La Liga Team for Weekend of October 3-5
Gameweek 7 in Spain's La Liga proved an exciting and goal-laden affair once more this weekend, with Barcelona and Real Madrid picking up their usual victories but also a few surprising results elsewhere.
Valencia beat Atletico Madrid in a top-four clash, Sevilla got back to winning ways and Villarreal and Espanyol also picked up important victories.
It should be no surprise to see several of our Team of the Week feature a number of Real Madrid players after their thumping win this weekend, but there's plenty of room for players from other sides too. We line up this week in a 3-4-3 system.
GK: Gorka Iraizoz, ATH
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It might seem a strange choice to pick a goalkeeper in team of the week who has conceded five goals, but if not for Gorka Iraizoz, the scoreline could have actually been a lot closer to double figures.
The Athletic Bilbao stopper faced drives from range from Luka Modric, Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale which he repelled, took the ball high in his area with defenders crowding him from set pieces early on and palmed away in packed six-yard boxes from time to time, denying Real's forwards tap-ins from close range.
There was nothing he could do about any of the goals, mostly scored from close range, as he was left continually exposed by a destroyed back line.
DC: Nicolas Otamendi, VAL
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Valencia returned to winning ways with an impressive victory over Atletico Madrid at the weekend, with central defender Nico Otamendi continuing his own excellent start to the campaign with a dominant display and a goal to boot.
The aggressive Argentine was strong on the ground, stopped Atleti being their usual threat off every set piece and also impressed with his distribution out of the defensive line.
DC: Marc Bartra, FCB
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Barcelona's win over Rayo Vallecano was pretty straightforward once they scored two in quick succession, leaving them to see out the game in relative comfort.
It wasn't a vintage performance though and they ceded ground and chances to Rayo, giving stand-in centre-back partnership Gerard Pique and Marc Bartra plenty to do to keep busy.
Bartra certainly took his chance, reading the game well, making countless movements to step across and cut out through balls, stopping danger before it was really created, and looking very much the part once more for Barça.
DC: Daniel Carrico, SEV
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Sevilla's big win over Deportivo La Coruna came from an incisive attack, but it was built on a sturdy defence led by Daniel Carrico.
The Portuguese defender hustled Depor out of any real flow, he was always on hand to clear balls played over the top of the back line and was a reliable and consistent figure for his team.
MR: Lucas Vazquez, ESP
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Espanyol loaned Real Madrid winger Lucas Vazquez at the start of this season and he is beginning to have a good impact with his temporary side.
Playing from the right side of the midfield, he worked hard off the ball to find space and close down the opposition, but more impressive was his on-the-ball contribution.
Vazquez was always ready to dribble at the opposition defence and scored early on to send his team toward a 2-0 win over Real Sociedad.
MC: Ignacio Camacho, MAL
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Malaga produced an important comeback victory over Granada at the weekend, with Nacho Camacho's midfield dominance key to their eventual usurping of their rivals.
Camacho used the ball intelligently, not looking to be overly ambitious, but was aggressive and quick to win back the ball for his team in the centre of the park. His covering for team-mates down the channels and consistent availability to receive and recycle the ball enabled sustained pressure to be built for Malaga, which eventually told with the second-half comeback.
MC: Luka Modric, RMA
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Luka Modric pretty much ran the show in the first half for Real Madrid against Athletic Bilbao, patrolling the centre of midfield and setting the tempo for his team's dominant performance.
The Croatian sat deep in midfield and enjoyed plenty of time on the ball and space to work in, spraying passes around and looking keen to set away the counter-attacks which the European champions thrive on.
ML: Jeremy Mathieu, FCB
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Usually centre-back this season, Jeremy Mathieu once more switched to left-back for Barcelona against Rayo Vallecano; we'll slot him in as our wing-back option to reflect the fact the spent a lot of time driving forward and producing moments of quality in the final third.
Two low crosses in succession in the first half were an indication of what he can bring, fizzing the ball into the six-yard box for forwards to attack after racing forward with pace and power.
He'll be a central option more often than not, but does give the versatility to his team to play others centrally and offer more presence and power down the flank.
FW: Gerard Deulofeu, SEV
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The key to Sevilla's attack consistently penetrating Depor's back line was Gerard Deulofeu.
The on-loan Barcelona starlet was at his creative and exciting best, flying past defenders with ease and regularity and managing to create space for others by dragging covering defenders out of position.
Deulofeu managed two assists in the game and was appreciated by fans and team-mates alike as he went off substituted late on.
FW: Gareth Bale, RMA
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No goal for Gareth Bale this weekend, but he was a huge part of the team's success, both with his early crossing which caused havoc as early as the first minute, and later with his acceleration, direct running and ability to pick the right pass.
He set up two goals for Cristiano Ronaldo to score from a combined distance of roughly four metres, inch-perfect deliveries which were tangible reward for his hard-working and explosive performance.
Only an offside flag denied him a headed goal too.
FW: Cristiano Ronaldo, RMA
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Cristiano Ronaldo has been in ridiculous goalscoring form so far in 2014-15, but against Athletic Bilbao he really put the all-round performance in to go alongside his customary name on the scoresheet.
It was a classic display for the Portuguese forward, driving into the box from his left-sided starting position but causing problems for Athletic all over: Running across the penalty area, dropping into deep central positions to receive and lay-off the ball, and of course being almost untrackable with his sprints to the far post.
Another hat-trick—even if the last came inadvertently off his elbow—means he now has 13 goals in six La Liga games—and he even claimed an assist against Bilbao too.
