No places for Napoli or Inter as Ronaldo stars in Serie A team of the season

With the 2018/19 Serie A campaign coming to a close in dramatic fashion on Sunday, there was joy for Atalanta and Inter having booked their place in the Champions League next season. However, while the former have two men in the WhoScored.com team of the season, the latter - along with second placed Napoli - aren’t represented in the best XI based on our unique statistical ratings.

The top rated players by position are as follows…

Goalkeeper: Alessio Cragno (Cagliari) - 7.07 rating

While his side ended the season in dismal form, Cragno was the key player to Cagliari’s eventual survival by a mere three points. The 24-year-old eleven more saves than his closest rival, with a whopping 153, kept eight clean sheets in the process and won more WhoScored.com man of the match ratings than any other goalkeeper in Europe’s top five leagues (eight).

Right-back: Joao Cancelo (Juventus) - 7.20 rating

Juventus acted quickly to poach Cancelo during the summer after the Portugal international had enjoyed an excellent season on loan at rivals Inter and reaped the rewards on their investment. Superb in the attacking phase of play in particular, the full-back created 1.6 chances per 90 minutes - heralding three assists in 25 appearances - and completed 2.8 dribbles per 90, which was not only the second most of all Serie A players to start at least 20 matches but can at an impressive 71.8 per cent success rate.

Centre-back: Armando Izzo (Torino) - 7.24 rating

The highest rated defender in the league, Izzo’s first season in Turin was unquestionably a resounding success following his summer arrival from Genoa. The 27-year-old chipped in with four goals having missed just one game all season and his reading of the game allowed him to make at least 13 more interceptions (87) than any other player in the league, with Torino conceding less than a goal per game as a consequence.

Centre-back: Domenico Criscito (Genoa) - 7.15 rating

As was the case with Cragno at Cagliari, Criscito played an influential role in Genoa’s survival by virtue of a superior head-to-head record over Empoli alone. The versatile 32-year-old split his time between left and centre-back and was a pivotal player having only returned to the club in the summer following a seven-year spell at Zenit St. Petersburg. As well as scoring twice and registering four assists, the experienced defender led the entire league in tackles, with 110.

Left-back: Alex Sandro (Juventus) - 7.15 rating

There is no doubt that the 2018/19 season wasn’t among Sandro’s best in a Juventus shirt but the Brazilian’s undeniable quality was perhaps best evidenced during his absence. Indeed, in the ten matches the 28-year-old did not start over the campaign, Juventus won only five and suffered three of their four league defeats. The full-back led the way for the Old Lady in tackles and interceptions per game combined (3.4) whilst creating 1.4 chances per 90 minutes.

Right wing: Suso (AC Milan) - 7.39 rating

While the rossoneri ultimately fell short of a top four place by just one point, had it not been for the inspiration of star man Suso the gap would have been far greater. The Spaniard ended the campaign having matched his best ever league tally for goals (seven) and beaten his best total for assists (ten) to have a direct hand in at least eight more goals than any teammate. Meanwhile, only one player created more chances in Italy’s top-flight (98).

Centre midfield: Alejandro Gomez (Atalanta) - 7.64 rating

The jewel in Atalanta’s squad for some time now, if there is any player deserving of a shot at Champions League football for the first time at the age of 31 it is Gomez. The Argentine has not only been the strongest performer for his side for a number of seasons but among the best in Serie A as a whole, ending the 2018/19 campaign with seven goals and a joint league high of 11 assists. The playmaker was the one aforementioned man to create more chances than Suso, with a tally of 112 enough to lead the way across all of Europe’s top five leagues.

Centre midfield: Rodrigo de Paul (Udinese) - 7.37 rating

Another player whose influence ensured his side beat the drop, the clamour for the services of De Paul this summer may well be significant. The Argentine ended the season with his highest ever league haul for both goals and assists with nine and eight respectively, with a direct hand in 43.6 per cent of Udinese’s modest tally. The 25-year-old was the match of Suso in key passes, with 98, while finishing just one off the lead in Serie A for successful dribbles (81).

Left wing: Stephan El Shaarawy (Roma) - 7.26 rating

The 2018/19 campaign was one of resurgence from El Shaarawy, who enjoyed his best season in front of goal for Roma, reaching double figures in Serie A (11) for the first time in six years. Still just 26 years of age, the winger enjoyed what was undoubtedly his most influential season to date in the capital, with the team dropping points in nine of the 15 matches that the Italy international did not start.

Forward: Josip Ilicic (Atalanta) - 7.39 rating

Given that he didn’t start a game in the league well into October, Ilicic made up for lost time thereafter with 12 goals and seven assists by the season’s end. The Slovenian had a direct hand in a goal in Serie A every 113 minutes as a result, with Atalanta’s points per game jumping from 1.6 to 2 with the 31-year-old starting. In terms of ‘per 90’ statistics the forward ranked among the top ten in the league for shots (4.2), key passes (2.7) and dribbles (3.3) of those to start at least 20 times.

Forward: Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus) - 7.68 rating

He may not have ended the season as the Capocannoniere but Cristiano Ronaldo still scooped our Serie A player of the year award in his first campaign in Italy’s top-flight. The Portuguese scored 21 times in 31 appearances and registered a further eight assists to fire Juventus to yet another title. Unsurprisingly leading the way for shots over the season (177), the 33-year-old also saw an increase in both dribbles (1.5) and key passes (1.6) per 90 minutes from each of his final three years in Madrid.