La Liga's Most Underrated XI for 2013

You should briefly forget about Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Diego Costa, Neymar, Gareth Bale et al. and give credit to some of La Liga's most underrated players this season.

An underrated player is a footballer who is under-appreciated by the general footballing public and doesn't play for a team that receives extensive media coverage.

You may have a different take to what defines an underrated player, so feel free to comment below with your own unsung La Liga XI.

GK: Yoel (Celta Vigo)

The 25-year-old goalkeeper was the reason why Lionel Messi didn't score during Barcelona's 3-0 win. 

Messi took 10 shots, five of them on target—Yoel saved all five. 

It's not the first time Yoel has played like a world-class goalkeeper in a big match. 

During the 2-1 loss to Atletico Madrid, he made 10 saves and stopped Diego Costa from the penalty spot (imagine if Costa is pipped to the Pichichi by one goal).   

Manchester City should submit an £8.6 million [€10M] bid for Yoel in the January transfer window as he's a far superior goalkeeper to an error-prone Joe Hart at this present moment.

RB: Mario (Villarreal)

Mario, 22, has been productive in winning back possession (27 tackles and 17 interceptions). 

His ball-winning capability has played an important part in Villarreal having the equal-third best defence (tied with Granada) in La Liga. 

Mind you, Mario needs to be more careful with his positioning as he's been caught upfield several times forcing right-sided centre-back Mateo Musacchio into the right-back position to clean up.  

CB: Antonio Amaya (Real Betis)

Amaya didn't make the grade at Wigan Athletic, but the 30-year-old has been lionhearted in his approach to defending.

Throwing himself into aerial challenges, putting in last-ditched tackles, cutting off passes and making vital clearances, Amaya is impossible to ignore. 

CB: Jeison Murillo (Granada)

Spanish team Granada are one of the three clubs (Udinese, Italy and Watford, England) in established European football nations owned by the Pozzo family.

While Udinese have supplied squad players to Granada, the Spanish club have made strides to survive independently.

Emulating Udinese's scouting network in poaching emerging South American prospects is one method.

Murillo, a 21-year-old Colombian formerly of Deportivo Cali, is a diamond in the rough—as was Matija Nastasic and Marquinhos—and could be a player Granada sell for a notable transfer fee in the coming years.

Even though Murillo lacks the brute physical presence Amaya brings to Betis, the Colombian is a smart defender who reads and reacts quickly.

LEAGUE ONLY	Murillo	Nastasic	Marquinhos
Age	21	20	19
Tackles Per Game	2.1	1.7	1.3
Tackle Success %	94	83	100
Interceptions Per Game	2.4	0.7	1.7

LB: Vitorino Antunes (Malaga)

Antunes, 26, has had a stop-start career, but he was on the books of Roma, so it's clear he is a player of quality. 

During the 5-0 win over Rayo Vallecano, he didn't just shut down a tricky Seba Fernandez but Antunes was lively in the attacking half, creating two goals. 

When he has been behind the 8-ball from a positional sense, Antunes has demonstrated recovery speed to close down opponents.

DM: Roberto Trashorras (Rayo Vallecano)

If asked to choose between Andrea Pirlo or Trashorras, you'd assume 99 percent of the vote would go to the Juventus midfielder. 

LEAGUE ONLY	Trashorras	Pirlo
Passes Per Game	88.7	80.1
Key Passes Per Game	3.1	2.0
Pass Completion %	86.1	90.0
Long Passes Completion %	83.7	80.2

Trashorras, 32, is more of a creative threat from a deep-lying position than Pirlo this season. 

The Rayo midfield linchpin is a former Barcelona player and has been pivotal in the club playing a very methodical brand of possession football. 

Vallecano average more possession per league game than Borussia Dortmund, Chelsea, Real Madrid and Roma. 

It's been style over substance as Rayo are in the relegation zone, but should they stay up, expect their midfield maestro in Trashorras to play a significant part. 

DM: Markel Bergara (Real Sociedad)

Overshadowed by Asier Illarramendi last season, the 27-year-old Bergara is playing alongside another young gun in 21-year-old Ruben Pardo, who has talent but has looked tentative. 

Bergara is anything but tentative, making tackles and being an assertive presence in midfield.  

He is to Sociedad what Bruno is to Villarreal.  

RAM: Patrick Ebert (Real Valladolid)

Ebert, 26, has rescued his career since his troubled days at Hertha Berlin, which hit its low point under then-manager Otto Rehhagel, who seldom started Ebert in a team that suffered relegation. 

Even before Ebert's self-destruction at Hertha, he was plagued with injuries and questions surrounding his professionalism, per The Seattle Times; March 19, 2009:

"

Hertha Berlin has suspended midfielder Patrick Ebert indefinitely after a late-night escapade that is being investigated by police.

Ebert and Kevin-Prince Boateng, a former Hertha player who is now at Borussia Dortmund, were questioned by police early Wednesday and are under suspicion of damaging several cars.

Ebert has had several disciplinary problems for late-night partying and was caught driving drunk in 2007.

"

Going into this season, you wondered if Ebert could replicate his displays under Miroslav Djukic, who left to take the Valencia job, for incoming manager Juan Ignacio Martinez, a miracle worker at cash-strapped Levante.

There's a lot to like about Ebert: will take the initiative to attack, superb at crossing the ball, closes down opposing players and plays with passion. 

Yes, he is Valladolid's MVP, but he has the traits of a big fish in a small pond, so moving to a bigger club could be a poisoned chalice.

LAM: Nabil El Zhar (Levante)

"Offensive midfielder with good vision and an instinct for a decisive pass at the right moment," wrote the FIFA technical study group praising El Zhar's performances at the 2005 FIFA U-20 World Cup. 

Registered to Saint-Etienne at the time, he would make the move to Liverpool, a mistake in hindsight, where he was a bit-part player for several seasons.

For a while, it seemed he was destined for the same sort of journeyman career as Quincy Owusu-Abeyie, another player who impressed during that youth championship; however, El Zhar is turning his career around with Levante at 27 years of age. 

He has played the David Fairclough role well, scoring twice off the bench (once against Real Madrid), but when El Zhar was given the entire 90 minutes against Espanyol, he was instrumental in all three of Levante's goals. 

CF: Oriol Riera (Osasuna)

You're probably thinking: "Where's the centre attacking midfielder (CAM)?"

There isn't an underrated quality No. 10 in La Liga, which is why instead of a 4-2-3-1, this formation has changed into a 4-2-2-2.

Riera, 27, a former Barcelona player, is back in the top flight after stints in the lower leagues with clubs such as Cordoba and Alcorcon.

He is a target man who presses like Mario Mandzukic (generally always fouls instead of winning the ball) and doesn't look good but scores—five goals in his last seven games. 

CF: Carlos Bacca (Sevilla)

What makes the 27-year-old Colombian so dangerous is his ability to create his own shot. 

When Bacca was subbed on against Rayo Vallecano, he scored twice within 17 minutes. 

Bacca netted 27 times for Club Brugge last season and 32 times in 2011 for Atletico Junior, so he is a go-getter when it comes to goals. 

He is a more explosive player than Kevin Gameiro, so expect Bacca to usurp the Frenchman.

Statistics via WhoScored, FFT Stats Zone, Squawka and Transfermarkt
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