The Top Players of Serie A Round 25: Atalanta Duo Shine the Brightest

Atalanta, Cagliari, Hellas Verona, Italian Football, Roma, Serie A, Serie A 2020-2021

With no European football this midweek, the Serie A teams were back in action for Round 25 as they continue battling for precious points in the hope of strengthening their positions in the league table.

Although from the first glance there were no head-to-head clashes between the so-called “big clubs”, it proved to be a quite intriguing round regardless of it. A thrilling 3-3 draw between Sassuolo and Napoli served the Serie A fans true goals galore, while Inter have gone six points clear at the top of the standings following Milan’s one-all draw with Udinese.

Here we take a look at the best performers of Serie A Round 25, with the help of some key statistical metrics.

Goalkeeper – Alessio Cragno (Cagliari)

The 26-year-old Italian goalkeeper is the first player to make our list following Cagliari’s 1-0 win over Bologna. It was their second consecutive clean sheet, and Alessio Cragno was at the forefront of the action.

Against Bologna, Cragno stopped 5 opposition shots, of which 4 were from inside the penalty box, which accumulated a total of 0.5 Post-Shot Expected Goals (PSxG). Additionally, the Italian also successfully stopped 2 crosses coming into the box.

Full-Back / Wing-Back – Davide Faraoni (Hellas Verona)

Following two consecutive draws, Hellas Verona were back to winning ways after beating Benevento 3-0 on Wednesday night. The right wing-back Davide Faraoni was their outstanding performer of the night, and rightly so.

The 29-year-old Italian had a magnificent game as he contributed to his team’s win with a goal and an assist. Besides, Faraoni was also Verona’s best creator on the pitch, with the right wing-back creating 2 big scoring chances, as well as completing 8 progressive and 2 key passes against Benevento.

Center-Back – Koray Günter (Hellas Verona)

Three points, three goals, and a clean sheet – Hellas Verona had a perfect all-round performance against Benevento, with another of their defenders making our list. The German international Koray Günter led Verona’s back line by example and deservedly claims the best center-back of Round 25 award.

Against Benevento, the 26-year-old defender blocked 3 opposition shots, made 2 interceptions and successfully cleared the ball away 11 times. Additionally, he won 6 out of 7 aerial duels (85.7% success) and completed 86% of his passes (44/51).

Midfielder – Amadou Diawara (Roma)

Scoring a winning goal in the dying minutes of the game is a dream come true for most players and Roma midfielder Amadou Diawara was one of them on Wednesday night.

Against Fiorentina, the 23-year-old Guinean international scored only his first goal of the season, but what a crucial goal it proved to be. Additionally, the central midfielder showed a solid all-round display, having completed an impressive 84% of his passes (62/74), of which 8 were progressive passes, while another 12 successfully entered the final third of the pitch. He also completed one shot and one goal-creating action.

Winger / Wide Forward – Josip Iličić (Atalanta)

You simply cannot ignore a team that scores five goals in a game. Atalanta’s hot winning run in Serie A was extended to four matches as they thrashed Crotone 5-1, and Josip Iličić was one of their two main attacking forces on the night.

Against Crotone, the 33-year-old Slovenian scored his fifth goal of the season and had his sixth assist as well. All of this would not have been possible without Iličić’s impressive all-round performance. The Atalanta’s wide forward had a staggering 95 touches, completed 80% of his passes (55/69), of which 15 were progressive, 9 entered the opposing penalty area, and 3 were key passes. Besides, the Slovenian also made 14 progressive ball carries and completed 10 shot-creating actions.

Striker – Luis Muriel (Atalanta)

Atalanta’s second-biggest attacking threat against Crotone was their Colombian striker Luis Muriel. The 29-year-old has added another goal and assist to his Serie A tally this season, making it 21 in total (15 goals and 6 assists).

The Colombian’s all-round performance was also impressive, as he completed 6 shot and 2 goal-creating actions, 3 successful dribbles and made 4 key passes.

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