Serie A Team of the Week - Round 9: A Good Week For Inter

GK - Alfred Gomis (SPAL)

SPAL were unlucky to go 1-0 down to Sassuolo after just 45 seconds this weekend. The scoreline stayed at 1-0 by the end of the 90 minutes, and goalkeeper Alfred Gomis prevented it from being much more. The ‘keeper – on loan from Torino – saved a penalty from Domenico Berardi as well as making a further three stops, but alas his teammates couldn’t find an equaliser.

RB - Danilo D’Ambrosio (Inter)

Inter were the first side in Serie A to prevent Napoli from winning in matchday nine, the visitors holding Maurizio Sarri’s side to a 0-0 draw. Danilo D’Ambrosio put in a superb performance, containing the attacking threat of Lorenzo Insigne with aplomb. The 29-year-old – himself from Naples – made five tackles and two interceptions during his hard-working display at right-back.

CB - Bastos (Lazio)

Angolan centre-back Bastos scored for Lazio in a 3-0 defeat over Cagliari, and completed 98.5% of his 67 passes in what was a sublime performance. He did have a problem before kick-off though, as his young son – who was one of the mascots – refused to leave the pitch when play was about to kick-off. “It was the son of Bastos and he went on to the field with his Daddy, but then didn’t want to leave,” said coach Simone Inzaghi. “I told him to bring the boy more often, seeing as he even scored a goal!

CB - Milan Skriniar (Inter)

Inter completed 12 more tackles than Napoli as they became the first side to stop the Partenopei from scoring with a total of 26. The excellent Milan Skriniar – who joined this summer from Sampdoria for a reported €18 million – put in seven from that total and also made two clearances, continuing the superb form he has already shown so far this season.

LB - Aleksandar Kolarov (Roma)

Former Manchester City defender Aleksandar Kolarov became the first player in Serie A to have scored two goals from direct free-kicks this weekend as Roma beat Torino 1-0 away from home. The Serbian also put in a typically good defensive performance during that match, adding three tackles and two interceptions to his match-winning goal.

CM - Marco Benassi (Fiorentina)

Talented young Italian midfielder Marco Benassi scored his first goal for Fiorentina since joining the club from Torino this summer. The Viola romped to a 3-0 win over bottom-of-the-table Benevento with Benassi driving the play through the middle. The 23-year-old completed 90.2% of his 51 passes as well as making one tackle and two interceptions.

CM - Karol Linetty (Sampdoria)

Sampdoria smashed five past Crotone on Saturday evening, scoring from only five shots on target. 22-year-old Polish midfielder Karol Linetty was also on the scoresheet that night, as well as making four tackles and one interception. “Our midfielders are versatile and put themselves at the disposal of the squad,” revealed Samp boss Marco Giampaolo after the match.

CM - Sami Khedira (Juventus)

Midfielder Sami Khedira helped his Juventus side to a 6-2 victory away at Udinese with his first-ever career hat-trick on Sunday evening. “I’m happy that we won this difficult game, as it was super important after the two matches against Atalanta and Lazio,” the Germany international told Sky Italia. “It’s the first hat-trick of my career, so that’s great, but I am above all happy with the win.”

FW - Luis Alberto (Lazio)

Ciro Immobile may have stolen the headlines in Lazio’s 3-0 win over Cagliari, but former Liverpool forward Luis Alberto was a superb wing-man for the in-form striker. The Spaniard provided one assist and created a further three chances as the Biancocelesti drew level on points with champions Juventus.

FW - Matteo Politano  (Sassuolo)

Matteo Politano scored the only goal in a 1-0 home victory over SPAL for his Sassuolo side, a victory which lifted the Neroverdi out of a relegation spot. “We hadn’t won for a while, so this game was important for our self-esteem,” said Coach Cristian Bucchi after the match. “We had the right spirit and created many chances, but only scored one goal, so we need to improve.”

FW - Ciro Immobile (Lazio)

At 27 years old, Ciro Immobile is currently in the form of his life. Seventeen goals in all competitions so far this term has seen him rise above any player in the scoring charts of Europe’s top five leagues, and his brace on Sunday night showed he has no intention of stopping.

“It was important to keep the winning run going and to continue to amaze people,” the Italy international told the press after the match. “It’s truly exceptional what we’ve achieved so far. I’d like to thank the fans, it’s all been wonderful.”