Stephen Maio

It’s that time of year again. The 2007/08 season has come to a close in Italy and I have recognised the outstanding individuals from an entertaining campaign. The following are the list of my 23. These players dazzled the crowds this season, and while it was incredibly tough this year as opposed to past seasons, I managed to pack in as many deserving players as I could.

GK Gianluigi BUFFON  JUVENTUS

GK Sebastien FREY  FIORENTINA

GK Alexander DONI  AS ROMA

RB Christian PANUCCI AS ROMA

RB Douglas MAICON INTER MILAN

CD Giorgio CHIELLINI JUVENTUS

CD Andrea BARZAGLI PALERMO

CD Alessandro NESTA AC MILAN

CD  Philippe MEXES  AS ROMA

LB Juan Manuel VARGAS CATANIA

M Esteban CAMBIASSO INTER MILAN

M Cristiano DONI  ATALANTA

M Daniele DE ROSSI  AS ROMA

M KAKA   AC MILAN

M Andrea PIRLO  AC MILAN

M Amantino MANCINI AS ROMA

M Simone PERROTTA AS ROMA

F Marco BORRIELLO GENOA CFC

F Antonio DI NATALE UDINESE

F David TREZEGUET JUVENTUS

F Alessandro DEL PIERO JUVENTUS

F Adrian MUTU  FIORENTINA

F Francesco TOTTI  AS ROMA

I went a little further and chose a starting 11 that would fit into a 4-3-1-2 formation.  The squad is full of talent and the starting 11 is hard to choose, I would have to say it comes down to personal opinion.

(GK) Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus) – The world’s best was in fine form all season long in his return to the top-flight. He was a wall at the back and an important member of the old guard that propelled “La Vecchia Signora” to a solid return season and a Champions League qualification place.

(LB) Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus) – For tactical reasons I have Chiellini at his natural left-back position, but he has really been a revelation at the heart of the Juventus defence this season. When an serious injury to Jorge Andrade occurred and Domenico Criscito struggled early on, Claudio Ranieri made the crucial switch and put this pit bull in the centre of the pitch. His quality was none the more evident than in the pair of ties against Inter Milan, where he frustrated and dominated Zlatan Ibrahimovic for the full 180 minutes.

(CD) Andrea Barzagli (Palermo) – A quality defender that had another solid season in Sicily, he captained Palermo to a respectable finish in the table. Barzagli can now look forward to this summer’s UEFA Euro 2008 and possibly an already overdue move to a larger club.

(CD) Alessandro Nesta (AC Milan) – Back to basics for this former international icon, and back to the form fans are accustomed to seeing him in. Injuries in the past few seasons have stopped Nesta from being the force he could have been if healthy, but this year he was able to stay in the line-up consistently.

(RB) Christian Panucci (AS Roma) – He has had such a solid season that he has forced his way back into the national set-up with a good chance of going to UEFA Euro 2008. The veteran who captained Roma when Francesco Totti went down has been a rock at the back this season.

(M) Simone Perrotta (AS Roma) – Perrotta is a sneaky customer. With all the razzle-dazzle the Roma midfield provides, some people lose track of the fine work put in by this all-round player. Blessed with the ability to defend or attack, Perrotta is a wild card at Spalletti’s disposal.

(M) Andrea PIRLO (AC Milan) – Pirlo was at work again during another fantastic campaign, even though over usage left the crafty playmaker with tired legs in the final third of campaign. In the end he didn’t win as much as he is accustomed to, but a good year none the less. The class act now has UEFA Euro 2008 to look forward to, as his clever passes and dead-ball skills will now be in the request of the Azzurri.

(M) Daniele DE ROSSI (AS Roma) – Well rounded, world class player has had another good year at the Stadio Olimpico. Often confined to a more defensive role that allows Spalletti’s attaching machine to work, De Rossi is sort-of the grease guy of the Roman midfield. Pursued by the likes of Real Madrid, he is a hot commodity across Europe.

(CAM) KAKA (AC Milan) – While his form always seems to be better in European competition, Kaka did have a good year in Serie A this time around for AC Milan. Often “saved” for the big games it is clear that Milan lack a certain polish when he is on the sidelines. The reigning FIFA World Player of the Year and European Golden Ball winner seems excited about the prospect of finishing his career in Milan, and I am sure the fans are also happy about that.

(S) Antonio DI NATALE (Udinese) – His class has been evident all season long and he has formed one of the leagues most feared attacking tandems alongside Fabio Quagliarella. This summer he will try to replicate his Friuli form in an Azzurri jersey. A natural ‘Trequartista’, he is both a set-up man and a scorer of beautiful goals.

(S) David TREZEGUET (Juventus) – The return of ‘Trezegol’ to the pitches of Serie A was a delightful one even if he faded a bit as the season wore on. The classic finisher, he took off right from where he left and hasn’t missed a beat, scoring goals and cementing his partnership with Alessandro Del Piero as arguably the best of its kind this decade.

And of course, my condolences must be sent out to those players who performed at an all-star level all season long but lack of room kept them off my list. Honourable mentions go out to Torino FC goalkeeper Matteo Sereni, Livorno goalkeeper Marco Amelia, AC Milan defender Massimo Oddo, Inter Milan defender/midfielder Zavier Zanetti, and Palermo striker Amauri.

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