European Team of the Week: Defoe, Navas and More
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After the international break brought the major domestic leagues to a halt for a week, Europe's biggest stars were back in action for their clubs last weekend.
A highly entertaining weekend of football across Europe has, as ever, made it very difficult to narrow down the many worthy contenders to just one for each spot in this all-star XI.
However, lining up in a 4-4-2 formation, here is the latest edition of European Team of the Week. Please leave any suggestions, or even your own XI, in the comments section below.
GK Julio Cesar
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QPR's new goalkeeper cannot have been best pleased when he discovered his first Premier League outing was to be against Chelsea.
With the likes of Hazard and Torres to deal with, it certainly wasn't the easiest of introductions to Premier League life.
Nonetheless, Cesar acquitted himself admirably, keeping out several chances as Chelsea were forced to settle for a point in a highly charged encounter.
LB Alex Buttner
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Manchester United's other Dutchman got his Manchester United career up and running with a marvellous performance against Wigan.
Pace going forward, good close control and sturdy tackling suggest that the 23-year-old has a real future at Manchester United.
Patrice Evra must be getting a little nervous about his future after watching Buttner grab a goal whilst also looking confident in defence.
CB Mats Hummels
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Borussia Dortmund's Mats Hummels got himself on the scoresheet against Bayer Leverkusen with a headed goal and was a dominant force at the back.
As ever, Hummels' distribution was first-rate and his heading and tackling were of a similarly high standard as Dortmund recorded a clean sheet as they look to defend their league title once more.
CB Lamine Kone
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If you play half a match with nine men and still win, someone has got to have defended well. For FC Lorient, that was Lamine Kone.
The 23-year-old dealt admirably with losing his partner at centre-back, as well as the starting goalkeeper, as Lorient held on for a 2-1 win over Rennes.
RB Cicinho
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Sevilla's summer signing, Cicinho, had to contend with both Cristiano Ronaldo and Marcelo as Sevilla pulled off an impressive 1-0 win against Real Madrid.
Cicinho dealt with Ronaldo comfortably and largely kept him out of the game. He even managed to mock Ronaldo with some step-overs of his own.
In addition to all this, he also managed to get forward to support Jesus Navas when Los Rojiblancos went on the offensive.
LM Marek Hamsik
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Marek Hamsik has been on fire for Napoli this season. The Slovak notched up another assist and threatened Parma's defence throughout his side's 3-1 triumph.
Napoli have made a strong start to the season; they are currently in second place in the league and have won all three of their matches so far. Hamsik has been key to their early success and could be vital to their Scudetto hopes.
CM Hiroshi Kiyotake
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Nuremberg's Hiroshi Kiyotake had an excellent outing last weekend. Two perfectly weighted free-kicks gave the Japanese midfielder two assists and he rounded off his exertions with a well taken goal of his own as his side wrapped up a 3-2 win.
Kiyotake is in his first Bundesliga season and looks very comfortable in a Nuremberg shirt. The 22-year-old could go a long way as he looks to follow in the footsteps of the likes of Shinji Kagawa.
CM Toni Kroos
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Bayern Munich's Toni Kroos is having an excellent season so far. The Bayern Munich midfielder netted a fantastic volley to round off an impressive display that saw his side win 3-1 against Mainz.
The German midfielder ran the game for Bayern, breaking forward with the ball confidently and creating chances for his side.
Munich have got off to an excellent start as they look to get back to the top of the Bundesliga come May next year.
RM Jesus Navas
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Beating Real Madrid generally requires someone to put in a pretty exceptional display, and Sevilla's 1-0 victory was no different.
Jesus Navas was excellent for Sevilla, playing a key role in just about every Sevilla attack. Whether it was providing a cross or getting into a shooting position, the Spaniard was inspirational against the La Liga champions.
Sevilla currently find themselves in fourth place, a position they will be looking to consolidate over the coming weeks.
ST Aritz Aduriz
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Athletic Bilbao's striker scored twice to rescue a draw for his side against Espanyol. He scored with a spectacular volley into the bottom corner, having already risen highest to score a header and hitting the post earlier on in the game.
31-year-old Artiz Aduriz might not be the biggest of names, but Bilbao will be immensely glad that they signed Aduriz, for a third time, this summer.
ST Jermain Defoe
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Tottenham's Jermain Defoe is in top form at the moment. He looked dangerous throughout his side's game against Reading and capped the performance with two goals.
The English international hasn't always been an automatic starter at Spurs, but he is making the most of his current run in the side. It will certainly be hard for Andre Villas-Boas to leave the former Portsmouth striker out after his recent displays.
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