In Round 28 of Serie A, the Italian football fans all around the globe had a good time watching their beloved teams fighting for precious points in the hope of strengthening their positions in the league table.
The most anticipated match of the weekend saw Napoli cruising to a much needed 2-0 win over Roma thanks to a brace from Dries Mertens, whilst Benevento caused arguably the biggest upset of matchday 28 by beating the defending champions Juventus at the Allianz Stadium.
Here we take a look at the best statistical XI of Serie A Round 28 in collaboration with the FotMob app.
Goalkeeper – Lorenzo Montipò (Benevento)
The 25-year-old Italian has kept his 7th clean sheet of the season against Juventus, and how vital it might prove to be in Benevento’s fight for Serie A survival.
Montipo had an outstanding game against the Old Lady, making 8 saves, of which 6 were from inside the box, overall accumulating a total of 2.18 Post-Shot Expected Goals (PSxG). Additionally, Benevento’s goalkeeper made 6 ball recoveries and completed 6 long balls.
Active and brave all afternoon, Benevento GK Lorenzo #Montipò ('96) ?? was heroic in #JuventusBenevento:
8 saves
6 from inside the box
2 clearancesClean sheet and +3 huge points in a crucial fixture.
Superb.?️ pic.twitter.com/08PdDKgvJk
— The Underrated Scout (@ScoutUnderrated) March 21, 2021
Right-Back / Wing-Back – Davide Zappacosta (Genoa)
On Friday night, Genoa claimed their first win in the last seven Serie A matches after beating Parma 2-1, and the right wing-back Davide Zappacosta played a crucial part in his team’s resurgence.
The Italian was Genoa’s best-rated defender against Parma, as he collected his 2ndassist of the season for Gianluca Scamacca’s equalising goal in the second half. Besides, Zappacosta also completed 7 progressive ball carries and 3 progressive passes.
Davide Zappacosta ready to press on at Genoa after two years on the sidelines https://t.co/AkjB9GBpWf
— Headlandfash (@headlandfash) February 18, 2021
Right Center-Back – Simon Kjaer (Milan)
Our first Milan player on the list is the Danish center-back Simon Kjaer. On Sunday, the Rossoneri surged to a much needed 3-2 win over Fiorentina, after the Europa League exit on Thursday, and the 31-year-old Dane had one of the best performances of the season.
Against Fiorentina, Kjaer contributed on both ends of the pitch, as he was the supplier for Milan’s two goals and made some vital defensive actions at the back. In addition to his two assists, the Dane completed 89% of his passes (47/53), won 4 defensive duels (67% success), made 7 clearances and recovered the ball 4 times.
?? Fiorentina ? Milan
Não é todos os dias que um central soma 2 assistências, ainda por cima decisivas: Simon Kjaer ?? foi o MVP na vitória que isola ainda mais os "rossoneri" no 2º lugar da #SerieA ⭐️#FiorentinaMilan#RatersGonnaRate pic.twitter.com/iHVblmPFtz
— GoalPoint.pt (@_Goalpoint) March 21, 2021
Left Center-Back – Stefan Radu (Lazio)
Lazio’s left-sided center-back Stefan Radu has made our best XI for the second consecutive matchday. The 34-year-old Romanian veteran had an outstanding performance in Lazio’s narrow 1-0 win over Udinese, keeping Biancocelesti’s dream of sneaking into the top four alive.
For the second week in a row, Radu made important contributions to Lazio’s attack, as he completed 5 shot-creating actions, made 10 progressive and 5 key passes. Additionally, the Romanian defender made 8 clearances and 5 ball recoveries, as well as won 100% of his duels.
All time most games for SS Lazio:
?4️⃣0️⃣1️⃣ Giuseppe Favalli
?4️⃣0️⃣1️⃣ Stefan Radu
?3️⃣9️⃣4️⃣ Giuseppe WilsonRadu countdown:
Radu is now tied in first place with Giuseppe Favalli?? #Radu402 pic.twitter.com/YT87rfrwn8— Gli Albini (@albini_ssl) March 21, 2021
Left-Back / Wing-Back – Adam Marusic (Lazio)
Lazio’s second left-sided defender on our list is the Montenegrin international Adam Marusic. The 28-year-old left wing-back was the scorer of the only goal of the game against Udinese, which was his second of the season.
Besides his goal, Marusic had an overall solid game, completing 86% of his passes (24/28), of which 2 were progressive passes and entered Udinese’s defensive third. Defensively, the Montenegrin was also comfortable in dealing with the opposition’s attacking pressure, as he won 3 defensive duels and made 7 ball recoveries.
