The 2023–24 Serie A season is finally still not over, but with only five matchdays to go I thought I’d look back on the season that has *almost* passed. As I explained in my Top 100 Players in Serie A article, my general evaluation of players is quite holistic and is not too swayed by output and performances over condensed sample sizes, however this kind of season-based evaluation can be fun within its own context. In this article I will be electing my Serie A Team of the Season; comprised of the players who I believe have performed the best and/or been the most significant to this season. Aside from that, I will also try my best at giving out my Serie A seasonal awards, which have seemingly had an oddly rigid and confusing criteria according to the league itself in previous years, but I will approach the awards with my own criteria instead.
Team of the Season
Goalkeeper: Michele Di Gregorio
In a recent article I discussed the strengths and weaknesses of Michele Di Gregorio, and while I did emphasize that I think he has a low ceiling, this isn’t really relevant in regards to who the best goalkeeper in Serie A has been this season. Serie A has been plagued by a shocking lack of strong goalkeepers in recent years, but as its most talented goalkeeper, Mike Maignan, has struggled this year, numerous other goalkeepers have established themselves as being among the best in the league; Michele Di Gregorio being the most notable example. In a Monza team that certainly doesn’t play as if last season were its first ever Serie A campaign—much thanks to head coach Raffaele Palladino—Di Gregorio has played a key role in its buildup play. Di Gregorio has not only shown an excellent range of passing this season, but has generally also served as an extra player for Monza in possession by helping them build up more patiently as well. There are few goalkeepers in Italy, if any, with the technical prowess of Michele Di Gregorio, and if that wasn’t impressive enough he’s also been the best shot-stopper in the Serie A this season. He has had a PSxG +/- of +9.2 this season, which ranks first in the league by a decent margin (via FBref). Although his lack of sweeping and poor cross-defending are valid concerns even in regards to this season, there have been few standout complete keepers in the Serie A this season, and among the less well-rounded ones no keeper has really come close to Di Gregorio.
Right-back: Stefan Posch
Last season Stefan Posch largely stood out for his high amount of goal contributions in his debut season at Bologna, but as Bologna have taken a huge leap and established an identity this season, Posch has taken on a much more defined role. He has not been the most eye catching player to watch this season, but like most of Bologna’s players he wins his duels and he doesn’t make errors in buildup, which has largely been the team’s identity this season: security in and out of possession, although a slight lack of offensive proficiency. Posch has experience playing as a center-back, which is likely why he’s such a prolific defender. At 1.88 m tall and weighing in at 77 kg, he’s an imposing figure to come up against even on the surface, and sure enough he possesses excellent physical traits and defensive fundamentals that make him a pest to come up against. He isn’t quite the pure, complete defensive rock that Fiorentina’s Michael Kayode has been this season, but he has been the much more refined player in possession between the two. Although he is only a fringe threat in the final third, Posch has played a big role in Bologna’s buildup with great press-resistance and line-breaking passes. Identified by Giovanni Sartori and refined by Thiago Motta, Stefan Posch has been one of the main symbols of Bologna’s incredible success story this season.
Right center-back: Jhon Lucumí
Bologna have a phenomenal trio of center-backs, and while I said Sam Beukema was my favorite last December, his performances have since begun to dip slightly, whereas Jhon Lucumí has remained excellent and Riccardo Calafiori has taken on a bigger role in the team. It is Sam Beukema who has occupied the right center-back role for Bologna this year, but Lucumí and Calafiori—who are both left-footed—have simply been better. As for Lucumí, his season has been somewhat tainted by a few mistakes here and there, but this only comes from his enormous usage rate, and overall his efficiency has been unbelievable. In a Bologna team that has made headlines for its excellent play in possession this season, Lucumí has been the standout. He has excelled in the highly dynamic role that Thiago Motta has assigned to him, functioning as Bologna’s metronome. His press-resistance has been his most notable trait, but Lucumí has also had little issue breaking the lines or carrying the ball. Perhaps more importantly, though, Lucumí has been extremely solid for Bologna defensively; a Bologna that has been among the best defensive teams in the league this season, despite being much more tactically daring than other defensive standouts such as Torino, Juventus and Roma (at least under Mourinho). At 1.85 m tall, Lucumí is somewhat undersized, but aside from being underwhelming in the air he does not play like it. Lucumí is a physical specimen, which is what makes his elegance and composure in possession even more impressive. He is a smart, front-footed defender who has led Bologna’s defensive line by example this season. Few defenders in the Serie A have had a harder job than Lucumí this season, yet he has been more secure and reliable than anyone else.
