Serie A are gradually approaching the finish line, but there are still plenty of loose ends to tie up as teams continue their fight for survival and a place in Europe next season.
In Round 30, Inter restored their eleven-point lead at the top with a late win over Cagliari, while Milan remain in second place after beating Parma 3-1 on Saturday afternoon.
Here we take a look at the best statistical XI of Serie A Round 30 in collaboration with the FotMob app.
Goalkeeper – Antonio Mirante (Roma)
The 37-year-old Roma veteran made only his 11th Serie A appearance of the season against Bologna, but it was his 5th game without conceding a goal (45.5% clean sheet ratio).
Mirante had a great game between the sticks on Sunday as he stopped 4 opposition shots, including 2 saves from inside the box, which accumulated a total of 1.74 expected goals conceded (xGC). Simply put, the Italian shot-stopper prevented Bologna from scoring twice.
? Retweet if Antonio Mirante was your #ASRoma @qatarairways Man of the Match against Bologna pic.twitter.com/nX2mdTFLgg
— AS Roma English (@ASRomaEN) April 11, 2021
Right-Back / Right Wing-Back – Matteo Darmian (Inter)
Even in the most difficult of situations, there is a way out, and Inter have once again shown why they will be lifting Scudetto at the end of the season. The Nerazzurri have resigned themselves to narrow victories this season, and Matteo Darmian was the man to continue that tradition against Cagliari.
The Italian full-back netted only his 2nd goal of this Serie A season, but helped Inter to their 11th consecutive league win. Darmian only scored from the 2 shots he had on the night (50% conversion), and also created one big goal scoring chance.
Lukaku ❌
Martinez ❌
Sanchez ❌
??????? ✅? An unlikely hero for Inter today as Matteo Darmian's second goal of the season is enough to secure a 1-0 win over Cagliari and re-establish their 1⃣1⃣ point lead at the top pic.twitter.com/qZNzm3u7n2
— WhoScored.com (@WhoScored) April 11, 2021
Right Center-Back – Martin Erlic (Spezia)
It is pretty rare for a defender to make the list when his team concedes two goals, but you just cannot ignore the fact when the center-back performs like a recognized striker.
The 23-year-old Croatian earned himself hero status among Spezia fans in less than five minutes. Erlic registered his first assist of the season just a minute before the end of normal time and scored the winning goal three minutes later to virtually guarantee Spezia’s stay in Serie A next season.
#Spezia center-back Martin #Erlic ?? is reportedly being pursued by #Fiorentina & #ASRoma ?
The 23-year-old Croatian is one of the best young defenders in #SerieA ?
Transfer value according to the club – €10m ?#SerieATIM #Croatia #ASR #ACF #Roma #Rome #TransferNews pic.twitter.com/KO1aleWgyE
— The Scouting App (@scoutingapp) April 10, 2021
Left Center-Back – Stefan Radu (Lazio)
Lazio had to put in a mighty effort against Hellas Verona, with Sergej Milinkovic-Savic scoring an injury time winner to keep their hopes alive for next season Champions League. However, this would not have been possible without a solid defensive display.
Lazio’s veteran center-back Stefan Radu was part of the mechanism that kept the ball away from Pepe Reina’s goal and contributed with a huge assist – his 3rd of the season. The Romanian was also a rock at the back, winning 80% of his duels.
Stefan Radu: the man with the most appearances in @OfficialSSLazio's history ?#SerieATIM #WeAreCalcio pic.twitter.com/tz6wndNjae
— Lega Serie A (@SerieA_EN) April 6, 2021
Left-Back / Left Wing-Back – Juventus (Danilo)
Full-backs are seen as an integral part of a team’s attacking mechanism, meaning that their impact in the final third must be on par with wingers. Juventus claimed their second Serie A win in a row by defeating Genoa, and versatile full-back Danilo played a major part in the Bianconeri’s victory.
The Brazilian assisted Weston McKennie’s goal to make it 3-1 to Juve, registering his 4th assist of the season. Moreover, Danilo completed a staggering 93% of his passes (84/90), including 9 progressive passes.
?Juventus 3 – 1 Genoa, 70th minute, goal by ⚽️ Weston McKennie for @juventusfcen with a right footed shot to the bottom right corner. The assist is by Danilo. https://t.co/rvYQgk9PIL
— Anna Italia (@ItalianSerieA) April 11, 2021
Central Midfielder – Giulio Maggiore (Spezia)
Spezia scored two or more goals for the fourth consecutive matchday, and that would hardly be possible without the contribution of the central midfielders.
