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Football journalists, pundits and fans expected the 2013/14 Serie A to be an exciting and hard-fought League, and that’s exactly how it has been so far.
Only 8 points separate Roma (who currently lead the table) from Fiorentina (who are currently placed fifth), which says a lot about how closely matched all these teams are.
While Italian football has shed the ‘boring’ tag, the emphasis on a solid defence still remains. Teams are now employing a more fluid and attacking form of football, but they still don’t concede too many goals. Let’s now take a look at the top centre-back combinations in Serie A:
1) Mehdi Benatia and Leandro Castan – AS Roma have begun the 2013/14 season in impressive fashion under new manager Rudi Garcia and are currently top of the table.
Both Benatia and Castan have done a solid job in defence, and the two have been a formidable pair, conceding a mere 3 goals in 12 matches. Benatia in particular has settled in extremely quickly after his summer move from Udinese.
Having conceded 134 shots in 12 matches, the fact that they only conceded 3 goals is even more impressive. They have also been extremely proactive in shutting down opposition attacks, making an average of 16.5 interceptions per game. Roma have performed as a unit this year, and their defence has played no small part in that.
(L to R): Andrea Barzagli. Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci
2) Andrea Barzagli, Leonardo Bonucci and Giorgio Chiellini – This defensive trio in Juventus’ 3-5-2 formation make it extremely hard for teams to attack them. Most teams nowadays prefer playing a lone striker, but strikers often get out-marked and kept quiet by these three defenders.
Teams are unable to get many shots away against Juve; they have conceded 96 shots in 12 games, the least so far this season. All three have different roles; Bonucci is given the free role due to his ability to launch attacks from the back with a pass; Chiellini is known for his no-nonsense, hard style and will not hesitate to launch into a tackle while Barzagli is another tough figure known for his brilliant positional sense.
Miguel Britos (L) and Federico Fernandez (R)
3) Federico Fernandez and Miguel Britos – Napoli manager Rafael Benitez is known for favouring squad rotation in order to keep his players fresh, and that has seen Napoli use different defensive combinations this season.
Fernandez and Britos have been the most impressive so far this season and have been key to Napoli’s strong start to the season. It remains to be seen whether the two will establish themselves as regulars under Benitez, but they have started the season solidly enough.
Jorge Jesus (left), Andrea Ranocchia (top right) and Hugo Campagnaro (bottom right)
4) Hugo Campagnaro, Andrea Ranocchia and Juan Jesus – Inter Milan have looked much better this season under new manager Walter Mazzari, and their defence hasn’t looked as leaky as it has in recent times.
The defensive trio of Campagnaro, Ranocchia and Jeses have seen to that. They have conceded 135 shots in 12 matches, just one more than League leaders AS Roma.
They are also known for their no nonsense style is also evident as they have made a staggering 308 tackles. Despite that, they have only conceded 164 fouls, which is one of the better records in the League this season.
