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The season of 2017/18 in the Italian top-flight was a renaissance of sorts. The league turned the theory of one-upmanship on its head and produced the tightest, and most fiercely contested race among the top five of Europe.
Juventus may have eventually prolonged their hegemony with an unprecedented 7th straight Scudetto, but it wasn’t without the frills by a gutsy Napoli side.
The likes of AS Roma and Lazio too light up the season with some effervescent attacking football, while Inter Milan’s Champions League return was a welcome sight.
But there were also plenty of individual performances that deserve a mention. These players starred for their respective clubs throughout the campaign and produced an overwhelming source of amusement to the fans with some eye-catching exploits.
Let’s club them all together into one, dream XI of Serie A, for the season 2017/18: (Formation: 4-1-3-2)
Goalkeeper: Pepe Reina (Napoli)
One of the most underrated goalkeepers, Reina continues to go strong even at 36. The Partenopei shot-stopper perhaps delivered some of the best performances of his career this season and played a huge role in his side’s successful league campaign.
With 18 clean sheets in 34 appearances - his best figures in a Napoli shirt - the Spaniard proved to be the safest pair of hands in the league.
He was also a commanding presence in the box never wilting under any pressure, while his ball distribution skills were unparalleled. Reina averaged 2.09 saves per goal and maintained an amicable 85% claim success.
Though the more eye-catching attacking exploits of Mertens, Insigne, Callejon and Hamsik normally walked away with all the plaudits, Reina’s contributions in mounting a sustained title assault were just as unprecedented.
He’s been through every thick and thin; an unflinching figure in the box whose brawny stature terrified the attackers.
Fullbacks: Aleksander Kolarov (AS Roma) and Joao Cancelo (Inter Milan)
Kolarov turned back the calendar with his talismanic shows down the left-flank for the Giallorossis. In fact, he’s the best-rated player for the season from the whole squad by statistics website Squawka! Now that really means something even when you have the likes of Edin Dzeko, Radja Nainggolan, Daniel De Rossi et al in the team.
But he has the stats to back it up. He created as many as 74 chances in the league for Roma (the next best in the team is 53!) and his return of eight assists is the highest for a defender. Simply put, the 32-year old was at his marauding best and proved to be a terrific overlap in the attack.
His defensive side of the game is just as impressive - he won 66% of his headed duels and 61% of his take-ons. He also made 78 clearances. Roma had the second-best defensive record with just 28 goals conceded, and there’s no doubt about Kolarov’s crucial involvements in it.
Signed on loan from Valencia, Cancelo’s season threatened to derail even before it could take off when he sustained a knock to the ligament early on in the season. But he recovered gradually and once at full strength, there was no stopping him.
The Portuguese right-back went on to establish himself as an important member in the side and also weigh in with three assists and a goal. His defensive duties were just fine, but he excelled in Spaletti’s possession tactics with his incisive passes that continually pushed Inter forward.
His stellar season has espied the eye of Manchester United, who's reportedly scouting him to replace the out-of-favor Matteo Darmian.
Centre-backs: Milan Skriniar (Inter Milan), Stefan De Vrij (Lazio)
From a questionable €20 million summer arrival from Sampdoria to one of the signings of the Serie A season, Skriniar has become one of the best young defenders in a matter of few months.
And there can’t be a bigger testament to that than reports of a rumored €65 million move to Manchester City at one point into the season.
An indomitable presence at the heart of the Nerazzurri backline, the Slovak brought much-needed robustness to the defence and also the quality to build-up from the back.
His 167 clearances and 23 blocked shots are both, the most by an Inter player, and rank sixth and seventh respectively, in the overall league standings.
He’s played every single minute of the season and also helped out in the attack with 4 goals and six key passes.
He was on the firing line for his erroneous show in the 3-2 defeat to Inter on the final matchday, but that was more like a sole blot on an otherwise pristine copybook.
De Vrij was a rock in that brawny Lazio backline, leading the defensive line with great elan. His terrific vision and reading of the game saw him intercept 66 times this season - 5th highest for a defender in the league - and also maintain 92% passing accuracy.
