Goalkeeper 

Samir Handanovic - Inter 

Even with the wall built by Jeison Murillo and Miranda in front of him, Handanovic has had to be at his best this season. That Inter have kept 11 clean sheets in 17 games, a record in Europe’s top five league’s this season, is largely down to him. Don’t believe me? Twelve teams in Serie A have allowed fewer shots on target than Inter. Handanovic has been busy. His shot to save ratio of 84.5% is the highest in the league and his interventions, particularly against Bologna, Roma and Torino, were crucial in claiming three of Inter’s eight 1-0 wins.

Honorable mentions

Gigi Buffon, Pepe Reina, Marco Sportiello, Gigio Donnarumma

Left-back 

Marcos Alonso - Fiorentina

A head scratcher for fans of Sunderland and Bolton, perhaps, it wouldn’t be a surprise at all if Alonso were called up to Spain’s squad ahead of Euro 2016. Fiorentina coach Paulo Sousa believes in “enriching” his players tactically and Alonso has been one of the principal beneficiaries. His sorties forward have been an integral component of Fiorentina’s play, particularly those combinations with striker Nikola Kalinic. No full-back has created more chances [20] in Serie A than Alonso this season. Like his namesake Xabi, he can also take a mean free-kick as we saw against Milan on the opening day.

Honorable mentions

Adam Masina

Sime Vrsaljko - Sassuolo

His father was a centre-back. His role model is Dani Alves. Mix them together and what you get is Vrsaljko, a player who can defend diligently and attack with gusto. Like Sassuolo, the Croatia international continues to go from strength to strength. Pacy and robust, he can stay with the league’s best wingers and get them going the other way too. Vrsaljko ends the year with assists in each of his last three appearances, including a wonderful cross for Sergio Floccari against Fiorentina. Among full-backs only Alonso has set up as many goals in Serie A this season. 

Honorable mentions 

Elseid Hysaj, Alessandro Florenzi

Centre-back 

Miranda - Inter

Of all the players Inter signed in the summer, Miranda has to be considered the most important. His pick up could prove as pivotal to them as the arrival of Andrea Barzagli was at Juventus five years ago. How so? Well, ever since Lucio and Walter Samuel left, Inter’s backline has lacked authority and savoir-faire. Not anymore. The veteran Brazil international makes everything look simple. Young centre-backs should study his body position in relation to the ball and the man. A defence ranked ninth last season is now the best in the league. 

Centre-back 

Kalidou Koulibaly - Napoli  

Talk about a metamorphosis. Koulibaly looked like Bambi on ice last season. Now his performances are being compared with those of Lilian Thuram. It must be said, this is above all a triumph of Maurizio Sarri’s coaching. Is there anyone better at teaching the art of defending right now? Think about how he got Empoli’s backline playing like a synchronised swimming team. And now what was once an Achilles’ heel for Napoli is like his spear. One of the joys of this season has been seeing Koulibaly spray the ball out wide to Lorenzo Insigne or for Jose Callejon, as he did for his goal against Midtjylland. That was really something to behold as was the Zidane roulette he pulled off against Roma. 

Midfield

Jorginho - Napoli

Everyone expected the conductor of Napoli’s orchestra to be Mirko Valdifiori this season rather than Jorginho. A revelation at Empoli last term when he deservedly earned an Italy cap, the Pirlo of the Provinces was supposed to help spread the gospel according to Sarri to his new teammates. However, it’s Jorginho who now holds the baton. Restored to the system and role in which his talent emerged at Verona, think of him as a language teacher who has got Napoli speaking fluent Sarri. Against his old club in November, he touched the ball 212 times - once every 24.2 seconds - the most in Europe’s top 5 leagues this season. Everything goes through him. 

Honorable mentions

Milan Badelj, Maarten de Roon, Allan

Miralem Pjanic - Roma 

A calamitous crisis hit month has done much to wipe people’s memories of how well Pjanic was playing until that demoralising night at the Camp Nou. For a while it seemed like every free-kick he stood over ended in the back of the net. The one he scored against Juventus set Roma on the path to what felt like a season-defining win. Also without his victory clinching penalty against Leverkusen at the Olimpico, Roma would unlikely be in the Champions League knock out stages. Top scorer for his team, if you tot up his goals and assists [12] - the same as Lorenzo Insigne and Eder - what you’ll discover is only Gonzalo Higuain [18] has been more decisive in Serie A this season. 

Honorable mentions

Matias Vecino, Marek Hamsik, Paul Pogba

Attacking Midfield  

Giacomo Bonaventura - Milan

A jack of all trades, we could have put Bonaventura anywhere in this team. Milan’s most consistent outfield player last season, even if Jeremy Menez grabbed all the headlines, he has been their best in this campaign, which is some feat after €90m of investment over the summer. Playing for a team lacking in ideas, Bonaventura is their Archimedes. He has Eureka moments. Six assists this season represent a league high. Only Marek Hamsik has created more chance. The 26-year-old has also clearly been taking set-piece advice from coach Sinisa Mihajlovic. His corners and free-kicks have added a couple of extra strings to Milan’s bow. 

Honorable mentions

Domenico Berardi, Josip Ilicic, Gervinho

Paulo Dybala - Juventus

The temptation with Dybala is to take all of this for granted. But please don’t forget the pressure he must have been under: the €40m price tag, the size of the boots Carlitos Tevez left him to fill, the great expectations, big stage and need to adapt to new teammates and a new system. Max Allegri’s handling of him has been masterful. He introduced him gradually, picked his moments, built his confidence and got him to bulk up. Matching Tevez’s first season at Juventus for goals and assists, Dybala’s numbers are also as good as they were at Palermo a year ago although he has played half as many minutes. Simply IncreDybala. 

Honorable mentions

Riccardo Saponara, Riccardo Meggiorini 

Lorenzo Insigne - Napoli

Before Napoli played Inter at the San Paolo, fans unfurled a banner of Insigne in a Superman costume. It suited him. Lorenzo Il Magnifico is scoring with the same abandon as when he played under Zdenek Zeman at Pescara in Serie B. He has already posted a personal best for goals in a single top flight campaign this season and his understanding with Higuain is telepathic. Dreaming of becoming Napoli’s Totti, just imagine if this hometown kid was the one to finally end a wait for a Scudetto which is now into its 25th year.

Honorable mentions

Steven Jovetic, Mohamed Salah, Alejandro Gomez

Striker 

Gonzalo Higuain - Napoli

The best player in the league without a shadow of a doubt, Higuain gives the impression of having a serious point to prove after the disappointments of last year for club and country. A visit to the dietician who somehow managed to make Lionel Messi better and the provocative man management of Sarri who told Higuain with no hesitation that if he weren’t so lazy, he could become the No.1 centre-forward in the world, has had the desired effect. No one since Luca Toni won the Golden Boot in 2005-06 has scored 16 goals in the opening 17 games of the season. Make no mistake about it  Higuain can swing the outcome of this title race in Napoi’s favour. If he does so he will follow in the footsteps of Maradona and become a God in Naples. 

Honorable mentions

Nikola Kalinic, Eder, Carlos Bacca, Massimo Maccarone