La Liga Player Rankings After Weekend of September 19-22
La Liga produced another fantastic weekend of action in Jornada 4, with important victories gained for both teams expected to challenge for the title and fighting to avoid relegation.
Our early-season power rankings for the top performers in Spain is now starting to take some shape based on a little bit of form, rather than just the first couple of good performances leaguewide, with some interesting performers since the international break.
With another game for each team to come in midweek and the usual glut next weekend, expect the top end to start yielding the performers of the season and the players to watch over this edition and next week's.
20. Isaac Cuenca, DEP
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We kick off this week with a new face, Isaac Cuenca of Deportivo La Coruna.
Having signed a short-term deal with Depor this summer after leaving Barcelona, the wide forward is quickly proving he remains an exciting player who has the ability to make it big in La Liga.
He was one of the few impressive Depor performers in the 8-2 thrashing by Real Madrid and has made a positive start to the season in general, showing his ability to beat defenders and create chances for his team-mates.
19. Carles Planas, CEL
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Celta Vigo are looking impressive again this season under new management, with left-back Carles Planas building on last season's good showings and putting in another excellent display this week.
Planas was part of Celta Vigo's side who held Atletico Madrid to a 2-2 draw, mixing solid defensive work with his usual tenacious and skilful forays forward.
He claimed an assist from a cross for Pablo's spectacular goal but more than that was a constant outlet and buildup option for Celta throughout.
18. Alberto Bueno, VLL
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Rayo Vallecano look to quickly be settling into their usual rhythm of creating plenty of chances...and conceding plenty of goals.
Luckily, they have the talented Alberto Bueno in attack who has proven himself capable of both scoring and creating, usually playing just off a main striker. He hit another goal at the weekend to give Rayo a two-goal lead over Villarreal, though that eventually ended in a 4-2 defeat.
Even so, Bueno performed well in the first hour or so and has made a good start to the season.
17. Michael Krohn-Dehli, CEL
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Back to Celta, momentarily, as their good form and play on the pitch has been in no small part thanks to the efforts and abilities of Danish midfielder Michael Krohn-Dehli.
Playing a much more central role now, the former Ajax man uses his great energy levels to work hard defensively but also to break into space after his team win the ball back, enabling quick counter-attacks for his team-mates to shift the ball beyond opposition midfielders.
A fine linkman, he is an important part of the team and looks set for a good season.
16. Vezo, VAL
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Valencia have started the new season on fire after a summer of change and are looking a far better all-round outfit right now.
At the back, they are much more disciplined and organised than last season, with young centre-back Vezo one half of a solid pairing in the middle. The Portuguese youngster has been very impressive, mixing a good reading of the game with quick reactions—alert to clear any danger. He must surely be in the mix for an international call-up at this rate given his nation's recent disappointments.
Valencia are up to second place after another win and clean sheet on Monday.
15. Paco Alcacer, VAL
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Sticking with Los Che, centre-forward Paco Alcacer is having a great start to the campaign after earning international recognition and showing good club form.
He struck an early goal on Monday against Getafe—his third goal of this season already—setting Valencia on the way to a 3-0 win.
Movement, good technique and linking well with his two wide forwards are all key to Alcacer's success in his role with Valencia, and he is making the most of that at the start of 2014-15.
14. Xabi Prieto, RSO
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Real Sociedad haven't really been consistent enough as a team this season, despite playing well in spells in most matches. Overall, results have been disappointing, but Xabi Prieto has been a standout in that he has kept his consistency and commitment levels up.
He was impressive once more against Almeria at the weekend, even as his side fell to a 2-1 defeat.
Prieto claimed the assist for the consolation goal late on in the match, his third of the season already.
13. Iker Muniain, ATH
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Athletic Bilbao didn't have enough to break down Granada at the weekend, but it wasn't for a lack of effort and quality on Iker Muniain's part.
The wide forward has been terrific early on this season, playing on both flanks already and even as a second forward as Athletic look to maximise their squad and cope with Champions League football. He is keeping his level up while the team chops and changes around him.
Muniain remains key for Bilbao and has been one of their top performers.
12. Bruno, VIL
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Villarreal are an incredibly exciting team to watch again this season, mixing natural offensive instincts with a hardworking and compact formation off the ball.
Central midfield captain Bruno is their main man, their own version of Atletico's Gabi from last season, capable of both mucking in and protecting the defence but also of getting hold of the ball going forward, directing play and feeding his on-running team-mates in attack.
His ball use was instrumental in Villarreal's 4-2 comeback win at the weekend against Rayo Vallecano.
11. Carlos Bacca, SEV
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Sevilla have made a good start to the new season, winning three of their first four matches this season, including an impressive and resounding 3-1 win at Cordoba.
Carlos Bacca has continued his good work from last year by hitting the goal trail early on, scoring twice against the Andalucian side to make it four goals in four games at the start of this term.
His pace, direct running and finishing continue to make him a threat, and the side is well set up to make the most of his talents.
