The 2016-17 Serie A campaign is about to come to an end. There are only four more rounds of matches left. Juventus look set to win the Scudetto, while AS Roma and Napoli appear set to take the fight for the runners-up spot down to the wire.
Lazio and Atalanta, this season’s surprise package, are going to battle for the fourth spot. Pescara have already been relegated to Serie B, with Genoa, Empoli, Crotone and Palermo all aiming to avoid the dreaded drop to the Italian second division.
Serie A is blessed with some world-class players and some hugely talented youngsters. Below we look at the three best footballers in the Italian top flight this season and then we choose our Serie A Player of the 2016-17 Season.
Andrea Belotti (Torino)
Torino are doing much better than expected and could end up in the top 10 of the Serie A table. Andrea Belotti has been the Turin club’s best player this season and has been scoring goals for fun. The 23-year-old Italy international striker has found the net 25 times and has created 49 chances in 31 league appearances for Torino and is 9/4 to finish as the top scorer, according to Serie A betting odds. Given the striker’s performances and his potential, there is little surprise that Premier League giants Chelsea and Manchester United are reported to be interested in signing him in the summer transfer window.
Edin Dzeko (AS Roma)
Edin Dzeko did not have the best of times at Manchester City, and his debut season at AS Roma yielded just eight goals in 31 Serie A matches. This campaign, though, Dzeko has stepped up his game and has been one of the best players in the division. Besides scoring 25 goals in 34 league games, the Bosnia and Herzegovina international striker has created 33 chances. Dzeko arrived at Roma amid a huge fanfare, and it seems that he is finally giving the supporters what they have been craving for.
Mauro Icardi (Inter Milan)
Inter Milan are having yet another disappointing season and are not going to finish in the Champions League places. Mauro Icardi, though, cannot be blamed for Inter’s problems, as he has been their best player. The 24-year-old has scored 24 goals and provided eight assists in 32 Serie A matches for the Nerazzurri so far this campaign. One should not be surprised if the Argentina international striker is prised away by top European clubs. Chelsea could certainly be interested should Diego Costa head to China.
Winner: Andrea Belotti
Andrea Belotti of Torino has to be acknowledged for his performances this season. The former Palermo striker has taken to his game to a whole new level this campaign, and he is the Serie A Player of the 2016-17 Season. It is not easy to score in a league in which defenders are very intelligent and the backlines are very compact, but Belotti seems to be relishing such challenges every week.