Picking a Champions League Select XI from Spain's Top 4
Spain's La Liga is a fantastic league to watch football in, due in no small part to the magnificent array at the top end of the division.
While Atletico Madrid won the championship last season, Real Madrid were crowned champions of Europe, beating their city rivals in the final. Barcelona ended up as runners-up in both La Liga and the Copa del Rey, missing out on silverware but still showing why they are one of the top sides in the world. Athletic Bilbao also produced some incredible performances to seal a top-four spot and a return to the Champions League this season.
Between those four clubs you could pick a handful of genuine world-class stars, and a whole bunch of players at the top of their game, capable of winning games at club and international level, and there's a big chance that one of the four captains could be lifting further significant silverware at home—obviously aside from La Liga itself, which one will definitely lift—and abroad this season.
Here we've put together our best XI and subs from the top-four teams combined, a side who could take on all challengers from the rest of the Continent.
Players must have represented their team for inclusion—so no Keylor Navas, Luis Suarez, etc—and form will be taken from last season and, with a heavy weighting, the beginning of the current campaign. Players can also only be considered for the roles they play for their teams now, so for example Javier Mascherano would only be a centre-back contender, not a holding midfielder.
GK: Gorka Iraizoz, ATH
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The goalkeeper position is a tough one; on last season's form, Keylor Navas would easily have the shirt but as he has yet to competitively play for Real Madrid, he's ineligible for selection. Iker Casillas' form is woeful.
Both Miguel Angel Moya and Claudio Bravo have made respectable starts to life at new clubs—Jan Oblak and Marc-Andre ter Stegen haven't played yet—but Gorka Iraizoz showed plenty of signs last season that he is getting back to his best, and this year he has been excellent so far.
Good distribution, calm in taking aerial balls and a big presence when making saves, the Athletic goalkeeper will be vital in their Champions League campaign and as they seek to reaffirm their status as one of the top four in the league.
Reserve: Miguel Angel Moya, ATL
DR: Juanfran, ATL
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At right-back we'll go for the Spain national team choice, Atletico Madrid's Juanfran.
Solid and dependable for the most part in defence, his industrious movement gets him forward into useful support positions to provide service to the attacking players.
He's not the flashiest or even the fastest, but he provides a good balance of technique, defensive awareness, experience and desire which make him a tough opponent to beat.
Reserve: Dani Alves, FCB
DC: Sergio Ramos, RMA
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The best centre-back pairings match up one aggressive, proactive defender with one who can read the game, make clearances when required, drop off a little deeper and pick up second balls before any alert attackers, so that's what we'll attempt to recreate.
Real Madrid's Sergio Ramos has his critics, but he remains one of the game's top defenders and is a very complete, well-rounded player. Comfortable on the ball and stepping out of the defensive line, he's anything but a showman; Ramos is fiercely competitive, wins the ball in the air with great frequency and is a good communicator.
Much of Real's problems at the back could be solved by partnering him with someone rather more stable than Pepe.
Reserve: Diego Godin, ATL
DC: Miranda, ATL
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While others might grab more headlines, Miranda's part in Atletico's defence cannot be underestimated.
He sweeps up, he sees runners moving behind the defensive line, he covers his excellent team-mate Godin and he is efficient in making clearances both aerially and on the deck.
A quiet performer who simply goes about his work and does it well, Miranda has shown great consistency and ability to fit in perfectly with Atletico's ethos of hard work, defensive solidity and regular performance levels.
Reserve: Javier Mascherano, FCB, just ahead of Raphael Varane, RMA
DL: Marcelo, RMA
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Real Madrid have two of the best attacking left-backs around, when either are on their game. Fitness and consistency, though, have been the biggest problems for both in recent campaigns.
While Fabio Coentrao sometimes gets hailed as the more solid defensively of the two, Marcelo is an aggressive player who, after winning the ball, brings an awful lot to the team by his willingness and physical capacity to immediately break lines and get forward in support of counter-attacks.
Technically excellent and able to cross, pass and dribble in equal measure, Marcelo doesn't just help keep width in the final third but can also break infield and help form unexpected overloads in key areas.
Reserve: Jordi Alba, FCB
DM: Sergio Busquets, FCB
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There's only one choice here: Sergio Busquets is the best controlling midfielder in world football.
As a ball-winner he is aggressive, quick to make challenges, happy to commit fouls when it's important for the balance of his team, always aware of runners from deep and drops into a centre-back position to help out the team.
As a controller, he is so consistently available to receive possession that it seems he must glide across the pitch at times, while his distribution is simple, accurate and with a good tempo to get the team rolling again.
Indefatigable, strong and tall, Sergio brings everything you could want at the base of midfield.
Reserve: Gabi, ATL
CM: Luka Modric, RMA
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Luka Modric was the best midfielder in La Liga last season and showcased his immense ability on the European stage too, having settled himself right into the heart of Real Madrid's midfield.
He's the middle man: The one to receive possession deep or in space higher up the pitch, and then pick out the runners, the forwards, those who can either get a shot away on goal quickly or else play the final ball themselves.
Not merely a creator, Modric keeps the tempo of the team's game going and has discovered a diligent, hard-working side to his game which makes him the perfect second central midfielder in a three-man unit.
Reserve: Ander Iturraspe, ATH
AM: Andres Iniesta, FCB
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As the most creative point of a three-man midfield, few teams would complain about having Andres Iniesta as their man.
The Barcelona playmaker was his team's top performer last year even when others were unable to adapt sufficiently to slightly altered playing styles or systems, and remained an impressive operator for Spain too whilst the national team's level dipped somewhat over the last 12 months.
Incredibly blessed with vision and execution in the final pass, Iniesta has great control which enables him to dribble past opponents with surprising acceleration to make space for his own shooting chances, or to play in the key ball to a forward.
Reserve: Toni Kroos, RMA... but Ivan Rakitic, FCB, would be equally as impressive an option
RF: Gareth Bale, RMA
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The front three can perhaps pick itself, based on the second half of last season and the start of this. We've gone for pace, power, technical ability and, above all else, goals.
Gareth Bale had an indifferent start (though still a scoring one) with Real Madrid, but evolved into a superb athlete in the front line who brings so much to Real's play. He's not just there to break the lines and speed past full-backs, though he does this phenomenally well of course, but also finds low crossing opportunities, exchanges passes quickly in the final third and finds spaces inside packed penalty boxes.
Add in his improved composure and ability to handle expectation and he is a vital inclusion.
Reserve: Koke, ATL
LF: Cristiano Ronaldo, RMA
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On the opposite flank, cutting in with great regularity and dovetailing well with club team-mate Marcelo down the left channel, Cristiano Ronaldo was the best player in world football throughout 2013-14. Injury has meant he hasn't featured quite as regularly yet this term, but his effectiveness is unquestioned.
Pace, power and goals are his three biggest assets, with endurance, determination in possession and a relentless approach to firing off shots not far behind.
No La Liga team would be complete without him and he's an obvious inclusion.
Reserve: A bit of faith to select Neymar, FCB, ahead of the extremely impressive start to the season for Iker Muniain, ATH
CF: Lionel Mesi, FCB
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If Ronaldo's inclusion is obvious, so to is Lionel Messi's.
The two are nigh inseparable for many in terms of contribution, excellence and longevity, and Messi has started the new season in great form for Barcelona.
Not only is he a threat in the penalty box with his pace, trickery and incredibly composed finishing ability, but he also dips out of the front line to create space for others, picking up possession deeper and finding flicked passes through to his on-running team-mates. Goals, goals, goals for everyone.
Reserve: Mario Mandzukic, ATL
