Serie A Fantasy Team of the Year

No major surprises among the 11 selections, which mirror pretty well how the fantasy season has gone.

Samir Handanovic (63 points): it has been a pretty challenging year for defenses, especially in the restart, and nobody really put up elite numbers when it comes to conceded goals. Inter surrendered the least, 36, which is pretty pedestrian if we compare it with previous seasons, but six fewer than any other team, as Lazio allowed 42 and Juventus 43. Handanovic came in second with his 13 clean sheets, on a par with Gianluigi Donnarumma, trailing Udinese’s Juan Musso by a single unit.

Stefan De Vrij (56 points): Serie A named him the best defender of the season and it is completely understandable, as he went up a level as linchpin of Antonio Conte’s three-man line. On top of tidy and physical defending and great leadership, he was able to show off his passing skills, which allowed him to record three assists. He also scored four times, mostly with headers. Danilo D’Ambrosio (58 points) would have made the top three as well, but he was not a regular.

Leonardo Bonucci (51 points): it has not been the best campaign for him or for the Juventus’ back-line, as he was not always on point and a Scudetto winner had not given up so many goals (43) since 1950/51. However, he accrued enough points to edge out the other contenders, also thanks to three goals.

Theo Hernandez (49 points): a fitting recognition for what has been arguably the best pound-for-pound acquisition of last summer, as he has been a force all season long while motoring up and down the left flank for Milan. He was their main reference point up until Zlatan Ibrahimovic showed up and they started to get going in 2020. His cannon left foot and his crosses allowed up to notch six goals, including a pair of gems, and five assists.

Joao Pedro (88 points): he was not great in the restart but he was one of the most threatening strikers in the League in the months prior to the lockdown, despite just recently completing his transition from attacking midfielder to pure forward. He finished with 18 goals which he bagged in a variety of ways: headers, long-range shooting, clinical finishes, PKs. He formed a convincing partnership with Giovanni Simeone and added four assists.

Josip Ilicic (85 points): an ankle injury and personal problems held him out in the resumption, but his ungodly production till March still permits him to make the top four among midfielders. Atalanta tallied 98 goals in the season and he was a major factor with his 15 ones, especially when Duvan Zapata missed months with a thigh injury. He achieved a level of consistency unseen in previous years and he is simply pure class when he is cooking.

Alejandro Gomez (80 points): he was the other engine in the Bergamaschi machine, but in a different role, as he is the one tasked with playmaking duties and did it in perfect fashion, as he pulled the string in most of the matches and dished out 14 assists, according to the official stats of the League. He hit the target six times, with some pearlers.

Luis Alberto (71 points): other sites have it in different order, but Serie A gives him the throne of the assist-men with 15 and he has a sizeable lead in terms of key passes. He established a telepathic connection with Ciro Immobile, whom he found time and time again with timely through balls to beat the offside trap. He too bagged six goals.

Ciro Immobile (153 points): the Capocannoniere and Golden Shoe recipient inevitably comes away with the nod of top fantasy player for the 2020/2 season. He matched Gonzalo Higuain’s all-time single-season record of 36 goals, in 37 appearance, and also picked eight assists, proving that he is not just a one-dimensional goal poacher, even though he has simply perfected the art of scoring when he got the ball in the box.

Cristiano Ronaldo (131 points): Immobile pulled away in the final three rounds, but he was seriously in contention up until the point. It has not been smooth sailing in Maurizio Sarri’s first year at the helm, but the coach’s offensive schemes contributed to make his goal total jump by ten goals compared to the previous season, as he found the target 31 times. Despite the challenges, he was as devastating as ever.

Francesco Caputo (95 points): perhaps the oddest name, but not for those who follow closely, since Sassuolo are one of the most proactive team in the Peninsula and Caputo fits incredibly well as their offensive fulcrum, as he can hang on counters and combine with the rest of their front-line. He posted 21 goals and set up his teammates seven times: that part of the game allowed him to beat Romelu Lukaku by a hair.

Second team: Wojciech Szczesny (50), Jens Larsen (48), Nikola Milenkovic (47), Aleksandar Kolarov (47), Hakan Calhanoglu (68), Robin Gosens (67), Dejan Kulusevski (63), Jeremie Boga (62), Romelu Lukaku (94), Duvan Zapata (85), Edin Dzeko (74).

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