The Best XI of Serie A Round 37: Cuadrado Saves the Day for Juventus

AC Milan, Atalanta, Italian Football, Juventus, Roma, Sassuolo, Serie A, Serie A 2020-2021, Top 11

The finish line, unfortunately, is just around the corner. Serie A teams are nearing the end of what has been a hectic season by anyone’s standards, with this coming Sunday marking the final matchday of the season. However, as was the case a week ago, nothing has been decided just yet as four teams continue to fight for the three remaining Champions League places.

In Round 37, Juventus showed that they are still a team to be taken for granted as last season’s Scudetto winners beat newly-crowned champions Inter in one of the most controversial games of the season. In the other games, Milan were the only one of the four teams fighting for a place in Champions League next season to drop points as the Rossoneri were held to a goalless draw by Cagliari.

Here we take a look at the best statistical XI of Serie A Round 37 in collaboration with the FotMob app.

Goalkeeper – Daniel Fuzato (Roma)

The 23-year-old shot stopper has made only his 4th appearance of this Serie A season against Lazio, but has already managed to keep a clean sheet in 50% of those matches.

The young Brazilian put in a solid performance between the posts in the Derby della Capitale, preventing Lazio from scoring 4 times, including 3 diving saves on shots from inside the box, which equates to 0.83 expected goals conceded (xGC). This means that Fuzato prevented Lazio from scoring at least one goal.

FotMob rating – 8.3

Right-Back / Right Wing-Back – Hans Hateboer (Atalanta)

Atalanta’s three-man defense coupled with attack-minded style of play involves many positional rotations, often seeing the team’s wing-backs in forward positions in the final third. The Dutch international Hans Hateboer is one of them, who is a key asset on the right wing for Atalanta.

The 27-year-old was one of the assist providers in Atalanta’s 4-3 win over Genoa at the weekend, setting-up Robin Gosens’ goal. Hateboer was solid in possession throughout the game, completing 88% of all pass attempts (46/52), 4 of which were progressive passes into dangerous zones.

FotMob rating – 7.6

Right Center-Back – Omar Colley (Sampdoria)

Sampdoria have kept their 3rd clean sheet in the last 6 matches at the weekend as Claudio Ranieri’s men claimed a narrow 1-0 win over Udinese.

A five-man back line was certainly one of the main reasons why their opponents failed to score, with the Gambian international Omar Colley the stand out defender. The 28-year-old was rock solid at the back against Udinese, winning 67% of duels (4/6), succeeding in 2 attempted tackles (100% success rate), making 6 interceptions and recovering the ball 8 times.

FotMob rating – 8.1

Left Center-Back – Gian Marco Ferrari (Sassuolo)

Sassuolo are one of the most entertaining teams to watch this Serie A season, and the Neroverdi still have a chance to sneak into the European places on the final day of the season. Roberto De Zerbi’s men beat Parma 3-1 at the weekend, and the center-back Gian Marco Ferrari was instrumental in their success.

The Italian defender registered his 4th assist of the season – an impressive statistical figure for a center-back – which came from 11 progressive passes he completed out of a total of 106 (95% pass completion). The 29-year-old also made 3 clearances and recovered the ball 5 times.

FotMob rating – 8.0

Left-Back / Left Wing-Back – Robin Gosens (Atalanta)

Alongside his fellow wing-back, Atalanta’s Robin Gosens also played a big part in their 4-3 win over Genoa. The 26-year-old German has been one of the best wing-backs not only in Serie A but also in Europe this season.

Gosens recorded his 11th goal of the season against Genoa to give Atalanta a 3-0 lead just before half-time. In addition, the wing-back showed excellent shooting accuracy as both of his shots hit the opponent’s goal (100% accuracy), as well as created one big goal-scoring chance.

FotMob rating – 7.7

Central Midfielder – Franck Kessie (Milan)

As is so often the case with teams that have an upper hand in one game, the goals simply dry out in the following fixture. That is exactly what happened to Milan at the weekend: after putting seven past Torino last week, the Rossoneri failed to score against Cagliari, ending the game in a goalless draw.

Regardless of the final score, Milan’s central midfielder Franck Kessie put in a solid performance on both ends of the pitch. The Ivorian was one of the driving forces behind the Rossoneri’s attacks, completing 91% of all passing attempts (75/82), 11 of which entered the final third and 8 of which were progressive passes. The 24-year-old also impressed out of possession, winning 71% of all duels and recovering the ball an impressive 10 times.

FotMob rating – 8.2

Central Midfielder – Manuel Locatelli (Sassuolo)

Sassuolo lead the possession metrics in Serie A this season, averaging 60.9% possession per game. The main contributor to this metric is the Italian midfield commander Manuel Locatelli, who has once again been the boss of the Neroverdi’s midfield.

The 23-year-old had the second most touches on the ball in the team with 107 and also completed the second-highest number of passes with 88 out of 100 (88% pass success). Even more impressive, out of 100 completed passes, 18 entered the final third area and 17 were recorded as progressive passes.

FotMob rating – 8.4

Central Attacking Midfielder – Ruslan Malinovskyi (Atalanta)

Atalanta are the highest scoring team in Serie A this season with 90 goals, and the Ukrainian attacking midfielder Ruslan Malinovskyi has played a big part in this success.

The 28-year-old scored his 8th goal and provided 11th assist of the season against Genoa, as the Atalanta playmaker was once again one of the driving forces in attack. He also completed 88% of all pass attempts (38/43), 4 of which were key passes.

FotMob rating – 8.8

Winger / Wide Forward – Juan Cuadrado (Juventus)

Juventus were on the brink of total disaster with just two minutes remaining on the clock when Juan Cuadrado came to the rescue.

The 32-year-old Colombian scored 2 of the Bianconeri 3 goals against Inter – his only goals this season – and both came just when the Old Lady needed them most.

FotMob rating – 9.3

Striker – M’Bala Nzola (Spezia)

On Saturday, Spezia have officially secured their stay in Serie A for next season, and the man who has played a significant part in that success is the Angolan striker M’Bala Nzola.

The 24-year-old scored a brace in a 4-1 win over Torino to take his tally for the season into double figures (11 goals). The Aquilotti are the 9th highest scoring team this season with 50 goals, with Nzola accounting for 22% of all goals.

FotMob rating – 9.0

Striker – Duvan Zapata (Atalanta)

Atalanta’s striker duo, Luis Muriel and Duvan Zapata, have regularly grabbed the headlines this season, with the latter taking center stage this time around.

The 30-year-old Colombian scored and assisted in a 4-3 win over Genoa, taking his total to 24 goals and assists for the season (15 goals & 9 assists).

FotMob rating – 8.6

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