Serie A's Top 10 Players for 2011-12 Season so Far

Jack Alexandros Rathborn@@jackrathbornX.com LogoContributor IIIDecember 23, 2011

Serie A's Top 10 Players for 2011-12 Season so Far

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    Serie A has been superb this season and has gifted us with some top-quality action.

    It has been more competitive than La Liga while providing a better technical standard in comparison to the Premier League.

    While some of its best players in Javier Pastore and Alexis Sanchez were sold during the summer, Serie A continues to be the best league in Europe to watch as it is the best combination of proven top-class players and emerging talent.

    With so many teams having successful seasons, there has been an array of talent to choose from as the front runners for the best player in the league at the "Oscar del Calcio" have revealed themselves.

    Here are the top 10 candidates thus far.

10. Danilo Larangeira, Udinese

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    The Brazilian Danilo has been superb since arriving from Palmeiras for £1.75 million.

    It now seems a real bargain and he has adequately replaced Cristian Zapata, who joined Villarreal in the summer for £8 million.

    Danilo may not be so young at 27 years old, but just like Thiago Silva he has shown that you can make the move from South America to Europe at a later stage in your career and still fulfil your potential.

    Udinese have a superb defensive record, the best in the league in fact, with just nine goals conceded in 16 games with Juventus the next best with 11. Danilo must take much of the credit for slotting into an alien formation with a back three in a new league and doing so seamlessly.

    It will not be long before the big clubs come looking for him and Udinese will have successfully made a huge profit on yet another top-quality player.

9. Sebastian Giovinco, Parma

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    Sebastian Giovinco has begun to fulfil his potential this season.

    It's taken longer than expected but the Azzurri international is becoming one of the best players in the league.

    He has finally found a role under Franco Colomba where he has license to do what he has to do as a "fantasista."

    Giovinco has scored seven goals and is still creating plenty for his teammates. Despite his supporting cast being quite poor he has dragged the Gialloblu to mid-table and prevented them from entering a relegation battle this season.

    Chelsea have been persistently linked with him and a big move is certain to happen soon, but for his own development it would be better to stay put in Parma so he can enter the European Championships in top form as he is now.

8. Antonio Nocerino, AC Milan

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    Most definitely the bargain of the summer at €500,000 from Palermo, Maurizio Zamparini was crazy to let him leave on the cheap.

    He is proving to be one of the best centre midfielders in the country and has started to add goals to his game with six so far this campaign.

    Massimiliano Allegri has guided Milan back to the top of the table in time for the Christmas break and Nocerino is his most dependable midfielder.

    Nocerino adds a new dimension to the Rossoneri and he will be key in Allegri transforming Milan enough to overcome Arsenal in the Champions League.

7. Maarten Stekelenburg, Roma

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    Maarten Stekelenburg has been superb since signing for the Giallorossi.

    The Oranje stopper has been holding together a make shift Roma defence on his own in recent weeks and is the foundation that Luis Enrique can build upon in order to enable his team to push for a Champions League spot.

    Capable of making miraculous saves, Stekelenburg is a huge man who can cover almost all of the goal and is fast becoming a challenger to Samir Handanovic for the best goalkeeper in the league.

    But Handanovic has much more help guarding his goal, which is why the Dutch international deserves slightly more recognition as the stand-out goalkeeper this season.

6. Claudio Marchisio, Juventus

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    The Italian international has been in sensational form so far this season in leading the Bianconeri to a tie atop the table before the Christmas break.

    He has added more goals to his game this season and is able to fit in easily to any of Antonio Conte's formations (4-2-4, 4-3-3, 3-5-2).

    The 25-year-old is entering his prime and now showing real leadership qualities as well as being able to deliver in key moments in games.

    Having scored six goals in the league so far this season, that is two more than he achieved all of last season and he has done so in 18 less games.

    If Juventus are going to win the Scudetto this season, then Marchisio is going to need to stay in top form, which will also excite Cesare Prandelli ahead of Euro 2012.

5. Miroslav Klose, Lazio

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    Miroslav Klose left Bayern Munich this summer and as a 33-year-old who had scored just 11 goals in his last two seasons in the Bundesliga, there was little expectation he would light up Serie A immediately.

    But despite a lack of pace he is thriving in Serie A with his predatory instinct in front of goal that has seen Lazio rise to fourth in the league thanks in part to his eight goals.

    If Edy Reja is dependent on anybody it is Klose. Given how functional Reja's side is, Lazio are not overwhelming teams but are punishing them with the chances created for the German international.

    If Klose can add six more goals at least then his first season in Serie A will have been a success and assuming the likes of Djibril Cisse can chip in with a few more, then Lazio will be close to landing a Champions League spot.

4. Ezequiel Lavezzi, Napoli

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    Ezequiel Lavezzi has been in inspired form and while Edinson Cavani is still heralded as the King of Naples by some, El Pocho is the most consistent of the "three tenors" that also includes Marek Hamsik.

    The Argentine is so consistent these days for the Partenopei and offers much more than goals (three) and assists (assists).

    El Pocho is the heartbeat of Walter Mazzani's side and is a superb dribbler, capable of carrying the ball the entire length of the pitch on a regular basis.

    He now has a platform to showcase his skills in the Champions League and can prove he is not just one of the best players in Italy but one of the best in Europe.

3. German Denis, Atalanta

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    German Denis is experiencing something of a renaissance in his career.

    The Argentine has scored 12 goals so far this season to lead the race for the Capocannoniere. 

    El Tanque is dragging the Nerazzurri up the table and the six-point penalty has already been erased comfortably meaning relegation will not be a consideration for the Serie A new boys.

    Denis has been recalled to the Argentina national side and his dominant style is tearing up defences in Serie A.

    Udinese will be pleased to see him regain some form. As a 30-year-old, undoubtedly there will be plenty of teams lining up to buy El Tanque come the summer if he can maintain this brilliant spell of form.

2. Antonio Di Natale, Udinese

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    How does he keep doing it?

    Antonio Di Natale is 34-years-old and is still playing the best football of his career.

    He maintains his superb scoring record with 10 goals in 15 games, but is adding another dimension to his influence.

    As proven in the game against Lazio where he entered the game late with his side losing, Toto is able to manipulate the ball in and around the penalty area with clever flicks and tricks.

    Di Natale is an inspiration and Cesare Prandelli must reconsider him for the Azzurri squad for Euro 2012 as he can still contribute.

1. Zlatan Ibrahimovic, AC Milan

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    Zlatan Ibrahimovic is a controversial figure who is sometimes not appreciated by all calcio fans.

    But the Swedish international is answering his critics with sensational form throughout the first half of Serie A.

    Zlatan is scoring more than he ever has with 11 goals in 13 games. But this is not his only contribution.

    Ibrahimovic is dropping deeper under Massimiliano Allegri and influencing play with his creativity and vision with some incredible passes to his teammates.

    Ibrahimovic is highly motivated. No matter what he has previously said about losing the fire in his belly, it is evident on the pitch he still has that burning desire to win the Champions League. Against the reigning champions and his former club Barcelona he was able to demonstrate he can still make Milan relevant when talking about this year's Champions League winners.

    This season has been fixating so far and the second half of the season will undoubtedly be as fascinating as ever.

    Follow me on twitter @jackalexandros and @FRcalcioJack

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