The Dutchman is also the most prolific defender of the season with six goals, four of which were headed - a proof of his impressive aerial prowess.
He may have blighted his current side’s chances of Champions League football with that horrendous tackle that led to a penalty, but he’s sure to light up European nights at the San Siro with his new club Inter, next season.
Centre-midfield: Sergej Milinkovic-Savic (Lazio)
Lazio’s biggest strength in this successful season has been the metronomic midfield. Yes, Ciro Immobile did shine bright with his imperious attacking prowess, but it’s the midfield orchestration by Milinkovic-Savic that drove Lazio forward.
Technically brilliant and utterly dominant on the ball, the Serb registered his career-best figures of 12 goals for the Biancocelesti, whilst laying off another three assists.
A relatively unknown quantity until the start of the season, Milinkovic-Savic now finds himself as one of the most-sought-after midfielders in Europe.
Right and left midfielders: Douglas Costa (Juventus), Lorenzo Insigne (Napoli)
Costa’s ascendency knows no bounds. With each new team, he seems to up his game by a notch and with Juventus, he’s reached new heights. The Brazilian played a decisive role in retaining the Scudetto, especially in the home stretch of the campaign.
Despite starting only 17 of the 29 games he played, Costa managed to create 48 chances - bettered only by Miralem Pjanic in the team. That includes 12 assists, whilst scoring another four himself.
His lightning pace saw him break into 99 dribbles this season, the second-best figure in the division.
Now you know why he said moving to Juventus was the “best decision” his life.
Marginally behind him in the assists tally is Napoli’s Insigne with 11, though his productivity in the final third plummeted to single figures again this term (eight goals). But it doesn’t take the sheen of his stellar campaign.
As a matter of fact, he’s the most creative player in Europe’s top five leagues behind only Dimitri Payet and Kevin De Bruyne with 93 chances created! He was one of the driving factors behind Napoli’s strong title push and was also a recipient of seven man-of-the-match awards, joint highest in the team with Dries Mertens.
Attacking midfielder: Luis Alberto (Lazio)
To say the rise of Luis Alberto has been meteoric, would be an understatement. Easily the best player for Lazio this season, Alberto breathed new life into his otherwise mediocre career with an incredibly superb season.
Topping the assist charts for the season with 14, the Spaniard also registered his career-best figures of 11 goals in the league.
He was the pintle around which the likes of Immobile burgeoned. Alberto’s intelligent pressing and knack creating space for the attackers was one of the chief reasons for Lazio’s scintillating attacking football.
His impressive showings didn’t go unnoticed by Spain manager Julen Lopetegui, who gave him his maiden international cap in November last year. But the fact that he didn’t make the final World Cup squad is just baffling.
Strikers: Ciro Immobile (Lazio), Mauro Icardi (Inter Milan)
A perennial journeyman, Immobile finally found his footing at Lazio after several failed loan spells across Italy, Spain and Germany. If his 23 goals in the league last season was impressive, how would you define his career-best return of 29 goals this time around?
The Italian was in the form of his life, spearheading the most potent attacking vanguard of Serie A and tearing every defense asunder on his way to his second Capocannoniere prize. He assisted another nine goals, making him the player with the most goal involvement in the league.
His form may have tapered off a bit in the final few games, but the fact that he alone accounted for almost 30% of the 72 points they accrued, despite missing five games, serves a testament to his growing importance in the team.
Finishing jointly on 29 goals is Inter’s Icardi, their get out of jail free card for the past few seasons. The Argentine too registered his best goal returns in Serie A, and like his Lazio counterpart, bagged his second domestic Golden Boot.
He may not be involved creatively in the attack, but he’s certainly among the best finishers in the world.
He thrives when serviced and is almost always found in the right position inside the area. Icardi eclipses his lack of movement outside the box with terrific work rate and by drifting out wide to create space for his teammates to run into.
Inter Milan secured a Champions League return by finishing fourth, and Icardi’s role behind it cannot be overstated. He’d be a delight to watch going against some of the best defenses in Europe.s
