European Team of the Week: Alexis Sanchez Plays Second Fiddle to Lionel Messi

Returning to the European team of the week is Barcelona star Lionel Messi. After a below-par display by his exceptionally high standards, against Granada last week, Messi was back to his brilliant best as the Blaugrana romped to a 6-1 win over Rayo Vallecano.

"The Flea" netted a second-half hat-trick in the resounding victory, before turning provider for Luis Suarez in the dying embers of the encounter. Three key passes, three successful dribbles and a 90.5 per cent pass-success rate contributed to a perfect rating of 10, which saw the Argentine duly awarded the WhoScored.com Man of the Match award.

Former Barcelona teammate Alexis Sánchez features on the opposite flank having impressed in Arsenal’s 2-1 win over QPR. Alexis netted what proved to be the winner in the victory at Loftus Road, his first goal since his brace in the Gunners’ 3-0 win over Stoke back in January. Two key passes and five successful dribbles helped him gain a match rating of 8.79, but his defensive work also stood out as the Chilean regularly harassed the QPR defence, making three tackles and one interception.

Lucas Biglia comes into the midfield this week after a notable showing in Lazio’s 4-0 thumping of Fiorentina on Monday night. Biglia opened the scoring for his side after just six minutes, though it was his defensive work that earned him his impressive rating.

Given Fiorentina’s form of late, with morale high following their 2-1 Coppa Italia win at Juventus last week, the 29-year-old ensured the Viola did not come away from the Olimpico with a positive result, with his seven tackles, one interception and three clearances helping the Biancocelesti to a clean sheet and all three points.

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He’s partnered in the middle of the park by Villarreal’s Tomas Pina. The Spaniard played a crucial role in the 4-1 win over Celta Vigo, registering the assists for second-half goals by Luciano Vietto and Gerard Moreno. Each of Pina’s two assists came from both of his key passes, while four tackles and four interceptions aided the Yellow Submarine in their quest to secure European football next season.

Up front, Suarez comes into WhoScored.com’s European team of the week having received his first perfect 10 rating in the league since Liverpool’s 6-3 win over Cardiff back in March of 2014. The Uruguayan got things rolling for Barcelona after just six minutes before rounding off the scoring in injury time to help Luis Enrique’s side move to the summit of La Liga.

Suarez could have had more than just a brace in the 6-1 win over Rayo Vallecano with all five of his shots on goal hitting the target. The experienced Miroslav Klose partners Suarez in attack this week. The German wound back the years for Lazio against Fiorentina to bag a second-half brace as Stefano Pioli’s side maintained their push for a Champions League finish. Klose was lethal in front of goal, with two of his three shots hitting the back of the net, while four successful dribbles and three aerial duels contributed to an all-round perfect striker’s display.

Kieran Gibbs will have done his England chances little harm against QPR last week, picking up the Man of the Match award in Arsenal's victory in West London. The left-back picked up the assist for Alexis’ second half strike, though it was his solid defensive showing that won him the plaudits.

A high proportion of QPR’s attacks came down their right side (43 per cent), yet the 25-year-old repelled their offensive threat excellently, making four tackles, seven interceptions and 14 clearances over the 90 minutes. Even when the Hoops looked to attack in the air, Gibbs maintained his composure, winning seven aerial duels.

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Compatriot Gary Cahill also features in defence this week having impressed in Chelsea’s 1-0 win at West Ham. A resolute defensive showing was required to keep the Hammers at bay last Wednesday, and Cahill provided just that as the Blues secured a crucial three points in their quest to land their fifth top-flight title. Only three players have made more clearances in a single Premier League match this season than Cahill managed against West Ham (22) as Jose Mourinho’s side maintained their five-point gap at the summit of England’s top tier.

Mateo Musacchio partners Cahill at the heart of the back line. The Argentine has made a commendable return to the Villarreal starting XI following injury and was on hand to net what proved to be the winning goal over Celta Vigo on Sunday evening having powered a header past Sergio Álvarez on the stroke of half-time.

Five interceptions and eight clearances helped stifle Celta’s attack in the victory as Marcelino’s side made it 10 wins from their last 16 in Spain’s top tier. Bayer Leverkusen’s right-back Roberto Hilbert rounds off the defence. The 30-year-old played a vital role for his side as they came away with the share of the spoils at the Benteler Arena, with his six tackles, three interceptions and 10 clearances aiding Bayer in their 3-0 victory over Paderborn.

For the second consecutive week, Almeria’s Julian stars in between the sticks, despite a 1-0 defeat at Elche. The 23-year-old made three saves and claimed four crosses, while his last-man tackle toward the end of the first half ensured the away side were not embarrassed by Los Franjiverdes at the Martínez Valero.

All statistics courtesy of WhoScored.com, where you can find yet more stats, including live in-game data and unique player and team rankings.