La Liga Player Rankings After Gameweek 12, November 21-24
International football is done with, and it's domestic action from here on out for the rest of the calendar year, with La Liga providing some fantastic viewing once again this weekend.
Gameweek 12 saw several big scorelines, with only three matches registering less than three goals. The top three all won, and the bottom six all drew, with points and battles for positions ferocious at both ends right now.
We turn our attentions to the best and the most consistent performers of the league season now with our updated player rankings for Spain's top flight.
Mentions
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Ivan Rakitic of Barcelona drops out of our top 20 after a low-key performance against former club Sevilla, despite heading in a close-range goal. Valencia's Pablo Piatti also exits the top 20 after just one week; he has been in great form but competition for a spot in our 20 is fierce, and he had a nondescript game against Levante.
That means two new entrants and two players who are very much still on our radar—as well as Piatti—for future inclusion.
Nordin Amrabat of Malaga didn't feature this past weekend, while Luis Suarez of Barcelona looks in terrific shape—another performance or two along the lines of his against Sevilla and he'll be in.
20. Fabricio, DEP
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New Entrant
Deportivo La Coruna have kept themselves in the mix of teams just outside the relegation zone—six teams are on 10 or 11 points—with a run of just one defeat in five games, thanks in no small part to the efforts of goalkeeper Fabricio.
The 26-year-old has been in great form, making some excellent saves in recent games and keeping four clean sheets in his last five.
The longer he keeps up this, the more chance Depor have of surviving the drop in their first season back.
19. Xabier Etxeita, ATH
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New Entrant
Athletic Bilbao look to have left their early-season struggles behind them after a much-improved run of form, and there's no coincidence that this upturn in fortunes has come after a change in the central defensive pairing.
Carlos Gurpegi's experience wasn't making up for his lack of mobility or poor form, but Xabier Etxeita has come in and excelled alongside Aymeric Laporte.
Bilbao look far more solid, Etxeita has proven reliable, aggressive and even a goalscoring threat, and it's now three wins in four for the Basque team.
18. Ignacio Camacho, MGA
4 of 21
Change: +1
Malaga midfielder Ignacio Camacho was on the losing side at the weekend as his side went down to champions Atletico Madrid, but he put in another notable performance of his own.
The Spanish midfielder, who won a deserved call-up to the national team recently on account of his good form, was his usual combative self in the centre of the park and made sure that the home team didn't have it too easy.
He won plenty of loose second balls, stopped Atleti playing through the centre and, if he could just make his own passing a little more reliable, he could really be an asset to a side playing near the top of the table.
17. Sergio Busquets, FCB
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Change: -1
Sergio Busquets put in an improved performance at the weekend as Barcelona beat Sevilla, but he is still working his way back to his best form after a downturn, and he is capable of much more.
He certainly helped with Barca dominating possession and keeping the Andalucian side pegged back in their own half after the break, but he was again not as quick as usual to scamper back and help win the ball against counter-attacks.
With Barcelona looking stronger than a few weeks ago, perhaps Busquets' own form will similarly improve from this point.
16. Diego Alves, VAL
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Change: -5
Diego Alves pays the price for a Valencian derby defeat, and his team being overly cautious at times under Nuno, dropping a few places after his side Valencia lost 2-1 to Levante at the weekend.
Alves couldn't do anything about either of the goals—one a top-corner strike from 25 yards—but the saves he did manage to make were fairly routine. His distribution was fine, and he remains one of the top keepers in the league, certainly the most consistent over the whole season so far, and his drop is in part due to the improvements of others in our list.
Valencia have dropped out of the top three as a result of the defeat.
15. Karim Benzema, RMA
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Change: -2
Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema saw his side relatively comfortably beat Eibar 4-0 away from home at the weekend. Although he worked hard and scored a close-range finish, it wasn't one of his more effective all-round performances.
He simply couldn't get heavily involved in the game as chances and buildup play largely went through others around him, while the return to a 4-3-3 meant he was often heavily marked in the centre of the box.
No bad notes from his game—just an underinvolved 90 minutes.
14. Isco, RMA
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No Change
Spanish midfielder Isco has been getting plenty of plaudits of late and rightly so after a couple of months' worth of performances which have warranted being part of the Real Madrid and the national team starting XI.
Against Eibar, though, he was one of those who were not anywhere close to poor but also a level or two below their best.
He moved well, passed well, tried to be inventive and linked well from his right-sided central midfield role, but the game was a little too easy and low key for him to really shine. Still, full value to remain in the side.
13. Arda Turan, ATM
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Change: +2
Atletico Madrid midfielder Arda Turan takes advantage to move up our rankings after another terribly impressive display against Malaga as he was one of the most creative and alert players in the final third.
He laid on several good chances for his team-mates during the 3-1 win and claimed an assist for Antoine Griezmann's goal, sliding a low ball over for the Frenchman to score at the far post.
Turan played most of the game and left the pitch late on to a deserved ovation.
12. Grzegorz Krychowiak, SEV
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Change: -3
Polish midfielder Grzegorz Krychowiak was overrun and lacked help in the second half during Sevilla's heavy defeat against Barcelona, but even in the first 45 minutes, his own display wasn't as assured and dominant as it usually has been.
