La Liga Team of the Week: No Ronaldo, No Problem as Karim Benzema Fires for Real
Gameweek 21 of La Liga is all wrapped up, with the league's big three all managing to pick up victories once again, keeping Real Madrid top of the table ahead of Barcelona and Atletico Madrid.
All three teams contribute players to our team of the week selection, but we've also got players from the likes of Malaga and Athletic Bilbao, who both picked up impressive and vital victories over the extended match weekend.
Here are our selections, with some very tight calls to make in some positions as we opt for a very offensive 4-4-2.
GK: Gorka Iraizoz, ATH
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Athletic Bilbao kick us off with goalkeeper Gorka Iraizoz. The experienced No. 1 will have seen his understudy Iago Herrerin put in a great performance in the cup recently, knowing that there was pressure on him to perform in the league after a poor run for Athletic of late.
Iraizoz responded with a very professional and dominant performance, taking the ball well in the air and making the few routine saves he had to make look very easy.
He wasn't overly flashy but came off his line well and contributed to the clean sheet and the 2-0 win at Levante.
DF: Jesus Gamez, ATM
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At right-back we're opting for Atletico Madrid's Jesus Gamez, just ahead of Celta Vigo's Sergi Gomez.
Gamez was industrious and powerful in his running down the right flank, providing good overlapping options in the first half as Atleti ran riot against Eibar in the 3-1 win.
He was thunderous in the challenge at times, particularly after the break as Atleti sat back on their lead, but was also quick to cover the gaps between himself and the centre-back and then push forward to support the build-up play. On this evidence he's certainly ready to challenge regular right-back Juanfran for more game time.
DF: Weligton, MGA
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A no-nonsense and aggressive centre-back (sometimes overly so), Weligton sees each game as a war of attrition between himself and the opposing attackers. He deals with any threat the same way: Kick anything moving as hard as possible.
He certainly did that in the Monday-night win over Valencia, somehow getting away with only getting booked and conceding one foul—but aggression aside, his defending was near perfect as he won the ball in the air and on the ground, closed out gaps and ensured Los Che found it hard to create clear chances.
Weligton's leadership and direction toward fellow players made sure Malaga got back to winning ways against a tough opponent.
DF: Diego Godin, ATM
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Atleti's second back-line player, Diego Godin has returned to near his top level in recent weeks, impressing hugely again in the win over Eibar.
Like Gamez, it was mainly in the second half when his challenges, leadership and general defensive acumen were on show, repelling the threat of the home team as they attempted to get back into the game.
Godin was powerful in the air as always and made a huge number of clearances from hopeful balls into the area, always positioning himself well and being proactive in reacting to danger.
DF: Marcelo, RMA
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While Gamez was strong defensively and supported well on the right, our left-back choice, Marcelo of Real Madrid, is all about the attacking threat and flair provided, giving our back four a nice balance.
Straight after Real Sociedad's early lead, it was Marcelo's thrust down the left which gave Real Madrid a route back into the match. His cross from deep was inch-perfect and gave team-mate James Rodriguez a simple headed equaliser.
Throughout the game Marcelo was involved high up the pitch, looked to get involved in the final third and kept his runs well-timed and varied, going inside as well as outside the midfield to provide another option to receive the pass.
MD: James Rodriguez, RMA
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Into midfield and our difficult choices see us just about pick James Rodriguez over Real Madrid team-mate Isco. Both played slightly wider than true central midfielders, but Real's fluid system and need to get their creative players involved centrally meant James spent a lot of time in his usual pockets of space between central and attacking midfield areas.
He was superb on the ball, always taking it on the turn to open up space and move away from a marker, while his footwork left La Real's back line bamboozled at times.
James' header was well-taken but it was the run for the goal which impressed the most. He could have had another goal later and was involved in attacking play throughout the game.
MD: Rafinha, FCB
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Celta Vigo's Michael Krohn-Dehli was our other midfielder consideration, but Barcelona's Rafinha stole the show with arguably his best performance so far for the Catalan club.
The attacking midfielder revelled in the pace of the game and the space he found between the lines in the back-and-forth 3-2 win over Villarreal, driving toward the opposition penalty area and slipping passes in to the runners ahead of him.
Rafinha scored the second equaliser of the game and was able to keep up his level of performance throughout the entire 87 minutes he was on the field, eventually leaving to a deserved ovation.
AMR: Leo Messi, FCB
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From the right side of Barcelona's attack (and the right of ours), Lionel Messi was once more able to drift infield and dictate the game from his side's offensive perspective.
His movement and intelligence to find spaces and receive the ball really tested the shape and work rate of the Villarreal team, who went toe-to-toe with Barça at times but ultimately couldn't live with the extra bit of genius that Messi brings.
He was involved in many of Barcelona's best chances and ended up winning the match with a fantastic right-footed shot into the top corner.
AML: Antoine Griezmann, ATM
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On the opposite side, Atletico Madrid's Antoine Griezmann absolutely tore Eibar apart in the opening half-hour of the match.
He played loosely as a second centre-forward, but roved out wide to the left to create space and send over dangerous balls into the box, helping create Mario Mandzukic's goals in the opening stages.
Griezmann netted another goal himself—that's eight goals in the last 10 games now—and he has developed into one of the most important players at the club over the past few months.
FW: Karim Benzema, RMA
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In attack, one of our selections was easy: Karim Benzema was unstoppable for Real Madrid against Real Sociedad.
His work rate and movement off the ball meant he was involved in almost everything Madrid did: He dropped into the channels to link play, played clever one-twos to open up space for Isco and James and got himself on the end of chances in the box too.
His first goal owed much to his anticipation as he clipped home a cut-back, but his second goal in the 4-1 win was straight out the top drawer—a curled, first-time effort into the far top corner, giving the visiting goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli, who was otherwise excellent, no chance.
FW: Neymar, FCB
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Our final choice for the forwards was a straight fight between Barcelona duo Luis Suarez—excellent in everything he did other than finishing—and Neymar, who we eventually opted for.
The Brazilian has shown fantastic consistency in front of goal this season, providing another strike here with the first equaliser for his team in the eventual 3-2 win, following in an initial shot as all top forwards should do, to net the rebound.
His pace and ability to run at Villarreal's defence troubled them, but he wasn't selfish in his running and opened gaps for Suarez and Messi to exploit too, as well as getting a couple of other chances away himself. Another good performance in a great season for Neymar.
