With Napoli being crowned winter champions, courtesy of Inter and Fiorentina both dropping points, Livio Caferoglu picks his best XI from Week 19.
Andrea Consigli (Sassuolo)
Burst into life near the end of the first half against Inter as he remarkably got a hand to Adem Ljajic’s curling strike, before his goalkeeping exploits took centre stage, having kept out three more scorching efforts from the Serb, plus a Geoffrey Kondogbia piledriver, to help Sassuolo beat the Nerazzurri away from home for the first time ever. Heroic.
With Napoli being crowned winter champions, courtesy of Inter and Fiorentina both dropping points, Livio Caferoglu picks his best XI from Week 19.
Andrea Consigli (Sassuolo)
Burst into life near the end of the first half against Inter as he remarkably got a hand to Adem Ljajic’s curling strike, before his goalkeeping exploits took centre stage, having kept out three more scorching efforts from the Serb, plus a Geoffrey Kondogbia piledriver, to help Sassuolo beat the Nerazzurri away from home for the first time ever. Heroic.
Sime Vrsaljko (Sassuolo)
Enjoyed ownership of the right flank as Danilo D’Ambrosio spent much of the afternoon against the ropes, while Ljajic was continually forced in-field. His unrelenting stamina saw him take advantage of tiring legs in the latter stages and won a joint-best five aerial battles, with four coming in the attacking end. Industrious.
Armando Izzo (Genoa)
Did not put a foot wrong in Genoa’s 2-0 win at Atalanta as he always seemed to be at the right place at the right time. Despite making just two tackles throughout the game, his nine interceptions paid testament to his positional brilliance, while his near-perfect distribution meant he started many of his team’s attacks. Classy.
Edoardo Goldaniga (Palermo)
His stock continues to climb quickly after another dominant display in the heart of Palermo’s defence against Verona, having won everything in the air which came his way, and stepped up a gear when the Gialloblu went for broke in the final minutes. Links with Fiorentina should come as no surprise. Commanding.
Fabrizio Cacciatore (Chievo)
Guarded his flank at all times without neglecting his attacking duties to make his case for the weekend’s most convincing full-back performance, as evidenced by his game-best six tackles and teeing up Simone Pepe for a late winner, having raced to the Bologna byline and cut a pinpoint ball back for the former Juventus winger. Complete.
Sergei Milinkovic-Savic (Lazio)
Had his best game in a Lazio shirt during Saturday’s 3-1 win at Fiorentina, the young Serb having showcased his guile in abundance. Should have opened the scoring from a one-touch move to carve the hosts open but did find the back of the net with a well-taken finish after more deft footwork. Influential.
Paul Pogba (Juventus)
Getting better with each passing week as he lives up to Juventus’ fabled No 10 jersey, last worn by Carlos Tevez. Scored his third goal in four games with a low volley to break the deadlock against Sampdoria and should have added another, only for the side-netting to deny him. Simply put, a class above at Luigi Ferraris. Authoritative.
Lorenzo Pasciuti (Carpi)
Played a key role in Carpi’s 2-1 victory over Udinese on Sunday with a cushioned header past Orestis Karnezis to give the minnows an early lead and cap off a tidy-enough performance but most notably entered calcio’s history books after he became the first player to score in Serie D, C2, C1, B and A for a single club. Unique.
Jose Callejon (Napoli)
Helped himself to another two assists in Napoli’s 5-1 demolition of Frosinone as his free-roaming nature caused the hosts all sorts of problems, while he completed a remarkable 53 of his 55 passes to emerge as the game’s deadliest distributor. Replaced with 15 minutes to go but had done his work far sooner. Inventive.
Gonzalo Higuain (Napoli)
Extended his lead in the Capocannoniere stakes with a brace – his fourth in six games – against Frosinone, including a sensational solo effort for Napoli’s third. With the striker in such hot goalscoring form, a first Scudetto since the era of Diego Maradona in the late 1980s looks ever more possible for the Partenopei. Devastating.
Paulo Dybala (Juventus)
Pulled the strings in attack, despite his tender years, as his perfectly-weighted through ball for Sami Khedira provided Juventus with the all-important clincher against Sampdoria, while his penchant to ghost into space and keep Emiliano Viviano on his toes meant the Blucerchiati did not have a moment’s rest. Poised.
Honourable mentions: Stefano Sorrentino (Palermo) Antonio Rudiger (Roma) Federico Peluso (Sassuolo) Mario Rui (Empoli) Panagiotis Tachtsidis (Genoa) Juraj Kucka (Milan) Marek Hamsik (Napoli) Franco Vazquez (Palermo) Antonio Candreva (Lazio) Leonardo Pavoletti (Genoa)