La Lupa also made it a domestic double by lifting the Coppa Italia Femminile on penalties. It’s no surprise, therefore that a number of the stars of La Maggica make it into the team, but who else joins them?
Goalkeeper: Solène Durand (US Sassuolo)
French stopper Solène Durand has enjoyed an extremely solid season with a Sassuolo side that ended up claiming 4th spot in the table. Despite struggling from an offensive point of view, Gianpiero Piovani’s side were extremely stingy defensively, and Durand was a big part of this. Nine clean sheets were joint-best in the league for any individual and rightly led to her getting international opportunities with France.
Right Back: Lucia Di Guglielmo (AS Roma)
The first of multiple players from Le Giallorosse, Di Guglielmo showed a fantastic appetite for dominating one-on-one duels against some of the trickiest wingers in the league and was hugely important for progressive carries up the pitch for Roma. The Italian international was also instrumental at the other end, chipping in with four goals and two assists in the league, and grabbing a further two goals in the Champions League.
Central Defender: Elena Linari (AS Roma)
Another Roma defender shouldn’t be a surprise, considering La Lupa had the stingiest defensive record all season. Linari was an absolute colossus at centre-back, dominating aerially as well as in duels, but she really shined in her ability to build from the back with pinpoint passing to set up attacks. Cool under pressure, she scored 3 times from the spot and a further 4 times overall to actually leave her as Roma’s 4th top goalscorer, despite being a defender!
Central Defender: Moeka Minami (AS Roma)
The final representative from the champions in the defence, Japanese international Moeka Minami has come into her own this season. Again, she’s been brilliant from a defensive point of view, playing on the front foot to disrupt attackers with 36 tackles and a further 20 interceptions this season, but her real skill comes from the ability to assist Linari with creating opportunities for Roma to scythe opponents apart with precision passing. At just 24, Minami has plenty of time to get even better for club and country too.
Left Back: Lisa Boattin (Juventus)
Despite the Old Lady struggling for consistency all season, Lisa Boattin was able to produce another very solid year for the Turin-based side. Consistently looking to attack and almost at times playing as a winger, Boattin occupied some of the top percentiles for progressive carries, dribbles and take-on, despite being a defender by trade. It’s no surprise therefore that she ended up with 7GA for the season, scoring twice and picking up 5 assists in 23 appearances.
Central Midfielder: Arianna Caruso (Juventus)
A quality Italian midfielder, Arianna Caruso continued to increase her reputation this season with some stellar midfield displays. Her silky dribbling ability and excellent control has allowed her to glide past opponents and has made her a firm fan favourite with the neutrals. She has multiple times been able to put opponents to the sword regardless, scoring 7 goals with only one from the penalty spot. Despite her passing at times not necessarily hitting the mark, Caruso was still an excellent creative force for Juve, laying on six assists for her teammates.
Central Midfielder: Manuela Giugliano (AS Roma)
The heartbeat of the team for club and country, Manuela Giugliano has been the absolute standout player in Serie A this season. A midfield general with skill in abundance, she has consistently blended outstanding flair, tenacious steel and precise end product all season for La Lupa’s benefit. With 10 goals from midfield (and only two coming from the spot) and a further 7 assists, she has been the player that Roma have turned to time and time again to win matches for them, and the 25-year-old normally obliges. The only danger for AS Roma is other teams are going to start eyeing her up as a potential star acquisition.
Central Midfielder: Verónica Boquete (ACF Fiorentina)
Age is just a number for 36-year-old Verónica Boquete who rolled back the years with some stellar displays in the midfield. The Spaniard was continuously the creative force for La Viola all season long, with the highest progressive passing rate in the league and one of the highest pass completion percentages. Boquete also excelled from the spot, scoring 4 times as well as scoring a further 5 in open play. Her league-high 8 assists also meant she finished with 17 G/A in Serie A - not bad for a veteran!
Attacker: Michela Cambiaghi (Internazionale)
Michela Cambiaghi was a big part of Le Nerazzurre claiming a spot in the Championship round. Although not a traditional centre-forward, Cambiaghi showed excellent awareness and ability to slot into important spaces all season to sniff out opportunities, either to score herself or set up teammates. Her impressive aerial stats made her a menace in both boxes, whilst her precise skilful dribbling ensured defenders were never able to relax when she was staring them down.
Attacker: Valentina Giacinti (AS Roma)
Another stellar season for the experienced Italian international, Valentina Giacinti finished with 12 goals - just a single goal behind Viens in the Golden Boot race domestically. A further four goals in the Champions League meant she topped the club’s chart in this competition. An extremely classy centre-forward, Giacinti doesn’t necessary rely on blistering pace, but rather a fantastic eye for shooting anywhere within 20 yards and is able to pull off all kinds of finishes, ranging from three-yard tap-ins to long-range scorchers.
Attacker: Evelyne Viens (AS Roma)
Stepping into the big boots of Sophie Roman Haug was not going to be easy, but Canadian international Evelyne Viens has done so with aplomb. Thirteen goals in Serie A were enough to help her secure the Golden Boot and she’ll be looking to kick on even further next year. Blessed with a fantastic turn of pace, excellent jumping and aerial ability and an ability to remain icy cool under pressure, Viens has gone from being a reliable rotational forward to an excellent striker approaching her prime.
Honourable Mentions:
Amanda Tampieri (Sampdoria): Despite struggling hugely from an offensive point-of-view, Sassuolo survived due to Tampieri’s brilliant goalkeeping performances, which saw her also keep 9 clean sheets.
Martina Toniolo (ACF Fiorentina): The tough tackler ranked extremely high for defensive interceptions and was in the top percentile for tackles, and at 22, she is only going to improve further.
Chiara Beccari (US Sassuolo): The on-loan Juventus attacker impressed despite Sassuolo struggling for consistency in the final third, picking up 5 goals and assists apiece at the tender age of 18. One for the future.
Lina Magull (Internazionale): A fantastic first six months for the forward after arriving from FC Bayern, Magull instantly elevated the performance of her teammates and slotted in perfectly, grabbing 9 goals and 4 assists in just 14 appearances.
End of Season Awards:
Manager of the Season: Sebastien De La Fuente (ACF Fiorentina)
A fantastic year for the Firenze club saw them secure a top 3 finish despite limited resources compared to Internazionale and AC Milan. Fuente was also able to push AS Roma all the way in the Coppa Italia, only losing out on the lottery of the penalty shootout. Capable of getting absolutely the best out of her squad, Fuente has impressed all year with an attractive brand of football and Fiorentina are definitely dark horses next season under her stewardship.
Player of the Season: Manuela Giugliano (AS Roma)
Another tour-de-force season from the Italian international who has emerged as AS Roma’s most important player and a critical cog for the Italian national team. She continues to add more end product to her game and you absolutely wouldn’t bet on her getting into double figures for goals and assists next season if she stays fit. Even without her goals and assists, her tenacious work-rate, appetite for tackling and ability to knit a midfield together makes her an absolute shoe-in first name on the team sheet.
Young Player of the Season: Jennifer Echegini (Juventus)
Despite only arriving in the January window, the Nigerian international has shown why she is one of the most prodigious talents from Africa and is well deserving of this accolade. Capable of playing the midfield and also slotting into the forward line, her relentless work in and around the penalty area has made her an absolute nightmare for defenders. Additionally, she is deadly when given a chance to shoot - with ten goals leaving her as the fourth-joint top-scorer.