Left center-back: Riccardo Calafiori
Bologna’s Riccardo Calafiori has been one of the signings of the season. A product of Roma’s youth sector, he was given a chance with the first team under Paulo Fonseca in 2020–21, but his career would stagnate following the arrival of José Mourinho. Last season he moved permanently to Basel, and although he didn’t make an overwhelming impression, Bologna took a chance on him. Like Stefan Posch, Calafiori was identified by the brilliant Giovanni Sartori, and then developed by Thiago Motta. Calafiori has played as a left-back for the overwhelming majority of his career, but Motta envisioned him as a center-back instead, and subsequently Calafiori has slowly but surely established himself as one of Serie A’s elite defenders in my opinion. Unsurprisingly, his experience as a left-back makes him an untraditional center-back, but simultaneously Calafiori might be a reflection of the future of the position. He is not the most conventionally dominant defender, but at 1.86 m tall and weighing in at 86 kg, Calafiori has the physique, athleticism and defensive fundamentals required to play center-back. For his height he has proven to be shockingly good in the air this season; a sign of his athleticism, and furthermore he is also an incredibly prolific ball-winner. While he hasn’t quite been the defensive rock that Lucumí is; not quite the natural, pure defender, his defensive attributes are notable because it is perhaps in possession where he stands out more. His range of passing is good, but his dribbling, general press-resistance and ball-carrying are exceptional. It is in buildup where Calafiori’s pedigree as a left-back stands out, as he is electric on the ball, be it centrally or even out wide. He is extremely quick, smooth and smart in possession, perhaps making him Bologna’s biggest weapon in buildup. With Calafiori’s lack of experience, his explosive breakout as a regular starter for Bologna this season has been shocking and simultaneously a joy to witness. For me, he is already Italy’s best defender.
Left-back: Federico Dimarco
Inter’s starting left wing-back has only been on the pitch for 63% of the Serie A season, which is what makes his tally of 11 non-penalty goal contributions even more impressive. Lautaro Martínez (23) and Marcus Thuram (19) are the only Inter players with more non-penalty goal contributions this Serie A campaign, which says a lot about just how impactful Federico Dimarco is in the final third. I am classifying Dimarco as a left-back in this article, and as I have pointed out many times he isn’t when he plays for Inter; he acts as a wing-back, and a borderline winger in fact. However, with how productive Dimarco has been this season, I think it would be wrong to exclude him from this team. Again, I think classifying him as a borderline winger is fair, and it is true that Dimarco doesn’t bring much defensively nor in buildup (at least not when used as a wing-back), but his final third production is similarly also more reminiscent of a winger than of a full-back. Dimarco’s non-penalty goal contribution rate of 0.53 per 90 (via FBref) this Serie A season is high even for a wing-back, but it doesn’t even account for the fact that his number of assists isn’t actually reflective of how creative he’s been. Dimarco’s movement in the final third is crucial to Inter, and more importantly he is one of the most lethal crossers in world football. He has amassed six assists in Serie A this season—impressive in and of itself—but his xAG is even higher, adding up to 8.1. His xAG per 90 of 0.39 is the highest in the Serie A this season (via FBref). You replace Dimarco’s assist tally with his xAG, and you get a npG+xAG per 90 of 0.63, which is essentially equal to that of Rafael Leão this season.
Holding midfielder: Daniel Boloca
Daniel Boloca is Serie A’s most underrated player. In this team (of the season) he sticks out like a sore thumb, not only due to his reputation (or lack thereof), but also for the team he plays for—Sassuolo look likely to be relegated this season. Maybe this tells you how good he is, because I cannot see a case for any holding midfielder in the league having been better than him this season. Hakan Çalhanoğlu would be the obvious choice, perhaps, but while his highlight reel of long passes is mouth-watering and he has a high number of goal contributions, the latter is a result of him taking a lot of penalties, and he has clear holes in his game that Boloca simply doesn’t have. Even in a team that has clearly struggled—not only due to a lack of quality on the pitch, but due to a lack of tactical prowess, Boloca’s pure output has been very good season. So, you can only imagine how effective he’d be in a team that fully exploited his magical press-resistance. At 1.88 m, Boloca is tall, but he is also quite light and skinny, which is what makes him so mobile and therefore also effective in possession. Boloca is a textbook regista who has three key traits of the position: mobility, technical ability and intelligence. These are the factors that constantly allow him to evade pressure even in an environment where he is supposed to be highly inefficient with the ball. So, despite his height he is an extremely smooth and secure player with the ball at his feet, yet simultaneously his somewhat skinny physical build isn’t a problem for him outside of possession at all. Boloca is not a prolific ball-winner, but he does possess great positional awareness and is both an excellent duel-winner and 1v1 defender. Daniel Boloca is good enough to start for any team in Serie A, and he alone has made Sassuolo worth watching this year.
