Serie A Team of the Season: Osimhen and Kvaratskhelia lead explosive attack

Carlo Garganese

• Updated: 30 May 2023 11:11 BST
• 6 min read

The 2022-23 Serie A season was a historic one.

Napoli won their first Scudetto in 33 years as a Victor Osimhen and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia-inspired team under Luciano Spalletti destroyed the rest of the league.

Italians teams had their best season for almost two decades in Europe, providing finalists in all three of the European competitions; Inter in the Champions League, Roma in the Europa League and Fiorentina in the Conference League.

But in Serie A, the big sides struggled aside from Napoli. Lazio, Inter and Milan finally clinched Champions League qualification as Juventus were deducted points for off-field issues.

Sampdoria and Cremonese were relegated, and will be joined by either Spezia or Verona.

Below we take a look at the best XI of the 2022-23 Serie A season.

Ivan Provedel (Lazio)

Empoli’s Guglielmo Vicario will feel hard done-by having enjoyed a brilliant season himself. Inter Andre Onana has also been a revelation, although mostly in Europe.

But Provedel is a deserved winner as best goalkeeper, having kept an incredible 20 clean sheets for Lazio. Only Marc-Andre ter Stegen for Barcelona has more in Europe’s big five leagues this season.

Provedel wasn’t even supposed to be Lazio’s first-choice at the start of the campaign but has played a key role in Lazio qualifying for the Champions League.

Giovanni Di Lorenzo (Napoli)

The best right-back in Serie A this season is Napoli captain Giovanni DI Lorenzo, who has led the side expertly at the back.

Fast, aggressive and excellent in the air, Di Lorenzo played all but one of Napoli’s games in Serie A and the Champions League.

He has also been useful going forward, scoring five goals and providing six assists in all competitions. This included a stunning winner against Inter.

Kim Min-Jae (Napoli)

Napoli fans feared the worst when their star defender Kalidou Koulibaly was sold to Chelsea last summer, having been the best centre back in Serie A for much of his eight years at the club.

But South Korea star Kim has been an absolute revelation since arriving from Fenerbahce, and Napoli haven’t missed Koulibaly at all.

He has the most ball recoveries and the second most interceptions in the league and the fourth most aerial challenges in Serie A for a defender. He has also scored two goals and has been the best defender in the league so far.

Chris Smalling (Roma)

Chris Smalling has enjoyed a career renaissance ever since moving to Roma from Manchester United and he enjoyed another exceptional season in Serie A.

Until his injury over the past month, only Kim has been more consistent at centre back over the course of the campaign.

Whenever Smalling has been missing, Roma’s defence has struggled and it is no coincidence how their form has suffered without him recently.

A pillar of Jose Mourinho’s side in in the middle of the back three.

Federico Dimarco (Inter)

When Federico Dimarco returned to Inter two years ago after a series of loan moves, very few expected him to make a career of it at San Siro.

But the left wing-back has proven everyone wrong and is now even a regular for the Italy national team.

His biggest weapon is his left foot, which is one of the most powerful and accurate in the world when it comes to crossing and shooting.

His delivery is world class and he has scored an impressive six goals and delivered eight assists this season. He has also turned up big in some big games, with memorable strikes in the Milan Derby, against Juventus and versus Roma.

Stanislav Lobotka (Napoli)

Stanislav Lobotka is not a player who stands out tangibly when it comes to statistics.

He doesn’t score many goals, he doesn’t assist much and you won’t see many highlight reels of him.

But no one in Serie A is better at keeping the ball and conducting the play from deep, and no midfielder is better at beating the first line of press.

He has run the show in midfield for Napoli in 2022-23. The best midfielder in Serie A.

Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa (Napoli)

Anguissa was tipped for big things earlier in his career, but it is at Napoli that he has exploded into one of the most powerful midfielders in Europe.

Under manager Luciano Spalletti, the Cameroonian has developed into the complete midfielder. Physically he is a monster, but he has improved so much technically and offensively.

This season, Anguissa has added goals to his game and he has four goals and eight assists to his name.

Adrien Rabiot (Juventus)

Juventus endured a disastrous season on and off the pitch. Their entire board resigned amidst a financial scandal that led to a heavy points deduction that cost Juve a place in the Champions League.

Their performances on the field were little better as Juve endured a second trophyless season in a row under Max Allegri.

The one bright spot in a terrible campaign was the performances of Rabiot. The Frenchman enjoyed the best season of his career, scoring 11 goals and providing six assists in all competitions.

No midfielder playing in Italy scored more goals than Rabiot in 2022-23. He will leave on a Bosman Transfer next month.

Lautaro Martinez (Inter)

Boulaye Dia was close to being selected for this best XI after a brilliant season at Salernitana in which he scored 16 goals.

Only Lautaro and Victor Osimhen scored more than Dia. The Argentine found the net 21 times in Serie A in what has been the most prolific year of his career.

Lautaro is still patchy at times but he has truly stepped up in the big moments this term, particularly during the business end of the campaign.

His double also won Inter the Coppa Italia final against Fiorentina, and he can become a club legend in the Champions League final on June 10 versus Manchester City.

Victor Osimhen (Napoli)

Top scorer in Serie A this season with 25 strikes, adding another five in the Champions League, Osimhen’s goals have led Napoli to a historic Scudetto.

The Nigerian is the perfect modern attacker, pressing ferociously from the front and a mix of power, pace and devastating attacking prowess - whether it is with his back to goal or making runs in behind.

The best striker in Serie A and maybe in all of Europe, Osimhen ha struck fear into all Serie A opponents. And he has scored some memorable goals along the way, notably the winner against Roma at the Stadio Olimpico.

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (Napoli)

After Osimhen, Kvaratskhelia has been the best player overall in the league.

The Georgian winger arrived from Dinamo Batumi last summer for just €10m. He is now worth 10 times that amount.

A dribbling machine, Kvaratskhelia has the most dribbles in the league by a big distance and he statistically dominated almost every attacking category in Serie A in the first half of the season - from chances created to key passes.

Defences coped better with him in the closing months of the campaign but his return of 12 goals and 10 assists in Serie A is remarkable in his first season at the age of just 22.