La Liga Team of the Week After Weekend of September 26-28
This past weekend in Spain's top flight saw the big guns take impressive victories, with Atletico Madrid, Real Madrid and Barcelona all picking up another three points.
Unsurprisingly, our team of the week features a number of individuals from those three sides—but as always, we don't overlook the rest of the league and the likes of Rayo Vallecano and Valencia also contribute players for our choice XI.
Here's our pick following Jornada 6 in La Liga.
GK: Diego Alves, VAL
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Valencia stopper Diego Alves was beaten once against Real Sociedad, but he undoubtedly preserved at least a point for his side with a series of excellent saves.
With Los Che not putting in their usual standard of performance from this season, the defence came under heavy attack for long periods.
Alves made fingertip saves, beat away fierce drives, took the ball commandingly in the air and was arguably his team's best player on the day.
DR: Dani Alves, FCB
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Dani Alves has had a lot of criticism over the past few months, but this performance against Granada was one of his best of the entire calendar year—if not the best.
His delivery from wide areas came early, was accurate and did not stop throughout the opening 70 minutes or so, until the game was well won and the side took its collective foot off the gas somewhat.
Alves claimed one assist and might have had more if not for some last-ditch defending and wayward finishing.
DC: Raphael Varane, RMA
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Real Madrid's defence looked dependable, reliable and organised against Villarreal on Saturday—a noticeable improvement on recent weeks, even with the team ceding ground and possession to its hosts.
At the heart of it all was young French defender Raphael Varane, the composed talent who has come in for Pepe and made the Real defence look sturdy and impregnable once more.
Gone is the ponderous, disorganised mess of the opening weeks of the season; let's see how long it stays that way and how long Varane keeps his place.
DC: Jeremy Mathieu, FCB
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While Barcelona's attack was delicious in its relentlessness and clinical edge against Granada, the defence once more must not be overlooked.
Granada had several counter-attacks in the first half when the scores were close, but they were unable to find a way to goal thanks to the efforts of Jeremy Mathieu (and the crossbar, once).
The French defender was imperious: strong in the challenge, quick over the ground and aggressive in winning the ball back at every opportunity. It's now six games and counting without a goal conceded for Barcelona.
DL: Jose Luis Gaya, VAL
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At left-back, we go for one of the breakout talents of the season so far, Jose Luis Gaya of Valencia.
The offensive-minded full-back is just 19 years of age but is showing himself not just to be capable of handling this stage but also of thriving in it and being a key component to his team this season.
He can be a little restricted when playing in Nuno's system at the moment, or perhaps he is holding himself back to avoid errors, but he is strong defensively and attacks like lightning when given the chance.
Pushed into midfield late on against Real Sociedad, he almost won the game for his team with three breakaways which created shooting chances for his side.
RW: Arda Turan, ATL
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Atletico Madrid roared back into form with a 4-0 win over Sevilla at the weekend, with their midfield showing all the great blend of work rate, technique and final-third ability which makes Atleti such a brilliant spectacle to watch.
Arda Turan was key to it all, pushing forward relentlessly to exchange passes, create chances and get himself in the box when possible.
He, Saul and Koke could all have been in this week's side, but Turan just edges it overall for this spot.
CM: Xabi Prieto, RSO
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Into the centre of midfield and we'll begin with a veteran who is performing superbly this season, La Real's Xabi Prieto.
Playing as the most advanced of the three in the centre, Prieto was once more instrumental in his side's attacking play, shifting the ball quickly to keep up the tempo against an under-par Valencia. But he also showed invention and incisiveness later in the game with his excellent passes inside the box as Sociedad sought victory.
While his team have been hit-and-miss at times, Prieto has been excellent throughout the start of this season.
CM: Xavi, FCB
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From one veteran to another—even more so—and another top performer from the weekend.
Xavi took the place of Andres Iniesta in the Barcelona line-up against Granada and put in a superb performance to remind Luis Enrique that he remains very much a capable star in this side.
The maestro was at the heart of Barca's utter dominance in the match, linked well with Ivan Rakitic and was always looking to find Leo Messi and Co. in attack.
LW: Sergio Canales, RSO
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To Real Sociedad again and the best of their front line was Sergio Canales, who played from the left flank against Valencia.
He scored a somewhat-fortuitous goal: a driven cross which evaded everybody and ended up in the net, but his all-round game was irrepressible. He dribbled past opponents, his movement and first touch were excellent, and he worked very hard to stop Antonio Barragan from getting forward to support the midfield.
Canales has started this season well and seemingly regardless of whether he plays on the left or in the middle, he has shown he can affect play.
CF: Leo Baptistao, RAY
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Ignore the green and white; Leo Baptistao is "home" now in the colours of Rayo Vallecano this season, on loan from Atletico and rediscovering his scoring touch.
After a poor 2013-14 campaign, the Brazilian youngster is looking capable of great deeds once more, scoring twice to sink Levante at the weekend and taking his tally for the season to four in five games.
Rayo even kept a rare clean sheet; more of that, and of Baptistao's goals, will be necessary if they are to avoid a relegation fight this term.
CF: Lionel Messi, FCB
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Nobody else can take the other centre-forward's role other than Barcelona's Lionel Messi, who is almost a fixture in our team of the week at the moment.
Naturally, one of the world's best two players is expected to play very, very well indeed, but Messi has begun 2014-15 like a man on a mission.
His off-the-ball work is phenomenal once again, pressing and tackling and then, once possession is regained, heading towards goal like a guided missile.
Finishing has never been an issue for Messi—he scored twice more here, including his 400th career goal—but he has stepped up another level this season with his creative work. He is simply irrepressible at this moment and has been La Liga's star so far.
