Serie A Player of the Season: Paulo Dybala (Juventus)
This season has been an all-time high for individual Talent displayed in Italian football. From top to bottom, it has been something truly extraordinary. Serie A player of the year was between 3 incredibly worthy candidates. Lazio’s Ciro immobile, Atalanta’s Papu Gomez, and Juve’s Paulo Dybala. You can even make arguments for people like Cristiano Ronaldo Josip ilicic romelu Lukaku and Francesco Caputo. There have been a lot of incredible players this season that has been on display. However, as great as some of these guys have been, one person in particular clearly stands out above the rest Paulo Dybala. I’m not saying he was so much better than everybody else, but for me, it was a pretty easy evaluation. Not to lessen all the players that I mentioned but looking at the impact on the title race value within the team and the difference in the way this team looked with & without him. The league got this one right; it isn’t just my pick the league awarded him MVP as well justifying his value. Juventus Last Summer actively and admittedly tried to get rid of Paulo Dybala; they had negotiated and accepted offers from Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur. He wasn’t interested in any of that; he rejected both moves; he truly wanted to fight for his place within the team. Juventus dodged a bullet because the Argentina midfielder decided to stay in Italy with Juventus. From the first game of the season, he was the best player in the entire league, and for at least half of the year, it wasn’t even close. He truly separated himself from the pack, and the lack of quality of this Juventus team indeed highlighted Paulo Dybala in what he has done this season. Juventus were at their worst point; we have seen them in a decade any other year they don’t win the league title; in fact, the only reason they won it was because of the Brilliance of Paulo Dybala. That includes Cristiano Ronaldo, who, when in his prime, was one of the best goal-scorers we’ve ever seen. However, people have a hard time accepting the fact that he’s not that guy anymore. He did score 30 + goals this season but primarily because of the number of penalties he’s taking. While he did score a fair amount of goals, he was too inconsistent with too many dry spells of poor form he wasn’t creating anything and just isn’t the same player. Cristiano Ronaldo still is sensational, but he’s not what he once was, and it was clear after a week Paulo Dybala with the best player on the team. The reason I bring that up is not to tear down Cristiano Ronaldo; it only highlights how big of a role that Paulo Dybala had to play Within the team. This is a Juventus team with an unenthusiastic Midfield and defensive issues without enough Firepower to really threaten anybody his quality, and Brilliance really made the difference in the title this season. This arguably was the best season of his career. If you look at just statistics, you’re not going to make that evaluation; that is what made this season so impressive what he did within the team was entirely beyond the statistics.
11 goals and 11 assist is a very respectable display, but in the grand scheme of things, people that win this award typically are scoring 20 or more goals. This is why I love so much about Italian football recognizing him throwing away the fact that statistics mean everything because they clearly don’t. He single-handedly took this team to a title; they undoubtedly did not deserve to win it. They had pushed back from Lazio and Inter Milan and, at times, Atalanta. Paulo Dybala was world-class performing at an unbelievable standard; he was what determined the scudetto for Juventus. They aren’t going to win this next season, but the fact that he carried this team poor team to a league title tells you everything you need to know about how good he’s been. For me, there is only one answer to the question Paulo Dybala wasn’t just impressive in Italy he has become one of the best players in the world this season he would have been a top-eight finisher in the Ballon d’Or as great as all these other great players have been this season no one had more pull in the league title then Paulo Dybala he clearly was above and beyond everyone else Paulo Dybala is the player of the season. Anyone who tries to argue otherwise is not looking at the big picture this season; it was Paulo Dybala and everyone else.
Serie A Young Player of the Season: Dejan Kulusevski (Parma)
Italian football over the last couple of years seems to have been the place of young Talent. This is why selecting a Young Player of the Year can sometimes be really difficult. Sandro tonali with breccia, Marsha kumbula with Hellas Verona, Justin kluivert with Roma, Matthias De ligt with Juve Dejan Kulusevski, or maybe even last year’s winner Nicolo zaniolo. There are so many good options to choose from; all these players that I have listed are worthy of the honor it takes a lot of evaluating to come to a conclusion. This season I went with Parma Dejan Kulusevski. Even though Parma failed to finish in the top 10 this season, they have overachieved really being a spectacular team to watch. A well-coached team with talented young players, an inspiring team. Dejan Kulusevski has been a revelation for Parma this season he joined on a season-long loan from Atalanta the attacking forward is only 20 years old and is already looking like the future of the Swedish national team with the talent and ability to become one of the very best strikers in Italy. So much so Midway through the season, Juventus had seen enough and signed him in a 35 million deal that can rise to 44 if specific bonuses are met. He was immediately loaned back to Parma as he finished the remainder of the season with the team. He is one of the most exciting prospects in Italian football when it comes to young foreign players in the league he is that very best the league has to offer this season he scored 10 goals and Supply 9 assists showing that not only does he have incredible finishing ability but on top of that can supply for his teammates. He is an all-around Striker; he’s young quick with great athleticism and a high level of intelligence. This kid is only going to get better. Nicolo zaniolo is without question is the best Prospect in Italian football he only played about half the season due to some injury concerns allowing the Swedish International to take his award that the Italian midfielder won last season. He is a complete player and a striker that will be able to help Juventus for many years he is a player that can develop into something incredibly unique and that was on display all season as he is my young Player of the Year next season he should be taking an even more significant jump especially with better players around him. It was a memorable season for the Swedish star.