The midfielder faced a step up in class this time and couldn't cope—nor could the rest of his team.
11. Neymar, FCB
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Change: +9
A big jump for Brazilian forward Neymar after he put in his most complete performance of the season for Barcelona against Sevilla.
He was involved in everything: running at the defence, coming short to link up in midfield, active in the penalty box and working hard to close off spaces when not in possession.
A deft header from the 22-year-old put Barcelona ahead in the second half, before he turned key provider for two goals for Lionel Messi later on.
10. Luka Modric, RMA
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Change: -2
Luka Modric picked up an injury on international duty with Croatia and will be missing from Real Madrid's lineup for some time, certainly until after the winter break. Expect his slide down the rankings as a result.
9. Jeremy Mathieu, FCB
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Change: +3
French defender Jeremy Mathieu was restored to the centre of defence for Barcelona and looked assured and impressive once more, with his team likewise looking better for his presence.
A difficult low cross which led to Sevilla's goal was one he couldn't really do anything about, but aside from that, he was quick and alert to shut down most attacks, made one excellent tackle inside the penalty box and, as usual, passed well out of defence.
8. Sergio Ramos, RMA
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Change: +2
Real Madrid kept a clean sheet and were perhaps a little fortunate to do so after Eibar wasted a few good early chances, but by and large, Sergio Ramos was his usual aggressive and consistent self.
The Spanish centre-back won pretty much everything going in the air and on the deck, making a handful of clearances on the stretch and preventing Eibar from getting a foothold back in the game once Real had taken the lead.
He was taken off during the second half for a respite after a couple of knocks.
7. Nicolas Otamendi, VAL
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Change: -3
Just like Alves, team-mate Nicolas Otamendi pays the price for Valencia's slack marking at set pieces and overall lack of aggression in the derby that they lost to Levante.
It was Otamendi's partner, Shkodran Mustafi, who lost his man for the first goal off a corner, but the Argentinian wasn't at his usual dominant best anyway, and the whole team seemed a little slack and lacking in ideas at times.
This has been Otamendi's best run of form in a long time, and he'll want to make sure both himself and the team don't drop off significantly after this loss.
6. James Rodriguez, RMA
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Change: +1
Another slight rise for James Rodriguez after another excellent display.
Everybody, by now, knows his technique, vision and end product are of a terrific quality, but he also showed in the win over Eibar the other side to his game: tremendous work ethic, tactical awareness and the ability to use space even without the ball.
James registered the first goal of the game and later set up Benzema for another, with both goals the product of following up the game as it progressed and not standing off waiting for things to happen for him. It was a really impressive display which was rewarded again with a final-third impact.
5. Nolito, CEL
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Change: +1
Nolito's side, Celta Vigo, suffered a surprise defeat to Rayo Vallecano, losing 1-0, but it wasn't for the lack of trying on the part of the left-sided forward.
The new Spain cap was his usual effervescent self in the final third, making the most of the spaces afforded to him by the Rayo defence and trying to combine with the likes of Joaquin Larrivey and Augusto Fernandez. Nolito was certainly the most dangerous player on the pitch for the away team, setting up his team-mates for a host of chances, but his own finishing was wayward on this occasion.
4. Koke, ATM
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Change: -1
Koke had a mixed game for Atletico against Malaga as his side won 3-1.
Off the ball, he worked very hard, as ever, closing down, making challenges and pressing the opposition, while in possession, his set-piece delivery was typically accurate. He managed another assist off a corner, and he ran at the Malaga defence with good effect, but his passing in open play was unusually poor.
He conceded possession needlessly in too many instances and at times tried a little too hard to find the killer pass.
3. Lionel Messi, FCB
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Change: +2
It was a big weekend for Barcelona forward Lionel Messi as he scored a hat-trick and broke La Liga's all-time goalscoring record in the 5-1 demolition of Sevilla.
A free-kick, a close-range slide in on goal and a low-drilled shot into the bottom corner showed the versatile nature of Messi's finishing abilities, while he also caused confusion and panic in the opposition defence with his skill on the ball and dribbling.
It was his best performance in some time, and the pleasure at his goals were plain to see on the faces of both himself and his team-mates.
2. Toni Kroos, RMA
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No Change
We're still with Real Madrid's key midfielder and forward at Nos. 1 and 2, with no change at the top.
Toni Kroos was once more excellent at the heart of the Real midfield, playing slightly more withdrawn as a single controller this time in the absence of Modric. He passed the ball around and protected the defence with his lingering presence in the middle of the pitch to pick up second balls rather than actually commit to many challenges.
1. Cristiano Ronaldo, RMA
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No Change
No change at the top indeed.
Cristiano Ronaldo was once more irrepressible and unstoppable for Real Madrid as he hit the 20-goal mark for the season in a thoroughly ludicrous 11 appearances.
A penalty and a slightly scuffed, bouncing finish were his goals, while he also set up James' opener and generally put in another display to terrify defences, giving them no respite whatsoever during the majority of the match; Real Madrid remained top of La Liga.
