With Week 2 of Serie A having come and gone, Dave Taylor is on hand to select his XI of standout performers.
Gianluigi Donnarumma [Milan]
Napoli could have run up a cricket score if not for the outstanding 18-year-old, who was not at fault for any of the goals. The youngster also made two superb saves from Dries Mertens but overall was left exposed by his defence. Alert.
Medhi Benatia [Juventus]
With Week 2 of Serie A having come and gone, Dave Taylor is on hand to select his XI of standout performers.
Gianluigi Donnarumma [Milan]
Napoli could have run up a cricket score if not for the outstanding 18-year-old, who was not at fault for any of the goals. The youngster also made two superb saves from Dries Mertens but overall was left exposed by his defence. Alert.
Medhi Benatia [Juventus]
Tough and uncompromising, the Bayern Munich loanee looked like he could crack open your bones and suck the marrow out. Always attentive, the central defender made vital clearances and kept Senad Lulic and Felipe Anderson quiet while pushing forward, when the occasion called for it. Obdurate.
Felipe [Udinese]
The Brazilian defender was up for it from the start and scored the opener after just three minutes. Following a corner, the 32-year-old found space inside the box before blasting under the bar from seven yards out. Unyielding.
Giorgio Chiellini [Juventus]
The wily defender put in another powerful performance and had a lot to do with Juve coming away from Rome with all three points. Was always in the right place at the right time and made sure Ciro Immobile didn’t cause any problems. Clever.
Jose Callejon [Napoli]
With a brace for his efforts, the Spanish ace was on top form scoring his first when reacting quickest to a Donnarumma push-out. Meanwhile, his second came when his perseverance forced a goal after a block on the line. Tremendous.
Sami Khedira [Juventus]
The Germany international made the Lazio defence look as useful as a barber at the steps of a guillotine before scoring for the second week running. Ghosting into the right side of the area, he controlled a lovely chipped ball from Paulo Dybala and rammed it into the far corner for the winner. Effective.
Dries Mertens [Napoli]
The Belgian stood out like a debutante at a hoedown, setting up the first goal and having a massive hand in the next two. A sparkling man-of-thematch performance and everything good about Napoli involved him as he rarely wasted a ball. Unstoppable.
Diego Laxalt [Genoa]
The Uruguayan was completely involved in his game right from the start and clocked up several kilometres with his non-stop running. Having become completely indispensable and confident, he delivered some extremely dangerous balls. Inexhaustible.
Andrea Belotti [Torino]
After scoring a wonderful hat trick, Italy’s newest face surely alerted Italy Coach Giampiero Ventura of his ability. Assisted by Lorenzo Silvestri for his first two, the striker’s third came via a sumptuous pass from Cristian Molinaro. Breathtaking.
Arkadiusz Milik [Napoli]
The San Paolo have a new hero in their midst as the Pole scored twice on his full debut. It’s goodbye Gonzalo and morning Milik as the 22-year-old tapped home his first from a deflected Mertens shot, while his second came as he outjumped the Milan defence to head home. Exuberant.
Leonardo Pavoletti [Genoa]
The man of the match was everywhere, scoring twice and seriously threatening the home goalkeeper Marco Festa on two other occasions. His first goal saw him head home from a free kick, while his second saw him cleverly slip a defender to wallop the ball into the top corner. Energetic.
Special mentions: Paulo Dybala [Juventus], Antonio Candreva [Torino], Domenico Berardi [Sassuolo], Josip Ilicic [Fiorentina], Marco Borriello [Cagliari], Orestis Karnezis [Udinese]