Coach of the Year, Player of the Year and Young Player of the Year all revealed.
In what was another remarkable season in Italy on various levels, there were a number of stand-out coaches and players that deserve recognition for their efforts.
While Juventus ultimately claimed a third consecutive Scudetto, there were a number of clubs that performed beyond expectations and are deserving of as much credit as the Bianconeri.
Inevitably, players from both Juve and Roma feature heavily given the success the respective clubs have enjoyed this season, but there are some surprises too with an Italian international emerging ahead of the World Cup this summer in Brazil.
Manager of the Season – Rudi Garcia (AS Roma)
While Antonio Conte undoubtedly deserves a significant amount of credit for guiding Juventus to their third straight league title, Rudi Garcia performed beyond all expectations this season in his first year in Italy.
Admittedly there will be significant debate over this selection given that the Old Lady won 19 out of 19 at home this season and accumulated a record-breaking 102 points, but with the squad at Conte’s disposal and their overall dominance in Italy over the last three years, Garcia’s achievement is arguably bigger.
Finishing in second place and securing Champions League football for next season, Roma conceded less than half the number of goals that they did last year and put together impressive winning runs at various stages of the campaign.
Player of the Season – Ciro Immobile (Torino)
There are a number of players that will have earned recognition for this award, including the likes of Andrea Pirlo, Luca Toni, Antonio Di Natale and many more.
However, with 22 goals this season and the Capocannoniere award secured, Immobile has undoubtedly had a season to remember as he fired Toro to the brink of the Europa League.
Heartbreak on the last day of the season saw them denied their dream, but Immobile did more than enough to fend off competition from Carlos Tevez to seal this award as he will now hope he has done enough to earn a spot in Cesare Prandelli’s World Cup squad while speculation suggests he is Dortmund bound next season.
Young Player of the Year – Paul Pogba (Juventus)
Pogba could arguably be considered as one of the best young midfielders in world football let alone within the constraints of Italy, as the young Frenchman grew into his role with
the champions this season.
While he saw his minutes limited last year, his influence continues to grow while his ability developed as he flourished into an integral part of Conte’s side.
Alongside the likes of Pirlo and Arturo Vidal, the midfield trio have established themselves as one of the best in Europe, and Pogba beats Jorginho to this award despite the former Verona starlet securing a move to Napoli as a reward for his talent.
Loser of the Season – Mauro Icardi (Inter Milan)
On the pitch, Icardi is an exciting talent that will possibly establish himself as an important part of the Inter squad moving forward. However, he has left himself down incredibly off the pitch this year with the on-going spat with former team-mate Maxi Lopez.
The situation has been well documented concerning Wanda Nara, and despite pleas from Lopez to stop posting pictures of his children on Twitter, Icardi continued which saw things come a head a month ago when Lopez refused to shake the Inter striker’s hand prior to kick-off.
Notable Mentions
There should also be notable mentions for the likes of Miralem Pjanic, Daniele De Rossi and Mehdi Benatia who formed a vital part of Roma’s resurgence this season, while Gonzalo Higuain had an impressive opening season in Italy despite regular injury setbacks.