Serie A 2015-16: Team of the Week – Round 11

Date: 3rd November 2015 at 9:01am
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Serie A kicked off the third round of fixtures within the space of a week on Saturday afternoon, with many of the matches showing evidence of players who had played a lot of late.

There were fewer goals this week than we have become accustomed to, but there were some big matches that more than made up for the relative drought.

Juventus, once again, beat Torino 2-1 in the season’s first Derby Della Mole with a last-gasp winner, much like last season while Roma fell to defeat to Inter by their favourite scoreline of 1-0 also on Saturday.

In Sunday’s action, Fiorentina thumped Frosinone 4-1, Milan got a surprise 3-1 victory away at Lazio, Bologna recorded a comfortable 3-0 win against Atalanta. Meanwhile, the day’s other games all ended scoreless with Napoli and Genoa, Udinese and Sassuolo as well as Carpi and Verona all playing out stalemates.

The week’s action came to a close on Monday evening as Sampdoria and Empoli drew 1-1, before Empoli stole the points at Palermo with a 1-0 win.

Our Team of the Week will see a 3-4-3 formation deployed.

Do you agree with our selection? Have your say in the comments below!

Samir Handanovic – Inter (Two Team of the Week appearances)

The Slovenian is deserving of his place in this team based solely on a three-second spell in which he pulled off a remarkable quadruple save. The Giallorossi might have been able to steal all three points had it not been for Inter’s in-form shot-stopper.

Maicon – Roma (2 apps)

Just when it looked as though his Roma career was nearing an end, the Brazilian full-back has handed in two impressive consecutive performances. The Roma backline were relatively solid throughout the match and only conceded through a long-range Gary Medel strike.

TOTW 2015-16 GW11Kamil Glik – Torino (2 apps)

The dominant Toro defender was unlucky not to find his name on the scoresheet and perhaps would have against any other opposing goalkeeper, but Gianluigi Buffon pulled off a remarkable save to deny the Pole. Had his effort found the net, it could well have been the Granata celebrating come full-time.

Nicolas Burdisso – Genoa

The Argentine played a key role in taming his seemingly unstoppable compatriot Gonzalo Higuain. His positioning throughout the match was almost perfect and was a vital factor, along with Mattia Perin, in keeping a clean sheet for the Grifone.

Emanuele Giaccherini – Bologna

Undoubtedly his best performance since returning to Serie A. The Italian international didn’t stop running for a second in his time on the pitch and caused Atalanta a handful of problems. Will be happy to have capped his performance off with a goal.

Marcelo Brozovic – Inter

An impressive showing from the man who replaced Geoffrey Kondogbia in the Inter side and has left the former Monaco midfielder with a tough task of forcing his way back into Roberto Mancini’s plans. The Croatian was all-action and his work-rate was bettered by few, if any, players on the pitch.

Borja Valero – Fiorentina (3 apps)

The Spaniard orchestrated all things good for La Viola on Sunday in typical fashion. He was a level above not only the Frosinone players but his own teammates at times, too. You would be hard-pushed to remember a single misplaced pass from Valero.

Giacomo Bonaventura – AC Milan (3 apps)

The former Atalanta midfielder is fast becoming one of Sinisa Mihajlovic’s most important players. Was head and shoulders above any other player on the pitch and ended the night with two assists, though he will feel as though his performance deserved a goal to mark it.

Juan Cuadrado – Juventus

The importance of the former Chelsea man’s goal is almost reason enough for his inclusion in this selection. His introduction in the first half changed everything for the Bianconeri and although this shift in dominance was largely down to tactical factors, his impact was noticeable.

Mattia Destro – Bologna

The wait is finally over. The former AC Milan and Roma forward found the net at long last, but it was not just his prowess in front of goal that was impressive. His movement and alertness from start to finish meant the Atalanta defence barely had a moment’s rest and his goal is just the icing on the cake.

Carlos Bacca – AC Milan

The Colombian has carried Milan at times this season and once again popped up with an important goal to seal the result for his side. His movement was difficult to track for the Biancocelesti backline. All in all, he has settled well at the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza side.

 

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