Serie A Weekly readers will be able to choose their own Team of the Year, voting for players nominated by the writing and editing team. The team will line up 4-3-1-2, the most common used formation in Serie A in recent times. Next up for your selection are the central defenders so read on as our writers give you their choice and tell you why. Please leave a comment and remember to vote for the two you want to see in the team. You can also go back and vote for:

Goalkeeper here

Rightback slot here

Leftback here

Central Defence here

Hernanes (Lazio) Nominated by Giancarlo Rinaldi

That Lazio bounced back to become serious contenders for European football owed much to their Brazilian midfielder.  He brought a balance, vision, flair and character to the team which it had sometimes lacked.  If they can keep a hold of him, they have a man who could be at the heart of constructing a serious challenge for a return to Champions League football.

Esteban Cambiasso (Inter) Nominated by Francesco Pizzolla

In a season where Inter’s midfielders failed to really shine, Esteban Cambiasso is always someone the Nerazzurri can depend on in the center of midfield. The 30 year-old Argentinian international isn’t getting any younger, but Cambiasso is still one of Inter’s most consistent players. While Cambiasso only played 29 games, he managed to reach his highest ever goal total in Serie A (7), and equaled his highest goal tally in a season with 8, previously reaching that in the 2007-2008 season. Cambiasso is a natural born leader on the pitch and many claim that he should be Inter’s next captain when Javier Zanetti retires. Cambiasso has a great mix of world class positional sense, good passing and tackling ability, and excellent at making runs forward and helping the offense. Cambiasso is every manager’s dream midfielder, an industrious natural born leader who can help out on both defense and offense. With Inter looking to rejuvenate their midfield on the transfer market this summer, one player that can be sure of his place is Esteban Cambiasso.

Felipe Melo (Juventus) Nominated by Paolo Mancini

After a poor first season in Turin and a shocking World Cup for Brazil Felipe Melo restored much of the faith that had been lost since his arrival in Turin. Under the stewardship of Gigi Delneri the Brazilian international reminded us why Juventus spent a small fortune on him.   His passing this season has been excellent, the best of the regular Juventus starters at 86% pass completion and in his defensive duties he has at times been sublime. With Alberto Aquilani alongside in midfield Melo has been given the chance to concentrate on what he does best, breaking up opposition attacks and has done so consistently throughout the campaign. Because of this form He has been one of the players to come out of this Juventus team with his reputation actually enhanced.

Gökhan Inler (Udinese) Nominated by Qasá Alom

A modern day all action midfielder that resigns the “Makelele Role” to the Stone Age. The Swiss International has a fantastic understanding of the game that makes it easy for him to anticipate patterns of play, tackle, shoot, create and most importantly command a midfield. Sure, the likes of Di Natale and sanchez have taken the plaudits, and rightly so as well; however without the stellar work of Inler holding the hold side together, Udinese’s season would have unravelled quicker than this strike against Catania. He could get some tips on how to celebrate properly though!

Mark van Bommel (Milan) Nominated by Julian De Martinis

A 34 year old signed on a 6 month loan didn’t really appear at the time to be a praise-worthy signing. Yet since January, Mark Van Bommel has proven to be a vital cog in the machine that gave AC Milan the Scudetto this season. A thug by reputation and a midfield enforcer by trade, Serie A has seen both sides of the man, but thankfully much more of the latter. In fourteen appearances the player has seen six yellow cards, two of which were given in one game- his debut- thus leading to a red. However, it’s not his disciplinary record that Serie A tifosi are talking about, but rather his impact upon Milan’s defensive record. Coach Massimiliano Allegri praised the player after Milan’s victory over Juventus, claiming “He is a very intelligent player who already understands Italian football well and gives good protection to the defence.” Since he was brought into the side, Milan did not concede more than one goal in league play the entire second half of the year, and he has helped Milan reach clean sheets in half of their games after the Christmas break. Milan already recognize his value to the side, signing him to a year contract extension; surely he merits a place in the team of the season as well.

Alberto Aquilani (Juventus) Nominated by Francesco Pizzolla

After spending a year with Liverpool in the Premier League and not meeting expectations, Beppe Marotta decided to take a gamble on Aquilani and brought him back to Serie A with Juventus. Aquilani has always been seen as a top talent and one of Italy’s best midfielders when in top form, so many were anxious to see if the Roman midfielder would sink or swim. After his performance this season, most people would agree that Aquilani swam. Aquilani quickly became a fundamental part of Gigi Delneri’s midfield and showed everyone around the peninsula that he still was the player everyone admired at Roma. His great performances were noted by Cesare Prandelli who brought him back to the National Team after a two-year absence. Aquilani showed all of his quality this season, including his excellent shot, his ability to go from box to box with ease, and his great vision and passing ability. After a season like this, Juventus would definitely sink if they didn’t sign him permanently.

[polldaddy poll=5078853]