Serie A team of the year: 2021
2021 was an interesting year in Serie A:
- Inter ended Juventus' decade of Scudetto dominace.
- Dusan Vlahovic became Gabriel Batistuta.
- AC Milan became a legitimately competent football team again.
- Oh, and David Ospina played well.
So with all that, well, weirdness in mind, we at 90min have decided to pick our very own 2021 Serie A team of the year.
1. Goalkeeper & defenders
David Ospina (GK) - Yeah, really. Remarkably the former Arsenal goalkeeper has probably been the most consistent goalkeeper in Serie A throughout 2021.
Gleison Bremer (CB) - Sure, Torino aren't great, but that doesn't mean that Bremer hasn't impressed this year. The 24-year-old centre-back has been a revelation for Toro in the last 18 months, becoming one of the premier defenders on the peninsula. We'd guess he'll be hot property in the coming January transfer window.
Stefan de Vrij (CB) - Week to week, there hasn't been a better centre-back in Italy throughout the last two or three years. Stefan de Vrij was the key man at the back during Inter's Scudetto-winning 2020/21 season under Antonio Conte, and has been the same during the 2021/22 season under Simone Inzaghi.
Fikayo Tomori (CB) - Why did Chelsea think it was a good idea to sell Tomori? He's brilliant. Absolutely brilliant.
2. Midfielders
Juan Cuadrado (RM) - The only Juventus player in this team...which tells you all you need to know about the current Juventus side. Without Cuadrado's brilliant performances, Juve would actually be worse.
Nicolo Barella (CM) - The Inter star is arguably the best box-to-box midfielder in the world right now. Barella was exceptional last season when he won the Scudetto and Euro 2020, and he's continued that form into the current season - recording seven assists already.
Marcelo Brozovic (CM) - Just so, so consistent. Week in, week out, Brozovic was utterly brilliant for Inter in 2021. No other player in the league can do what he does in the middle of the park.
Hakan Calhanoglu (CM) - Calhanoglu and a few Inter execs were the only people in the world who thought the midfielder was worth his mammoth contract - and they were very, very right. Brilliant player.
Lorenzo Insigne (LM) - A mainstay in lineups like this for the best part of the last decade, Insigne continues to be one of the best players in Serie A. It'll be a huge waste if he were to move to Toronto FC, to play in a league he's clearly too good to play in.
3. Forwards
Dusan Vlahovic (ST) - 33 Serie A goals in 2021. Obviously Vlahovic is in this team.
Romelu Lukaku (ST) - Yes, he was sold to Chelsea in the summer, but he still definitely deserves to be in this team. Lukaku was the guy for Inter last season when they romped to their first title in a decade.