in 2020 for Juventus, becoming the first player since 1961 to score that amount in Italy’s top flight.

Dusan Vlahovic matched that amount in 2021, only Robert Lewandowski scored more in all of Europe this calendar year.

The Fiorentina hitman is the top scorer in Serie A this season with 16 goals and at the age of just 21 it is clear that the Serbian is set for the very top of the game.

He will almost certainly leave Fiorentina in 2022 having refused to extend his contract that expires in 2023. All of Europe’s biggest clubs would love to have him.

Giovanni Simeone (Verona)

After scoring just six goals for Cagliari last season and only 24 over the past three campaigns, many people felt that Giovanni Simeone’s top-level career was over.

But the son of Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone has enjoyed a renaissance this season after moving on loan to Hellas Verona.

He has scored more goals from open play than anyone else in Serie A, hitting the back of the net 12 times in total – none of them coming from the penalty spot.

This has included some beautiful strikes, including a memorable one in the win against Juventus.