Following two days of record breaking, along with some classy solo and all-round team performances, Dave Taylor picks his best XI from Week 29.
Gianluca Pegolo [Siena]
Following two days of record breaking, along with some classy solo and all-round team performances, Dave Taylor picks his best XI from Week 29.
Gianluca Pegolo [Siena]
Played a massive part in winning the point, including tearing off his line to close down Victor Ibarbo. Then in the dying seconds of the game he also made a significant block to stop Nene scoring from close-range. Crucial.
Ignazio Abate [Milan]
Always an outlet down the right and pushed forward with menace whenever the opportunity presented itself. Halted any meaningful attacks down Palermo’s left closing down the slightest hint of danger with his intelligent positioning. Commanding.
Giuseppe Bellusci [Catania]
Never wasted a ball and made several crucial and important tackles. Always in charge on the ground and in the air, with the Udinese forward line coming up against a rock and a hard place. Decisive.
Giorgio Chiellini [Juventus]
Was a commanding figure on the left and his solid marking jobs on both Gyorgy Garics and Panagiotis Kone were exemplary, forcing both to be subbed later. Decisive tackling and effectively supported the attack on several occasions. Unyielding.
Juan Cuadrado [Fiorentina]
Pressed Luca Antonelli to the limit then pushed him over the edge as he cut through him and the visitors’ defence at will. Drove in from the right and exploited the ‘keeper’s defensive frailties to score from inches out. Forceful.
Francesco Lodi [Catania]
Was the Elefantini’s main man in the middle and along with Lucas Castro stampeded Udinese into submission with his intelligent leadership qualities. Scored the third goal after his free-kick took a deflection to wrong-foot the ‘keeper. Inspirational.
Claudio Marchisio [Juventus]
Once again Juve’s most important player and had a death grip on the link between the opposition’s midfield and forward line, allowing Bologna hardly any movement. Apart from all that he scored and set up the opener. Potent.
Juan Camilo Zuniga [Napoli]
The Colombian earned the penalty that Edison Cavani converted and was always a thorn in the visitors’ side, via his left flank dynamics. He worked well with Marek Hamsik and was an integral part of the win. Alert.
Alejandro Gomez [Catania]
A cutting edge performance that saw him slice open the visitors’ defence several times before his brace. His first came after a dynamic one-two with Castro, while he headed home the second from Pablo Barrientos’ superb cross. Opportunistic.
Mario Balotelli [Milan]
Won and converted a penalty in the first half and teased the Palermo defence several times. In the second half he was in exactly the right place to wallop home the ball after exploiting a back pass. Vibrant.
Edinson Cavani [Napoli]
Opened the scoring with a penalty and should and could have scored several more. However, he made it all up later as he magnificently spun through two defenders and slammed home his 20th goal of the season. Daunting.
Special mentions: Francesco Totti [Roma], Goran Pandev [Napoli], Cyril Thereau [Chievo], Alberto Aquilani [Fiorentina], Lucas Castro [Catania], Erik Lamela [Roma], Federico Peluso [Juventus], Gianluca Pegolo [Siena], Alessio Cerci [Torino].