Goalkeeper of the Season: Thomas Strakosha
The goalkeeper of the season this year goes to Thomas strakosha. The Lazio keeper with absolutely sensational throughout the campaign and up until the restart he was having a career year even afterward he displayed and showed those qualities that make him such a phenomenal keeper. Ciro immobile stole the show for Lazio this season with his record-tying 36 goals in Italian football this season he indeed has been one of the best players in the league after putting in a season that is one of the best individual seasons we have seen a recent time. However, despite that, that doesn’t lessen the impact of Thomas strakosha Lazio were as consistent as any team in the league for at least the majority of the Season. Yes, a large part of that is from Ciro immobile milinkovic Savic Luis Alberto and a lot of aspects of the team. Thomas strakosha indeed has become one of the most underrated keepers not just in Italy but in Europe all year a lot of love has been given to Gigi donnarumma, but he has made some big mistakes in several AC Milan games this season. Thomas strakosha has made minimal errors whatsoever this season the only mistake he made was edin Dzeko goal against Lazio in the Derby outside of that he has had a remarkable campaign he just has been ignored because of the other counterparts of his team even though Ciro immobile what’s going like crazy this season Lazio we’re in a lot of tight games and a big reason behind their success was Thomas strakosha keeping Lazio Leads intact he made some really big saves in some critical games, not just one of the best goalkeepers this year one of their best players I believe he is the best goalkeeper in the league. I think week in and week out he had has proved it this season as much as I hate to say it Thomas strakosha was above and beyond the best Keeper in the League this season.
Manager Of the Season: Roberto De Zerbi
The manager of the season is really only between three different people. Giampaolo Gasperini from Atalanta, but the problem with him is what he did this season while maybe a little surprising was somewhat expected. That does not lessen or degrade anything he is done because he is one of the best managers in the world, but I felt giving him this award again didn’t make sense just because we’ve learned to expect great things from him. Then we have Ivan Juric from Hellas Verona who had a tremendous season that no one saw coming taking a team that just was promoted as last summer into a top 10 finish finishing ninth this season and if they keep the form they had before the restart it is possible that even with all that they could have finished in the Europa League that’s how close they were this season from getting into Europe. He is as deserving as almost anyone, but I’m looking at this in terms of the way the teams play how will the players are impacted and how they have done during the season. So because of the way I’m looking at this I couldn’t give it to him but I thought about this one for a long time. My manager of the season goes to Roberto De zerbi. I have been incredibly high on him for the last several years. Even though his time at Benevento didn’t go as well as he would have liked, he was in an incredibly challenging situation with that Sassuolo took a chance on him and he completely changes life for them. They are a team that is consistently in the top 10 in the league or at least near it. It was a really tough decision, but all things considered in my mind, he was the best manager in the league this season. He took a team that still was doing remarkably well this season and took them to a place they should not have been. He turned Jermaine Boga into a superstar after an unfulfilled Chelsea experience. Took Francesco Caputo, an aging striker from relegated Empoli, and was one of the best players in the league this season. He scored at 21 goals this season, really showing even in late age he is something special. On top of that, Berardi had consistency for the first time in several seasons Locatelli looks like a can’t miss in the defensive Midfield. Roberto De zerbi got them to where they are right now. At least players may not be in the same space or as useful without this coach. However, be on that aspect of it he took his team to 8th Place this season and beat Roma AC Milan and Juventus while getting points against Inter Milan and Lazio really showing what kind of team they are. They went from 11th to 8th three spots they had a chance at the Europa League at their best they were absolutely incredible, and that is down to their manager Roberto De Zerbi because of all those things the progression of his players being able to perform against the big teams and finishing three spots higher than the previous season he is my manager of the year.
Everything Roma 