Best XI of Serie A Round 23: Attacking Masterclass from Napoli Quintet

Cagliari, Napoli, Roma, Serie A, Serie A 2021-2022, Spezia, Top 11

Another weekend of Serie A football came to an end on Sunday evening, offering slightly less exciting action than expected.

In Round 23, the main focus was on the matches between the teams fighting for the league title and a Champions League spot for next season. In the highly anticipated match of the week, Milan hosted Juventus looking to close the gap on Inter, while Atalanta needed to win against Lazio to maintain their slim lead over Juventus in the battle for the top four spots.

However, all the pre-match preparations went to waste as neither game produced a single goal and ended in a goalless draw. The biggest win of the Round 23, however, came at Napoli, as Luciano Spalletti’s men defeated Salernitana 4-1.

Here we take a look at the best statistical XI of Serie A Round 23.

Goalkeeper – Boris Radunovic (Cagliari)

Although Cagliari have seriously struggled so far this season, they put in one of the better performances in this weekend’s game against Fiorentina.

Walter Mazzarri’s men played out a 1-1 draw with Fiorentina, and the hero of the match for The Islanders was their goalkeeper Boris Radunovic. The 25-year-old made 5 saves against Fiorentina, including a Cristiano Biraghi penalty, for a total of 2.19 xGC (Expected Goals Conceded).

FotMob Rating – 7.6

Right-Back / Right Wing-Back – Silvan Hefti (Genoa)

After the disastrous defensive performance against Fiorentina, where they conceded six goals, Genoa made some necessary changes to keep a clean sheet against Udinese.

Genoa limited their opponents to just two shots on goal throughout the 90 minutes, and right-back Silvan Hefti was one of the standout defenders on the afternoon. The 24-year-old won 8 duels, made 5 clearances and recovered the ball a remarkable 11 times.

FotMob Rating – 7.9

Right Centre-Back – Amir Rrahmani (Napoli)

Napoli are back on track and are still a contender to lift the Scudetto at the end of the season. They showed a strong performance both defensively and offensively against Salernitana, winning 4-1.

Central defender Amir Rrahmani was one of the standout players on both ends of the pitch, scoring his third goal of the season. The 27-year-old also won 5 duels and made 9 ball recoveries.

FotMob Rating – 8.6

Left Centre-Back – Juan Jesus (Napoli)

It is not often that two central defenders from the same team appear in the list of the best XI of the weekend, and it is even rarer for both of them to get on the scoresheet.

Playing alongside his Napoli counterpart in central defence is Juan Jesus. The Brazilian defender scored his first goal of the season against Salernitana, which was also the opening goal of the game. The 30-year-old also made 9 ball recoveries on top of that.

FotMob Rating – 8.3

Left-Back / Left Wing-Back – Mario Rui (Napoli)

A top-class performance by Napoli ensured that three of the four defenders have made the list of the best XI of the weekend.

Left-back Mario Rui is the third Napoli defender to make the list with his impressive performance against Salernitana. In that match, the Portuguese international created 1 big scoring chance and made 2 key passes that contributed to an overall pass rate of 89%.

FotMob Rating – 7.7

Defensive Midfielder – Sergio Oliveira (Roma)

Roma scored four goals in less than 15 minutes to earn an emphatic 4-2 victory over Empoli on Sunday. The defensive midfielder Sergio Oliveira also showed an impressive overall performance.

The Portuguese international scored a goal and also provided an assist, completing an unusual double for a player in this position. Oliveira also impressed defensively, winning 10 duels and making 5 ball recoveries.

FotMob Rating – 9.0

Attacking Midfielder – Daniele Verde (Spezia)

Spezia secured their third straight win with a 1-0 victory over Sampdoria on Sunday. The only goal of the match was scored by attacking midfielder Daniele Verde, who has been looking good in recent weeks.

The Italian international has already scored 4 goals in this Serie A campaign, and is one of Spezia’s standout players that the team can rely on in attack.

FotMob Rating – 8.3

Attacking Midfielder – Eljif Elmas (Napoli)

From defence to attack, Napoli were magnificent against Salernitana, with another Napoli player making the list of the best XI of the weekend.

Midfielder Eljif Elmas has gradually become an important player in Napoli’s team this season and had another great display during the weekend. The Macedonian international recorded his fourth assist of the season and completed an astonishing 99% of his passes against Salernitana.

FotMob Rating – 8.6

Forward – Dries Mertens (Napoli)

The fifth Napoli player to make the list of the best XI of Round 23 is Dries Mertens. The 34-year-old club legend has had an impressive Serie A campaign so far and will undoubtedly continue to play an important role as the season progresses.

The Belgian international scored his seventh goal of the season, albeit from a penalty spot, and also created 1 big scoring chance and played 3 key passes.

FotMob Rating – 8.8

Centre Forward – Tammy Abraham (Roma)

After the departure of Edin Dzeko in the summer, Roma needed a recognised centre forward. They brought in a replacement in Tammy Abraham and so far have had nothing but positive experiences.

The Englishman scored 2 goals in the 4-2 win against Empoli, raising his goal tally to double digits this season (10). The two goals he scored had a value of 0.94 xG (Expected Goals), indicating that these chances were not easy to convert.

FotMob Rating – 8.8

Centre Forward – Edin Dzeko (Inter)

Inter showed true spirit of the champions at the weekend, grabbing an important three points with a late goal.

Edin Dzeko scored the winning goal in the 90th minute against Venezia, which means that the Nerazzurri are now four points clear at the top of the Serie A table.

FotMob Rating – 8.5

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