10. Koke, ATL
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Atletico Madrid aren't quite at the top of their game just yet this season, despite wins over Real Madrid and Eibar. A 2-2 draw with Celta Vigo was hard-fought, though several offside calls near the end of the game denied the league champions all three points.
Midfielder Koke had a real breakthrough season last year, at club and country level, and he is once again showing his importance to the side with his mix of creativity and hard work cutting in from wide areas.
He claimed his third assist of the campaign from one of the two set-piece goals Atleti netted.
9. Ander Iturraspe, ATH
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Ander Iturraspe had been perhaps the league's best performer outside of Barcelona in the opening weeks, but he was at fault for Athletic Bilbao's defeat at the weekend.
In general, it was a good performance once more from the central midfielder, but he was culpable for losing the ball and allowing Jhon Cordoba to race through and score the only goal of the game in a 1-0 win for Granada.
Even so, Iturraspe's consistency and ability will be key to Athletic challenging for a top-four place once more.
8. Sergio Ramos, RMA
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Real Madrid have been hit and miss so far this season, winning games by way of extreme attacking—and at times losing them the same way.
Sergio Ramos has been in good form throughout, not culpable for most of the horrendous defensive errors that his team-mates have managed. Beyond a 10-minute spell after the break against Deportivo, he and the back line looked solid, composed and reliable.
Ramos and Raphael Varane certainly look Real's best partnership, and the Spaniard's form has been very strong.
7. Denis Cheryshev, VIL
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Villarreal's attacking influence can be seen throughout the side, with the likes of Uche and Gio Dos Santos impressing frequently, but the real star so far this season has been Denis Cheryshev.
Now 23, the on-loan Real Madrid man really wants to use this season to make a big name for himself in La Liga, and he has started doing that in impressive fashion, with his dribbling, acceleration and end product all looking exciting and telling.
He was involved in the buildup for the first goal, seeing a shot saved and the rebound put in, before showing awareness and execution to provide two low crosses for the third and fourth goals, helping his team come back to win 4-2 against Rayo.
6. Cristiano Ronaldo, RMA
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Real Madrid's highest-ranked player at the start of this season is now Cristiano Ronaldo, after the Portuguese forward returned to hat-trick form against Depor.
He actually started the match a little wastefully, giving the ball away and being wayward with his shooting and cross-field passing, but an outstanding headed goal changed all that, and he never looked back, bagging three in the 8-2 win.
Five goals in three matches make him La Liga's top scorer very early on.
5. Nicolas Otamendi, VAL
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Valencia are second in the table, and as with Vezo, the defence is a big part of that.
Nicolas Otamendi has been the rock the new-look team has been built on, with the Argentinian central defender once again excellent against Getafe, earning Valencia's second clean sheet of the season.
Rugged, committed and aggressively challenging for every ball on the deck, he is a perfect foil for the taller Vezo, who drops off and cleans up behind. Between them, it's a great balance right now for Los Che, and their results show it.
4. Ivan Rakitic, FCB
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Into the top four, and unsurprisingly, we find the upper echelons dominated by Barcelona players.
The league leaders have a perfect record of four wins from four games, with four clean sheets, too—and 11 goals scored already. A five-goal haul at Levante on Sunday topped that start off, with Ivan Rakitic taking one of the star spots with his creative, energetic display in midfield.
His rocket shot was a fine second goal, but his all-round contribution and dovetailing with Andres Iniesta has been particularly pleasing to watch.
3. Miranda, ATL
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Briefly breaking up the Barca dominance is Miranda, who has a great case for being the best centre-back in La Liga at the start of this season.
Another wonderful display at the weekend saw him show his impressive reading of the game, sweeping up dangerous attacks behind his partner as Celta Vigo's movement and pace in the final third caused Atletico problems. He also scored his second goal of the season at the other end.
Miranda saw a penalty given against him in the game by a harsh refereeing call, but it doesn't diminish his importance to the team and his performances so far.
2. Andres Iniesta, FCB
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If not for one other notable guy's sumptuous start to the season, Iniesta would be our pick of La Liga.
The playmaker has really begun this season on fire, showing a dazzling array of dribbling skills and execution in the final pass, setting up countless chances already for the front three and working as hard as anybody off the ball.
He seems a little more inclined to shoot from around the edge of the box than last season, too, and he looks really up for the challenge of wearing the Barcelona captain's armband on a regular basis.
1. Lionel Messi, FCB
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Into the No. 1 spot, though, goes Barcelona's star forward Lionel Messi.
If Iniesta has been dazzling, we need to start using new words entirely for the Argentinian attacker, who looks to have rediscovered his hunger to be a success and is flourishing once more under Luis Enrique.
Goals, sublime control, a hugely promising link with Neymar in the past couple of matches and a relentless approach to chasing down defenders and immediately turning to attack are all characteristics of the in-form Messi; He is back to something like his best and claimed two assists and a goal at the weekend—and missed a penalty—to take his spot as the newly ranked top man.
