La Liga: The Final Team of the Season for 2019/2020
Midfielders
Defensive Midfielder – Casemiro
Casemiro was a rock in the defensive midfield position for Real Madrid throughout the season. The Brazillian midfielder had his best season to date. He completed the second-highest minutes for Los Blancos behind Karim Benzema, proving his importance to the team.
Casemiro completed 96 tackles and 68 interceptions, the most by a midfielder in La Liga. He also had 66 clearances and 69 blocks, ranking him in the to three in both categories. According to Fbref.com, the Merengues No.14 completed 219 successful pressure regains, second only to Marc Cucurella of Getafe in the league.
Casemiro became the influential component in Zidane’s improved defensive system, helping them to their best defensive record in 32 years.
Center Midfielder – Santi Cazorla
Santi Cazorla’s fantastic season and his contribution to Villareal leapfrog to fifth place in the La Liga table means that the Spanish midfielder makes his way into our Team of the Season replacing Martin Odegaard.
Odegaard’s breakout first half of the season placed him in the pre-pandemic break Team of the Season. However, the Norwegians performance has dipped significantly because of injury and loss of form since the return to action. At the same time, Santi Cazorla continued to inspire Villareal and perform consistently to make his way into the Team of the Season.
Cazorla contributed with eleven goals and nine assists in the season, three of each coming after the break that helped Villareal clinch the Europa League spot.
Center Midfielder – Toni Kroos
Toni Kroos rarely has a bad game. The German international was one of the most consistent performers in La Liga throughout the season. His command of the ball and understanding of the game is in a class of its own. The Merengues No.8’s sublime passing and game management ability makes him one of the best at his position.
The World Cup winner completed 2184 passes at a staggering 93.5 percent completion rate, per Whoscored.com. Among his passes, Kroos also completed 243 long balls, highest by any outfield player in La Liga, at an exceptional 86 percent completion rate. He also contributed with four goals and five assists for Los Blancos.