10 out of the best 11 performing Italy players from this weekend’s top flight fixtures were based in Serie A, lead by Patrick Cutrone with an average rating of 8/10, but the media in England have Riccardo Calafiori another rating of 7/10, so he makes the best performing Italy XI for the second week in a row.
Calafiori, again, is joined by Alessandro Buongiorno in a back three, as he helped Napoli to their third consecutive Serie A clean sheet, the fourth in a row in all competitions. Empoli defender Mattia Viti, who also got an average rating of 7/10 completes the defensive unit.
There has been some squeezing in this week, as Gianluca Gaetano (7/10) will have to do as a makeshift wing-back, while Empoli’s Giuseppe Pezzella (7/10) shuffles over to the other flank.
Three Italy national team hopefuls in Niccolo Pisilli, Nicolo Fagioli and Davide Frattesi are selected as the three midfielders.
Patrick Cutrone (8/10) is included in a strike partnership that also features Roberto Piccoli (7/10), who got the dramatic late winner for Cagliari in their 3-2 win over Parma on Monday night.
Best performing Italy XI
(3-5-2): Montipò (Verona) 7.5, Calafiori (Arsenal) 7, Buongiorno (Napoli) 7, Viti (Empoli) 7; Pezzella (Empoli) 7, Pisilli (Roma) 7.5, Fagioli (Juventus) 7, Frattesi (Inter) 7; Cutrone (Como) 8, Piccoli (Cagliari) 7.5.
Milan knew not what it was doing. Now they wish they could have Patrick back. AGomes outlines this on bigsoccer. He’s a very smart fan who deeply understands the geopolitics in Italian football, and at that he’s also a foreigner who has a deep seated moral conviction about foreigner use in Italy’s Serie A. Identifying with Italians has transferred this deep rooted ethical dilemma into his soul such that he feels the plight of these under used talents that develop late from sheer will power alone. Fantastic Cutrone. Forza positivity.