FULL TIME: #SerieA: UDINESE 0 vs 1 LAZIO. [37' Adam Marusic] #UdineseLazio pic.twitter.com/0QfuOUGyeQ
— Der Mann. ❁ (@kakyuds) March 21, 2021
Central Midfielder – Franck Kessié (Milan)
After suffering a disappointing Europe League exit to Manchester United, Milan needed their best players to up their game against Fiorentina on Sunday. The central midfielder Franck Kessie was one of those who rose to the occasion and contributed to Milan’s 3-2 win with an assist.
Besides his third assist of the season, the 24-year-old Ivorian also completed 10 progressive passes into the final third, of which 2 were key passes, as well as made 6 progressive ball carries. Additionally, Kessie recovered the ball 11 times, thus solidly contributing to Milan’s transitional play.
?| Real Madrid is one of the clubs interested in Milan's Franck Kessié. Italian media reports the player likes Zidane and that Real Madrid have already made contact with the player. @diarioas #rmalive pic.twitter.com/WJEVNC2VUN
— Madrid Zone (@theMadridZone) March 15, 2021
Central Midfielder – Junior Messias (Crotone)
Despite Crotone’s 3-2 loss to Bologna on Saturday, the Brazilian central midfielder Junior Messias was undoubtedly the Pitagorici’s best player on the pitch.
The 30-year-old opened the scoring in the 32nd minute of the game and created one more big-scoring chance against Bologna. Besides, Messias completed 4 out of 5 attempted dribbles (80% success), some of which resulted in his 9 shot-creating actions.
Somehow, Junior Messias' free kick beats everyone and finds the bottom corner ?
Crotone won't be complaining! ? pic.twitter.com/WkaeY9l5SH
— Premier Sports ? (@PremierSportsTV) March 20, 2021
Central Attacking Midfielder – Hakan Calhanoglu (Milan)
Our third Milan player in the best XI lineup is Rossoneri’s central attacking midfielder Hakan Calhanoglu. The 27-year-old Turkish international has had an impressive Serie A campaign so far as one of Milan’s main creative forces in midfield.
On Sunday, Calhanoglu scored only his second goal of the season, but it proved to be a winning strike as Milan managed to come from behind to beat the Viola. Although the Turkish creative midfielder did not add another assist to his season tally of eight, Calhanoglu still managed to create one big goal-scoring chance for his teammates and completed another 6 shot-creating actions.
AC Milan move to within six points of Inter after Hakan Calhanoglu completes come back at Fiorentina https://t.co/zJtBe8UAfB
— MailOnline Sport (@MailSport) March 21, 2021
Winger / Wide Forward – Ruslan Malinovskyi (Atalanta)
On Sunday, Atalanta have claimed their sixth Serie A win in the last seven matches, and their Ukrainian midfielder Ruslan Malinovskyi was the focal point in the attack. Regarded as a central attacking midfielder, Malinovsky was equally superb in his adjusted role as a winger.
The 27-year-old scored and assisted against Hellas Verona, leading his team to a crucial 2-0 win in the race for the top-four finish. Malinovskyi’s contribution in the offensive phases of play was evident, with the Ukrainian making 5 key passes that split the opposition’s defence.
Ruslan Malinovskyi opens the scoring from the spot after a quiet first 30 minutes at the Bentegodi ⚫?
Atalanta are looking to bounce back from their Champions League disappointment ? pic.twitter.com/YVL3lEsBDK
— Premier Sports ? (@PremierSportsTV) March 21, 2021
Striker – Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Milan)
After a short goal drought prior to the game against Fiorentina, Milan’s talisman striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic has reminded everyone once again that age is just a number. The 39-year-old Swede has banged in his 15th Serie A goal of the season on the weekend, moving up to fourth place in the top goalscorers rankings.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic ?? in Serie A this season:
? 14 Starts
⚽️ 15 Goals
?️ 1 AssistHe turns 40 this October ?#FiorentinaMilan #Milan pic.twitter.com/ss1922OSQq
— RouteOneFootball (@Route1futbol) March 21, 2021
Striker – Dries Mertens (Napoli)
Big players have to step up in big games, and this is exactly what Dries Mertens did against Roma on Sunday night. The 33-year-old Belgian scored a brace, thus taking his season tally to 7 goals, in what was a crucial game in the battle for the Champions League places. More impressively, Mertens only needed 3 goal attempts to score twice, showing a remarkable conversion rate of 67%.
1⃣0⃣0⃣| Dries Mertens is the third Napoli player to score 100 Serie A goals, along with Marek Hamsik (100) and Antonio Vojak (102).
?#ForzaNapoliSempre pic.twitter.com/1hsJWKHta5
— Official SSC Napoli (@en_sscnapoli) March 21, 2021