La Liga Player Rankings After Game Week 26, March 6-9
Game Week 26 of La Liga was particularly eventful for the top end of the table, with Barcelona usurping Real Madrid as league leaders after contrasting results for the two big clubs.
Our latest edition of the player rankings takes into account performances over the weekend in all 10 fixtures, with impact on the match, quality of performance and opposition all factors as usual. This is an ongoing feature, so past performance has dictated player positions up until now, with this week's games having the strongest influence on those rising and falling.
Here are our current top 20 in Spain.
Mentions
1 of 21
We have two new faces in our top 20 this weekend, with injured Real Madrid star James Rodriguez finally dropping out and Atletico Madrid's Mario Mandzukic also exiting. The Croatian striker was left out by Diego Simeone this week after not training hard enough.
Our two new faces both come from the same club, Villarreal, but are not the stars who were formerly in our 20, Denis Cheryshev and Luciano Vietto, with both still playing a bench role for the Yellow Submarine at present.
Elsewhere, still on our radar are:
Jose Gaya, Valencia
Jonathas, Elche
Vicente Iborra, Sevilla
Michael Krohn-Dehli, Celta Vigo
Dani Parejo, Valencia
Gerard Pique, Barcelona
20. Gerard Moreno, VIL
2 of 21
New entrant
Gerard Moreno has had to wait for his chance as a regular starter for Villarreal, but the past few weeks have seen him make a big impact.
The Spanish striker started again at the weekend and was in superb form in the 4-1 win over Celta Vigo, showing his usual great link-up play outside the box but also hard work off the ball, great technique and composure in scoring his fifth goal of the season.
He helped Villarreal remain in sixth place and is showing he can be a regular starter for them over the remainder of the campaign, instead of or alongside Luciano Vietto.
19. Sergio Asenjo, VIL
3 of 21
New entrant
Sergio Asenjo has been one of the most consistent goalkeepers in La Liga this term, impressing along with the likes of Claudio Bravo and Fabricio.
He was beaten once but made plenty of other important interventions for Villarreal in the 4-1 win over Celta, twice notably denying Charles and looking his customary assured self in taking high balls and set pieces delivered into his box.
Asenjo has played every minute in La Liga this season.
18. Jordi Alba, FCB
4 of 21
Change: +2
Jordi Alba was one of Barcelona's several impressive performers at the weekend, as they thrashed Rayo Vallecano by a 6-1 scoreline.
Alba's runs down the left were as important an outlet for the team as ever, opening up the game by searching diagonal passes to release him into space behind the opposition defence. He struck the crossbar and was involved in plenty of first-half build-up play down that flank.
A rather cynical and tactical foul to obviously earn a yellow card on purpose late in the game rules him out of next week. That's a suspension taken care of just before El Clasico.
17. Pablo Piatti, VAL
5 of 21
No change
Pablo Piatti was one of the Valencia performers who struggled to get on the ball and involve himself in the game in the first half against Atletico Madrid, who were the superior side for long spells in the 1-1 draw.
Piatti didn't really receive the ball quickly enough to get running at the Atleti defenders, nor did he show enough invention himself to find space and affect the game going forward for his team.
As a result, the Argentine was subbed in the second half.
16. Marcelo, RMA
6 of 21
Change: -2
Brazilian left-back Marcelo had a bad time of things in the first half for Real Madrid against Athletic Bilbao, with the home team pressing Real very high and down his side in particular.
Andoni Iraola got the better of Marcelo too often, forcing him backward or into mistakes, then linking play down the inside channel and leaving the left-back isolated, often against two players.
The second half saw Marcelo get forward a little more and see more of the ball in the Athletic half, but it still wasn't a match that saw him use the ball particularly well. He was also booked as Real lost 1-0.
15. Grzegorz Krychowiak, SEV
7 of 21
Change: +1
Grzegorz Krychowiak was part of the Sevilla side that eventually overcame Deportivo La Coruña 4-3 at the weekend, in a topsy-turvy match at the Estadio Riazor.
It was a strange game for the midfielders. They dominated play at times and looked to have the upper hand, certainly starting more promising attacks with quick passes out wide, but Depor were most dangerous when they bypassed the midfield entirely and went directly to the front line or long diagonals to allow crosses to come in.
Therefore, Krychowiak spent a lot of time chasing back passes he could do nothing about, but in possession he was an aid to his team and looked strong in challenges.
14. Ignacio Camacho, MGA
8 of 21
Change: -2
Malaga lost 1-0 to relegation candidates Granada at the weekend, a poor result and a generally poor team performance.
Ignacio Camacho was part of that, as he failed to control midfield and get enough tackles to stop Granada from dominating play at times. He spent too much time heading back toward his own goal and dropping deep to help pick up second balls that came from crosses launched into the box.
In the end, it was Camacho who scored an unfortunate own goal to settle the game—though he almost equalised with a 30-yard blockbuster effort that smacked off the upright.
13. Diego Godin, ATM
9 of 21
Change: +2
It was certainly a game where defences came out on top more often than not, as Atleti and Valencia drew 1-1, with Diego Godin showing his usual assured and dominant performance at the back.
He was beaten in the air once or twice by Alvaro Negredo, but with that aside, he was a rock for his team, winning challenges, stepping out of the line to make tackles and ensure that Valencia's second-half comeback didn't amount to a victory.