Right central midfielder: Henrikh Mkhitaryan
Henrikh Mkhitaryan is a player who I’ve underestimated in the past, and this season has made me see him as one of the best interior midfielders in Serie A. This season he has perhaps been the most complete midfielder in the league, having a positive impact defensively; in buildup; and in the final third. As for his final third impact, underwhelming finishing has prevented Mkhitaryan from being a goal threat this season, but his nine non-penalty goal contributions are still impressive, and he has been a valuable fringe final third contributor for the best attacking team in Italian football. In fact, Mkhitaryan sits right behind Federico Dimarco as the Inter player with the fourth most non-penalty goal contributions in the Serie A this season (via FBref). Perhaps more importantly, though, Mkhitaryan has been fantastic in buildup—most notably as a ball-carrier, but his advanced passing and ball-retention have also stood out. Inter are a lethal team in transition, and while Nicolò Barella arguably used to be Inter’s biggest asset when in transition, I’ve personally been even more impressed by Mkhitaryan this season. If this wasn’t enough to make Mkhitaryan an important player for Inter, I’ve also been highly impressed with his role in Inter’s press, and more specifically his ball-winning. Again, he’s a positive contributor for Inter in every phase, and that is invaluable.
Left central midfielder: Tijjani Reijnders
As the season has progressed, Tijjani Reijnders has looked increasingly comfortable at Milan—even in a team that has struggled tactically. Reijnders is a player who stands out for his technical ability, and despite Milan being a largely chaotic team in possession, Reijnders has ultimately had a fantastic debut season at the club. Like Boloca, he is relatively tall for a midfielder, at 1.85 m, and his size helps him cope with physicality while he’s still highly mobile, which is a big part of what makes him so hard to dispossess. However, he is not merely technically secure, but also boasts an excellent passing range and is a proficient carrier. As implied, the environment he’s been in hasn’t allowed him to fully thrive, but he has still shown glimpses of being a true all-phase midfielder. Reijnders’ combination of intelligence, complete technical arsenal and physical traits has made him both a secure and incisive option in deeper areas just as well as more advanced areas. He’s mostly operated in the middle third, where he’s easily been Milan’s most impactful player this past season, but even in the final third he has shown some serious potential which his end product might not fully capture. His npxG+xAG per 90 of 0.25 is actually only 0.04 lower than that of Nicolò Barella, despite Reijnders playing for a team which doesn’t have the quality of attackers nor the tactical prowess that Inter have. Reijnders does leave a bit to be desired defensively, but in possession he’s been about as good as any other player in the Serie A has been this past season.
Right winger: Matías Soulé
Prior to this season, Matías Soulé had amassed a total of 6.1 90s at the senior level. One loan move later, and he looks like one of the best players in the league, let alone one of the best prospects. Soulé’s final third impact has dried up significantly since the winter, but his overall contributions in a potentially soon-to-be relegated Frosinone team have been phenomenal all the same. After all, Soulé hasn’t primarily impressed with his final third impact, but rather for his magic in possession this season. Frosinone have looked good during certain parts of this season, but they are ultimately battling relegation for a reason: it’s no easy environment to play in, especially not as a 21-year old. However, Soulé has shown precisely that he is not merely a prospect, but rather a Lamborghini in a team full of Fiat’s. The technical excellence that Soulé has cultivated in Vélez and Juventus’ respective youth sectors has been on full display this season, and is what has really made Soulé one of the most exciting players in Serie A. He is quick, extremely agile, surprisingly strong and simply plays extremely cultured football despite his age and the environment he’s in. Commonly operating in more central areas as well as out wide, Soulé has excelled in an almost midfield-like role which has seen him regularly find solutions for an otherwise struggling Frosinone outfit. The most evident sign of both Soulé’s potential and maturity is perhaps not his fantastic physical traits nor his refined technique, but rather his possession of “la pausa”. Through dribbling, through balls, line-breaking passes, linkup play, and great intelligence, Soulé has been a highly impactful player in buildup who is both sharp and secure. Aside from this, Soulé’s final third play has been inconsistent, yes, but when Frosinone haven’t played extremely poorly, Soulé has both been an excellent creator and a goal threat who has been about as dangerous as any other winger in this league. For me, he is the big revelation of this Serie A season and perhaps the biggest talent this league has to offer.
Center-forward: Lautaro Martínez
Somewhat similarly to Victor Osimhen, Lautaro Martínez has slowed down as it’s become increasingly clear that Inter would win the scudetto, however for the majority of the season he has been incredibly productive, and he was on pace to have a historically good season for a while. Even then, 21 non-penalty goals and two assists in 26.2 90s is not bad at all. Only Gianluca Scamacca has a better non-penalty goal contribution rate in Serie A this season, and he has played less than half as many minutes as Lautaro (via FBref). Naturally, Lautaro is now set to be the Capocannoniere for the first time in his career, which further cements him as the best striker in the league this season. So, if we excuse him for his recent dry patch, Lautaro is having the most productive final third Serie A season of his career, but what he brings outside of that shouldn’t be overlooked either. Lautaro is a more undersized striker, however he is quite strong, and this combination makes him a dynamic box threat for one, but more importantly also a great pressing striker and a really great asset in buildup. He’s naturally highly mobile, and he has also developed a really refined technique which has looked better than ever this year; his linkup play has been excellent and a really underrated aspect of what makes Inter so dangerous in attack. So, aside from his Lautaro’s third productivity he is also having the most complete season of his career. This has been the year of ‘El Toro’.
