La Liga Team of the Week for Jan. 24-26: Neymar and Messi Shine for Barcelona
Another match week has passed in Spain, with the form guide staying true to itself this time around: mainly wins at the top, mainly defeats at the bottom of the league table.
Title challengers Atletico Madrid, Barcelona and Real Madrid all picked up victories in very different ways, but only one of those clubs see an entrant into our latest team of the week.
Elsewhere, we have plenty of mid-table contributions from the likes of Espanyol, Athletic Bilbao and more besides.
GK: Diego Alves, VAL
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We start with Valencia goalkeeper Diego Alves, who maintains an incredible penalty-save ratio of close to 50 percent for his club.
In a crazy first half against top-four rivals Sevilla, Alves saw his defenders concede two spot-kicks in a matter of five minutes. Carlos Bacca beat him with one, but Alves saved the other with his feet, a vital stop at a critical time in the game, which would have seen the away team draw level.
Thereafter he was not to be beaten again, making a handful of saves and, more importantly, dominating his area, taking high balls well and eventually seeing out a 3-1 win.
DF: Mikel Gonzalez, RSO
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Real Sociedad have become a lot more difficult to beat over the past few weeks, taking on a more structured approach to the game under David Moyes.
That, while not yet leading to resounding wins, is having an effect in defence: They haven't conceded more than one goal in any of their last six games, with two clean sheets. Not bad, considering they had conceded 20 in 14 games before that.
Against Eibar, Mikel Gonzalez was their rock at the back, making an endless stream of blocks and challenges, positioning himself well to win the ball in the air and making sure that a low-key game didn't slip away from his team because of a defensive error.
DF: Aleksandar Pantic, COR
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Cordoba almost picked up one of the shock results of the season as they headed into the final minutes of the game against Real Madrid at 1-1, though a late handball and resulting penalty denied them the point.
Aleksandar Pantic and his partner in defence, Jose Angel Crespo, were adept at keeping Real at bay—as indeed were left-back Edimar and holding midfielder Fausto Rossi—for long stretches of the game, closing out space, making challenges and generally frustrating the European champions.
Pantic gets the nod on account of his good recoveries behind team-mates on more than one occasion, necessitating a few hurried clearances to stop runners getting around the back four.
DF: Gerard Pique, FCB
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Our third and final centre-back selection is Barcelona's Gerard Pique, who has been enjoying a very good run of form of late. The Spanish defender took some time to break into the team this season, but he is now re-established as a first choice under Luis Enrique.
Pique had plenty of defending to do in the first half of the match against Elche as the home team looked to counter and threaten off set pieces, but he dealt well with everything that came his way, looked assured and concentrated in his role and even scored the game's opening goal at the other end.
The second half was less stressful for the defenders, but he still showed an ability on the ball and willingness to support going forward at the right times.
MD: Jonathan Dos Santos, VIL
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Into midfield and we'll start with Jonathan dos Santos of Villarreal, who hasn't always looked too impressive from his right-sided berth at the club, but did very well at the weekend.
In the face of new competition for that position from imminent arrival Joel Campbell, not to mention having Moi Gomez on the bench most weeks, this is more like the display dos Santos needs to keep his place in the side.
He was inventive and creative moving forward and infield from the flank, cutting in to play in some good passes toward the penalty box and working very hard off the ball. His set-piece delivery was also impressive in the narrow 1-0 win over Levante.
MD: Mikel San Jose, ATH
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Athletic Bilbao have been trying everything to get out of this awful run of form, which of late, has included Mikel San Jose moving into a defensive-midfield berth to offer more protection to the back line.
He was excellent in that role at the weekend, bustling around and making challenges, showing his great strength and trying to help his team dominate the middle of the park against Malaga.
San Jose scored one of his specialities: A run across the near post and a header beyond the keeper from a corner putting his side ahead before the match finished 1-1.
MD: Dani Parejo, VAL
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Our second Valencia player now from their 3-1 win over Sevilla, with midfield playmaker Dani Parejo performing well at the tip of the diamond in the first half, before a shape change after the break saw him operate a little deeper.
Parejo is always keen to get on the ball and dictate the flow of the game for his team, but this first hour saw a different side to his game, bursting forward into the final third and looking to get inside the box. He scored his second goal of the match just like that, on a fast-paced counter, and he almost got his hat-trick shortly afterward.
The midfielder also scored a penalty earlier in the match.
MD: Robert Ibanez, GRA
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Granada let an early lead slip and had to rescue a point in a 2-2 draw at Deportivo La Coruna at the weekend, a match where neither team really had control of proceedings and a handful of attacking players stood out for their on-ball abilities.
Robert Ibanez was one of those, with his constant willingness to dribble and run at the Depor defence a big threat for Granada, breaking in off the right (and later left) flank with increasing confidence.
The youngster came up with his most telling moment late in the game as he absolutely hammered a loose ball into the back of the net after a free-kick wasn't properly cleared.
FW: Neymar, FCB
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The performance of the weekend in Spain came from Barcelona, and it's tough to separate from two of their front three which one individual can lay the best claim to player of the week.
Fortunately we don't have to—they're both in our XI! Neymar is first up, showing all the dribbling ability and technical innovation that make him such an exciting player, but also displaying a fantastic amount of composure and finishing ability in the match.
His two goals were absolutely tremendous, first-time finishes after clever passes that gave goalkeeper Przemyslaw Tyton no chance. Neymar worked hard off the ball and got his rewards.
FW: Sergio Garcia, ESP
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Nipping into the front line ahead of team-mate Christian Stuani and Atletico Madrid's Antoine Griezmann is Espanyol veteran Sergio Garcia, who had another of those games which remind you that he was once a top-class attacker, one of the best in the league.
A creative, hard-working and technically gifted leader, Garcia floated about making an absolute nuisance of himself for Espanyol in their 3-0 win over Almeria, claiming two assists but also setting up a number of other chances which should have resulted in goals.
He was irrepressible and the absolute star of his team in the deserved win.
FW: Lionel Messi, FCB
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If Neymar's goals were superbly taken, the craft to open the Elche defence and set him up was perhaps even better.
Lionel Messi threaded and jinked and simply created space where none appeared to be, measuring perfectly the angle and pace needed for his team-mate to score a quickfire brace. Messi also netted two goals himself, a penalty and a well-taken, low finish from inside the box.
He has been on fire in recent weeks and no defence can live with him like this, never mind one as relatively modest as Elche. The match finished 6-0.
