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Ever since Cristiano Ronaldo arrived at Juventus, the Serie A has gained a lot more popularity and fan following. While Juventus seem to have a stranglehold over the Serie A, teams such as Roma, Napoli, and the Milan clubs have done well in the transfer market as well to up the ante this time around.
Over the past few years, the Serie A has evolved into a hub of young and bright talent with the likes of Gigi Donnarumma, Nicola Barella, and Cengiz Under all firmly establishing themselves as household names.
Owing to such players, Serie A has posed a major threat to the Premier League's moniker of "The Best League in the world". Here is a look at the best players of the Serie A 2018-19 season so far.
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Honorable Mentions: Emil Audero(Sampdoria), Stefan De Vrij (Inter Milan), Armando Izzo (Torino), Miralem Pjanic(Juventus F.C), Rodrigo Bentancur (Juventus F.C), Dries Mertens (Napoli), Krzysztof Piatek (Genoa)
Goalkeeper: Samir Handanovic (Inter Milan)
The Slovenian goalkeeper has been sensational for Inter Milan this season. Even though Handanovic has able defenders to rely on in the likes of Milan Skriniar, he has made 49 saves in total so far in the season highlight his importance to Inter.
Handanovic has also kept the most number of clean sheets this season with eight, just ahead of Wojciech Szczesny who has managed seven. With a save percentage of 47.1% according to Transfermarkt, Handanovic has firmly established himself as the best goalkeeper in the Serie A.
Inter will be hoping for more of the same from their star keeper if they are to mount a serious title challenge.
Defenders
Joao Cancelo (Juventus)
Ever since moving into Turin, Cancelo has impressed a lot in the league with some phenomenal performances. After excelling in Inter colors during the 2017-18 season, Allegri moved fast in procuring the Portuguese right-back for this season and he has already repaid the faith put on him. With two assists to his name, Cancelo has been relentless at the flanks with 1.8 key passes and a whopping 2.9 dribbles per game, which is, in fact, the highest in the Serie A.
Kalidou Koulibaly (Napoli)
Kalidou Koulibaly has continued from where he left off last season with imperious performances at the back for Napoli. The Senegalese centre-back has led the line well with nearly two tackles and 1.4 interceptions per game taking into the account the dominating nature of Ancelotti's Napoli have played this season.
Milan Skriniar (Inter Milan)
Signed from Sampdoria last year, Milan Skriniar has been one of the best deals that Inter Milan have been able to churn out in recent transfer windows. A no-nonsense centre back in the mold of Nemanja Vidic, Skriniar has been highly influential for Inter with even Miranda having to take a back seat to accommodate Skriniar in the eleven. With 31 tackles to his name this season and 1.9 aerial duels per game, Skriniar is currently witnessing what one might call, a breakout season.
Alex Sandro (Juventus)
While many believe Marcelo to be the best left back in the world right now, he is facing some serious competition from his compatriot, Alex Sandro. The Brazilian left-back, who was on the verge of a move to Chelsea last year, has been in good form for the Old Lady with as many as two Man of the Match awards this season. Sandro contributed 1.7 key passes per game on an average along with an admirable 2.4 tackles per game.
Midfielders
Allan (Napoli)
Allan is the quintessential example of the midfielder you need in your team. Recently called for the Brazil national side, Allan is a very capable box to box midfielder with a knack of taking on players along with ruthless tackling. While Mertens, Insigne, Callejon, and Milik are given the freedom to create and attack, Allan plays a vital role in both attack and defense to balance out the team. With a pass percentage of nearly 90 and two assists to his name, Allan has played according to the needs of Carlo Ancelotti to perfection. With a league high 3.7 tackles per game to his name, Allan is not afraid to put in a tackle and has been sensational in breaking down opposition counters and attacks quickly.
Marcelo Brozovic (Inter Milan)
Considered to be amongst the Golden Generation of Croatian footballers, Marcelo Brozovic has been critical to Inter's performances on the field. A box to box midfielder, Brozovic has made 50 tackles so far in the league and has a decent tally of 27 interceptions too. But what makes Brozovic's season even more special is the fact he has been able to contribute at the other end as well with two goals and an assist to his name so far.
Suso (A.C. Milan)
Finally, one who doesn't play for either of Juventus, Inter Milan and Napoli makes the cut. Suso has been pivotal to AC Milan's form over the past few months after a mini-crisis within the team. The Spaniard has bailed out AC Milan on several occasions this seasons with four goals and a league high eight assists to his name. Suso has churned out five man of the match performances, which is the highest in the Serie A so far with exceptional performances against Napoli, Sampdoria, and Sassuolo.
Attackers
Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus)
There wouldn't be a Serie A Team of the season without Cristiano Ronaldo. Despite a slow start to the campaign, the Portuguese star has continued from where he left at Real Madrid with as many as 11 goals so far. No player in the league has been involved in more goals than Ronaldo's 16 (11 goals and 5 assists). With many believing Ronaldo to be on a steady decline, the five-time Ballon d'Or winner has silenced his doubters once again with shots per game ratio of 7 - the highest in all of Europe's big five leagues. Turning 34 next year, Ronaldo shows no signs of slowing down for Juventus and should be holding the Serie A title come May.
Mario Mandzukic (Juventus)
Cristiano Ronaldo has always formed crucial partnerships with his fellow strikers at all of his clubs. Wayne Rooney at Manchester United and Karim Benzema at Real Madrid have all played second fiddle to the Portuguese star's brilliance. Fitting the bill perfectly is Mario Mandzukic who has been key to unlocking Cristiano Ronaldo for Juventus. The selfless striker has eight goals and two assists to his name this season en route to leading Juventus to first place as of now. His link-up play with Ronaldo and Dybala has been of critical acclaim and has seen him garner praise from all corners.
Lorenzo Insigne (Napoli)
After the departure of beloved manager, Maurizio Sarri, Lorenzo Insigne has been entrusted with the freedom to attack by Carlo Ancelotti and he has emphatically responded with sensational performances in the Serie A on a regular basis. With eight goals and two assists to his name, Insigne has been crucial to Napoli's fortunes this season. An impressive 3.1 aerial duels won per game this season highlights the progress Insigne has been making this season considering his small stature. The Italian is strong on the ball and is lethal in front of goal with three Man of the Match performances so far. His link-up play with Milik and Mertens has been pivotal to Napoli's style of play and will have to keep up the same level of performances to ensure Napoli have a say in this year's title race.
