MX23RW : Thursday, January 21 06:23:31| >> :120:21677:21677:

Sports Mole's La Liga Team of the Week

Sports Mole picks its 11 star performers from another pulsating weekend of La Liga action.

It is still advantage Barcelona in the La Liga title race, with the Catalan outfit leading second-placed Real Madrid by two points with three games remaining.

In Saturday's early start, Barcelona once again stretched their lead to five points with a thumping 8-0 win at Cordoba, who have now been officially relegated, although in truth their fate has been sealed for some time.

Real Madrid responded with an impressive 3-2 win at Sevilla, however, becoming the first team to win at the Estadio Ramon in the league since February 2014.

Atletico Madrid made it 12 league games unbeaten with a 0-0 draw at home to Athletic Bilbao on Saturday, but they are now just four points clear of fourth-placed Valencia, who beat Eibar 3-1 on Sunday.

Week 35's action opened from San Sebastian on Friday as Real Sociedad returned to winning ways with a 3-0 victory at home to Levante.

As mentioned, Barcelona, Real Madrid and Atletico were all in action on Saturday, while Villarreal's long winless run continued as they could only draw at Deportivo La Coruna, who remain 18th in the table.

On Sunday, Espanyol's push for the top seven was halted when they drew 1-1 at home to Rayo Vallecano, before Granada breathed fresh life into their relegation battle with a 2-1 win at Getafe.

Elche, meanwhile, ensured that they cannot be relegated from La Liga via their league position with a 2-1 win at Malaga, whose poor form has seen them relinquish seventh position in the table.

Week 35's action concluded on Monday evening as Almeria came from two goals behind to draw 2-2 with Celta Vigo in a game that saw both teams finish with 10 men.

Here, Sports Mole picks its 11 star performers from another pulsating weekend of La Liga action.

Note: It has to be a 3-3-4 formation – not one that is seen often, but there were a number of impressive forwards this weekend and it is difficult to leave any out. Elche's Jonathas is also very unfortunate to miss out on a spot.

Iago Herrerin (Athletic Bilbao)
On his first La Liga start of the season, the 27-year-old kept a clean sheet in Athletic Bilbao's 0-0 draw away to Atletico Madrid. The visitors had to rely on a couple of fortunate offside calls, but Herrerin made a host of smart saves and was a key reason for his side's impressive point in the Spanish capital.

Dani Alves (Barcelona)
The Brazilian now looks likely to sign a new contract with Barcelona having had a long stand-off with the Catalan outfit. His form has drastically improved in recent weeks and the right-back was again in fine form at the weekend - contributing two assists during an all-action performance against Cordoba.
Nicolas Otamendi (Valencia)
The Argentine picked up a shoulder injury in the early stages of Valencia's clash with Eibar on Sunday, but battled on throughout the remainder of the game. The Argentine was sensational at the back once again, while he opened the scoring with a powerful header in the first period. Another super performance.
Emiliano Insua (Rayo Vallecano)
The 26-year-old's defensive qualities have been called into question throughout his career, but he has always been dangerous going forward. That proved the case at the weekend as the full-back scored a super goal in Rayo Vallecano's 1-1 draw with Espanyol. The Argentine was always prepared to break forward.

Andres Iniesta (Barcelona)
Iniesta's performances have been called into question in recent months, but he has been in fine form over the last few weeks. The Spaniard provided his first La Liga assist of the season on Saturday as he set up Luis Suarez for the first of his three goals. It was a sensational pass, which matched his overall display.
Dani Parejo (Valencia)
Parejo has been the driving force behind Valencia's push for Champions League football this season and he took his tally to 12 league goals for the season with a super finish in Sunday's 3-1 win over Eibar. The Spaniard ran the match from the middle of the park and Eibar just had no answer to the 26-year-old's class.
Mario Pasalic (Elche)
Elche are mathematically safe from relegation, but they could still drop into the Segunda Division due to financial irregularities. Their form on the field has been excellent in recent weeks and they continued their fine run with a 2-1 win over Elche on Sunday, with Pasalic registering their second late on.

Lionel Messi (Barcelona)
Messi can do no wrong at the moment and the Argentine grabbed another two league goals at the weekend in Barcelona's 8-0 win over Cordoba. The attacker also set up Ivan Rakitic with a wonderful pass for the opener and passed up the chance to score a third late on when he handed Neymar a penalty.
Youssef El-Arabi (Granada)
The 28-year-old has not exactly had the best of seasons for Granada, but he came up trumps this weekend with a double in their 2-1 win over Getafe. Defeat in Madrid would have made it very difficult for Granada to stay up, but El-Arabi inspired his team to all three points with a wonderful performance.
Luis Suarez (Barcelona)
Suarez scored his first hat-trick for Barcelona in Saturday's 8-0 win at Cordoba. The Uruguay international also set up Messi for his side's sixth during what was another excellent performance from the former Liverpool striker. It might have taken him time to settle, but Suarez is now showing his best form.
Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid)
The Portuguese has been criticised for his antics in recent weeks, but he remains the go-to man for Real Madrid. A wonderful hat-trick at the weekend helped his side record three vital points at Sevilla and take him onto 42 league goals for the season. There can be no disputing his importance to the team.

ID:221122:cQx
Share this article now:
Did you know...?
Javier Hernandez of Real Madrid CF celebrates as he scores their first goal during the UEFA Champions League quarter-final second leg match between Real Madrid CF and Club Atletico de Madrid at Bernabeu on April 22, 2015
Read Next:
La Liga Team of the Week
>
Latest Sports Video
Sports Mole Logo
Enter your email address to subscribe to Sports Mole's free match previews newsletter! Updates are sent twice a week.

rhs 2.0
Todays Game Header Right
Tables
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Atletico MadridAtletico1613213162541
2Real Madrid18114330151537
3Barcelona18104437172034
4Villarreal198922819933
5Sevilla1810352316733
6Real Sociedad1986529161330
7Granada198472331-828
8Real Betis198292432-826
9CadizCadiz196671724-724
10Getafe186571618-223
11Celta Vigo196582330-723
12Levante185762526-122
13Athletic Bilbao186392122-121
14Valencia184772425-119
15EibarEibar184771518-319
16Real Valladolid194781827-919
17AlavesAlaves194691725-818
18ElcheElche173861623-717
19Osasuna183691527-1215
20Huesca191991429-1512

Subscribe to our Newsletter


Transfer Talk Daily
Match previews - twice weekly
Morning Briefing (7am UTC)
Ultra close-up image of Kevin De Bruyne [NOT FOR USE IN ARTICLES]Get the latest transfer news, match previews and news direct to your inbox!