On Saturday afternoon, Giulio Maggiore played a huge part in Spezia’s comeback against Crotone, as the 23-year-old Italian scored the decisive equalizer with one minute remaining in regulation time. It was the Spezia midfielder’s only 3rd goal of this Serie A season, but he did it with his only attempt on goal (100% conversion).
Spezia go for a 4-3-3 shape, seeing M'Bala Nzola lead the line while flanked by Daniele Verde and Emmanuel Gyasi to his left and right to form the front trident.
In midfield, Giulio Maggiore and Tommaso Pobega are slightly advanced to Matteo Ricci, who holds.
0️⃣ 0️⃣#SerieA
— Football Chatters (@FootballChat555) April 10, 2021
Central Midfielder – Fabian Ruiz (Napoli)
Napoli have been flying in recent weeks, winning five of their last seven Serie A encounters prior to their game against Sampdoria. The good got even better last Sunday when Gennaro Gattuso’s men secured their sixth win, and Fabian Ruiz produced one of his best performances of the season.
The 25-year-old Spaniard scored only his 2nd goal in the league for Napoli against Sampdoria and overall had a great game. He also completed 9 shot-creating actions and 9 progressive ball carries, as well as made 2 key passes.
⚽️?Duro lavoro, grande sforzo e altri 3 punti, bravi ragazzi!?
•
⚽?Trabajo duro, esfuerzo y 3 puntos más ¡enorme equipo!?#SampNapoli #SerieA #matchday pic.twitter.com/1prrTnX4KD— Fabián Ruiz (@FabianRP52) April 11, 2021
Central Attacking Midfielder – Piotr Zielinski (Napoli)
Joining his midfield partner is the Polish international Piotr Zielinski. The creative Napoli midfielder was a major contributor to his team’s success against Sampdoria as he registered his 7th assist of the season, setting up Ruiz’s goal.
Zielinski was equally effective in controlling possession and dictating the tempo of the game, having completed 23 of 28 attempted passes (82% pass success), including 6 progressive and 2 key passes.
6 – Napoli are one of the two only sides to boast six players with at 5+ goals scored in the top-5 European leagues this season, alongside Manchester City.
Lorenzo Insigne
Hirving Lozano
Matteo Politano
Dries Mertens
Piotr Zielinski
Victor OsimhenGang. pic.twitter.com/XNAjLxEf4e
— OptaPaolo (@OptaPaolo) April 11, 2021
Right Winger / Right Forward – Ruslan Malinovskyi (Atalanta)
For the second week in a row, the Ukrainian talent has made the list of the eleven best Serie A players of the weekend. Atalanta surged to a difficult 3-2 win over Fiorentina, and Malinovskyi had his say by providing assists for both of Duvan Zapata’s goals.
The Ukrainian was Atalanta’s most creative player on the pitch against Fiorentina: adding to his two assists, Malinovsky also completed 7 shot-creating and 2 goal-creating actions, with a 90% passing success.
? ?? ???? ?
vs Hellas ?️⚽️
vs Udinese ?️?️
vs Fiorentina ?️?️
⠀#Malinovskyi #GoAtalantaGo ⚫️? pic.twitter.com/SdjBL6elIH— Atalanta B.C. (@Atalanta_BC) April 12, 2021
Striker – Duvan Zapata (Atalanta)
If one does not score, the other replaces him. This logic can be perfectly applied to Atalanta’s striker duo in Duvan Zapata and Luis Muriel. After netting twice against Udinese last Saturday, Muriel passed the baton to his Colombian teammate Zapata.
The 30-year-old Atalanta striker scored twice in the first half against Fiorentina, taking his season goal tally to 13. In addition to his goals, the Colombian showed remarkable shooting accuracy as 5 of his 6 shot attempts hit the opponent’s target (83% shot accuracy).
✈️ DUVÁN AIR ✈️
⠀#FiorentinaAtalanta #GoAtalantaGo ⚫️? pic.twitter.com/wCDD5fBtoP— Atalanta B.C. (@Atalanta_BC) April 11, 2021
Striker – Dusan Vlahovic (Fiorentina)
Last but not least, the Fiorentina diamond continues to make headlines despite his team’s poor overall performances. The Serb scored twice against Atalanta on Sunday night, giving him 6 goals in his last 4 matches. He has now found the back of the net on 15 occasions this season and is only behind four Serie A strikers in this regard.
Dusan Vlahovic ?
The first player born after the year 2000 to reach 20 Serie A goals ?
One of just four players born after 2000 to score 20 career goals in Europe's top 5 leagues ✨#ForzaViola ? #Fiorentina #MondayMotivation pic.twitter.com/4KL4BPPppF— ACF Fiorentina English (@ACFFiorentinaEN) April 12, 2021