Left winger: Khvicha Kvaratskhelia
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia is the reigning Most Valuable Player of the Serie A, and while he’s perceived to have regressed somewhat since last season, the reality is that he’s had another excellent season that is made even more impressive by the struggles that Napoli have gone through as a team. Personally I have always preferred Rafael Leão over Kvaratskhelia as a player, but this season I think Kvaratskhelia has been the most complete left winger in the league. Kvaratskhelia and Leão’s respective final third impacts have essentially been equal this season, but Kvaratskhelia has been the more prolific player in buildup. For me this is the most underrated aspect of Kvaratskhelia. Before Napoli signed him he was quite raw in the final third, and rather excelled in buildup—largely thanks to his dribbling, and this still remains a fundamental part of his game. He is a dribbler and ball-carrier of absolute world class, but unlike Leão he is also very technically secure; possessing great close control and press-resistance. In this regard he is somewhat similar to Soulé—he may not be quite as gracious, but to compensate for that he is a lot stronger, and he similarly possesses “pausa” and is regularly able to find solutions in buildup. Not much has changed for Kvaratskhelia but the environment around him this season, and he remains a phenomenon by all means.
Complete Team of the Season:
Awards
Best Goalkeeper: Michele Di Gregorio—As mentioned, Michele Di Gregorio has by far been the best goalkeeper in the Serie A this season. His combination of shot-stopping and technical prowess has been a huge asset to Monza in their attempt to sustain mid-table status, and he’s played so well that he might not stay at Monza for too long.
Best Defender: Jhon Lucumí—Bologna’s metronome in buildup, and the leader of their backline. Lucumí has been a symbol of a historic season for Bologna, with his combination of defensive dominance and technical excellence.
Best Midfielder: Henrikh Mkhitaryan—After flopping in the Premier League, Henrikh Mkhitaryan has enjoyed a beautiful renaissance in the Serie A in his 30’s. Now, at 35, he is about to conclude the best season of his career since 2015–16. His all-encompassing play is symbolic of the midfield position itself, and has been fundamental to the success of this year’s champions of Italy.
Best Striker & Most Valuable Player: Lautaro Martínez—With Lautaro Martínez *almost certainly* being the Capocannoniere for this year’s dominant league champions, there really isn’t much need for discussion as for who this year’s MVP is. Inter are stronger than the rest of the league in a lot of ways, but Lautaro’s ridiculously prolific finishing was perhaps the biggest sign that this was going to be Inter’s year. He has been the X-factor for the best team in the league; MVP, in other words.
Best Young Player: Matías Soulé—More mature than one could have possibly have imagined, Matías Soulé just needed an opportunity to establish himself as one of the elite attacking players in this league. I don’t see quite the same class and decisiveness in any other young player in this league apart from Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, who I would consider ineligible for this award. No matter who Juventus bring in next summer, Soulé will be their best signing.
Best Coach: Simone Inzaghi & Thiago Motta—This is an award that couldn’t possibly go to just one person. With Inter having a historically dominant season, their lack of representation in the Team of the Season might seem questionable, but the reason why is that I don’t rate Inter’s individual players nearly as much as I rate their coach. Simone Inzaghi has been able to shoehorn a lot of frankly not-so-great players into a team that has dismantled the rest of the Serie A, and it’s all thanks to his coaching and tactical prowess. Inter are extremely well-coached and tactically proficient, which is why they’ve been able to get results regardless of who has been on the pitch; Inzaghi’s 3–5–2 makes life easier for his players, and is simultaneously able to produce phenomenal results. One of the most dynamic teams in European football, Inter defend in many ways and they attack in many ways; either way it gets the job done, and Simone Inzaghi is the mastermind behind it all. If there were an award for the most valuable person in the league (player or coach) I would give it to Inzaghi… However, with Thiago Motta being set to lead Bologna to their second European Cup/Champions qualification in club history, I could not simply leave him out. Similarly to Inter, Bologna are both extremely well-coached in possession and out of possession, while their players aren’t quite as naturally talented as the results would suggest either. No one could have anticipated that Bologna would be *this* good this season, as Motta has improved their players considerably– and has spearheaded one of Europe’s most inspiring teams this season. This is a historic feat for Thiago Motta, and for that he will share this award with Simone Inzaghi. Fittingly enough, these two coaches stand alone as the best in the business.
Viva il calcio Italiano.