Godin would be disappointed with his defence for not reacting quicker to the equalising goal late on, but he couldn't do anything about it himself.
12. Arda Turan, ATM
10 of 21
Change: -2
As the defences were on top, many of the creative and attacking players in the game naturally didn't have the impact they would have wanted. Arda Turan was among them.
The Turkish international played the entire match but couldn't find a way past a solid Valencia left side, with Jose Gaya and Nicolas Otamendi both impressing again down that particular defensive channel. Turan consistently made runs wide to try and open up space, but he was quickly shut down and couldn't deliver enough quality into the box.
It was not his most productive game, but he worked hard and defended well too.
11. Koke, ATM
11 of 21
Change: +2
One Atleti man who did make a difference was Koke, with the Spanish international midfielder proving his importance to the team after returning from injury to dominate the early stages of the game.
Koke scored the opening goal with a fierce drive from the edge of the box after a set piece, but more importantly, it was his on-the-ball ability and capacity to direct his team going forward that made him a stand-out.
He was replaced in the second half, as he was returning from injury, and his team couldn't quite hold on without him.
10. Isco, RMA
12 of 21
Change: -1
Isco was one of Real Madrid's more disappointing performers against Athletic. His failure to get on the ball enough led to his team's inability to create opportunities and, ultimately, their inability to score.
It was certainly a team failing, not an Isco one, as Real were dominated in aggression and technique early on.
The end result was no time on the ball in midfield, no movement in attack and Isco being as anonymous as he has been all season.
9. Karim Benzema, RMA
13 of 21
Change: -1
If Isco was anonymous, Karim Benzema was essentially worthless on the pitch.
His biggest impact came when he made two runs in behind the defence for shooting chances—but passed instead of shooting on one. On the other, he saw his effort smothered by Gorka Iraizoz.
It was no surprise when he was subbed late on.
8. Cristiano Ronaldo, RMA
14 of 21
Change: -2
Real Madrid's front three received heavy criticism after the 1-0 defeat to Athletic Bilbao, with Cristiano Ronaldo of course central to that.
He didn't make the runs expected of him very often, more frequently choosing to stand in front of the Athletic defence to receive possession rather than sprint in behind, and his central location made him easier to mark than when he starts left and runs in.
Ronaldo was an infrequent threat on goal save for two half-chances after the break, and he couldn't stop his team from falling off the top spot.
7. Nicolas Otamendi, VAL
15 of 21
No change
Nicolas Otamendi was at the heart of the Valencia defence that came under plenty of early pressure from Atletico Madrid. Aside from the Koke goal, he managed to help repel most other danger.
Otamendi—along with 11 others on the pitch—was shown a yellow card and got involved in some nonsense with Mario Mandzukic, but by and large, he came up strongest when it counted in direct confrontations involving the ball.
His team took a point at a tough venue, but it didn't change their fourth-place rank in the table.
6. Antoine Griezmann, ATM
16 of 21
Change: -1
Antoine Griezmann was suspended for the weekend and took no part in Atleti's match against Valencia.
5. Neymar, FCB
17 of 21
Change: -1
Like Griezmann, Barcelona's Brazilian forward Neymar was suspended and missed the game against Rayo Vallecano.
4. Toni Kroos, RMA
18 of 21
Change: -2
Toni Kroos played the majority of the game for Real Madrid at Athletic Bilbao, but for once, his impact on the game was minimal and he was actually subbed for Lucas Silva with 15 minutes to play.
The German was the most targeted member of the Real midfield for quick closing down and forcing backward by the Athletic midfield, and quite frankly Kroos wasn't able to cope. He lost the ball several times, enabling the home team to counter-attack from dangerous areas. He couldn't get a grip of Mikel Rico's bursts forward whatsoever.
It was a drop in form at a bad time for both Real and Kroos.
3. Luis Suarez, FCB
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Change: +8
Luis Suarez has been the biggest riser in the charts for several weeks and no wonder: Suarez's recent form has been off the charts for Barcelona.
A superb past few weeks was topped off with a complete forward's performance against Rayo Vallecano, where Suarez scored twice against Rayo and was the spark for most of his team's best attacking play.
The Uruguayan could have doubled his tally but opted to pass instead of shoot several times. His work rate and composure when faced with one-on-one situations were key in sending Barcelona to the top of La Liga.
2. Diego Alves, VAL
20 of 21
Change: +1
Diego Alves breaches the top two—the highest position for a goalkeeper in our rankings this season—after another good performance for Valencia against Atletico Madrid.
True, he was beaten by a fizzing Koke strike in the first half, but on either side of that he confidently took dangerous balls into the box and made more than one save as the game went on.
Alves has been superbly consistent this term and has been a big part of Los Che's rise back into the Champions League places.
1. Lionel Messi, FCB
21 of 21
No change
A quiet first 50 minutes or so on the pitch exploded into a 15-minute hat-trick for Lionel Messi, as he profited from Suarez's invention and non-stop energy to net a tap-in off the No. 9's saved shot, and then a penalty, which Suarez also won.
His hat-trick goal owed everything to Messi's own lightning footwork and composure, of course, but it was still basically a 20-minute performance of world-class anticipation and instinct from the Argentine, rather than a game he dominated himself.
That's how good he is right now: 20 minutes, hat-trick, game over, top of the league, top of the rankings.
