La Liga Player Rankings: Strange Absence of Top Real Madrid and Barcelona Stars!
Welcome back to the player rankings for La Liga, here once more for the new 2015/16 season, which got underway over the weekend.
Here we look to portray and keep track of the best performers in Spain's top flight, ranking them in order of current form over the course of the season.
The rankings are based on players' last six games, with slightly more emphasis placed on their most recent outings. Only La Liga performances are counted, and, typically, a one-week wonder will not find his way in by default—the team of the week is where you'll find a one-off star.
We look beyond the statistical measures and into the performance, reviewing tape and gauging impact. It's not just goals, assists and heroic clearances that impress; it's about how a player contributes to the tactical plan at hand and what impact he has over a 90-minute period.
Of course, in the first week of action, there is no form guide to take into account, and our initial top 20 is simply the best 20 performances of the weekend.
Enjoy, and please join in the conversation as to who you think could have been selected and who will emerge as a more consistent performer over the season as a whole!
20. German Lux, DEP
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Two goalkeepers were under main consideration for our first team of the week of the new season. German Lux didn't get the nod in the end but still made a few key contributions for his team.
Lux kept a clean sheet in Deportivo La Coruna's 0-0 draw with Real Sociedad, thanks in no small part to his decision-making and timing when thwarting new La Real striker Jonathas one-on-one, first with a jump to block an attempted lob and later doing enough to make the forward shoot off target.
His distribution was largely good, and Lux looked assured throughout.
19. Juan Vargas, BET
2 of 20
Juan Vargas made the move from Fiorentina to Real Betis this summer, and his debut went well. He played from left-back and making several strong runs forward to good effect in a 1-1 draw at home against Villarreal.
The away side were on top for much of the game, and Vargas had his hands full trying to negate the threat of Nahuel. He did the defensive side of his job well, other than when facing the counter-attack—he doesn't have the pace to cope with fleet-footed wingers anymore, clearly.
That said, his positional work and determination were good in stopping crosses coming over, and going forward he linked play nicely and attacked the wide spaces in front of him as Betis' midfield men tucked infield, rather than acting as wingers, as Villarreal's did.
18. Rafinha, FCB
3 of 20
Injuries and unavailability meant Barcelona's thin squad was stretched to breaking point for their opening Liga game, a 1-0 win over Athletic Bilbao.
Rafinha, usually a creative central force, played from the left of the attack and largely impressed with his propensity to drop into a deeper area, pick up possession in space and link midfield with attack. It was a tough game to find space, with the Basque side harassing and stopping time on the ball at every opportunity, but in the first half particularly, Rafinha was a good influence on his team.
He did fade somewhat after the break and was subbed late on, but it was still an encouraging display in what was a mixed team performance.
17. Antoine Griezmann, ATM
4 of 20
With Carlos Bacca having departed the Liga scene, Antoine Griezmann will be one of the few forwards in the running to be third-highest scorer in Spain's top flight this season—after, of course, Leo Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
He started in a good way. A deflected free-kick was the difference as Atletico Madrid beat Las Palmas, 1-0, with Griezmann showing plenty of good touches and inventive movement throughout his time on the pitch.
Playing mostly as a forward in a two-man attack, he linked particularly well with Oliver Torres and later Angel Correa before moving right in a three-man front line and being subbed late on.
16. Inigo Martinez, RSO
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Inigo Martinez was one of several central defenders to shine on the opening day—probably not a surprise, given the lack of goals around La Liga!
The Real Sociedad man was very strong in the challenge and quick to nip in and make interceptions as soon as the ball came anywhere near the edge of his team's penalty box, while he was also alert to clear knock-downs and loose second balls.
On the evidence of the opening weekend, La Real have a very strong partnership in place—more on that later.
15. Victor Ruiz, VIL
6 of 20
Another centre-back now, one who just missed out on a Team of the Week spot.
Villarreal almost saw out a 1-0 win away from home on the opening day, denied only by an errant offside decision for the late equaliser which went the way of Real Betis. Up until that point, they had defended manfully against the newly promoted side, which had the majority of possession and attacked in waves.
Victor Ruiz stood tall and repelled everything, on the ground and in the air, and passed out of defence largely well until the latter stages of the game. It was a good start to the season for him and an opportunity to establish himself as first-choice with Mateo Musacchio out injured.
14. Markel Bergara, RSO
7 of 20
Another Real Sociedad player now, and one who stood out in and out of possession.
Markel Bergara got the nod to start in central midfield, though La Real have plenty of options in that area of the pitch. He was excellent in a protective capacity for his team, closing down the likes of Cani, who threatened to find a way through La Real's back line, and also instigated attacks with direct, incisive passes to the wide men.
With Asier Illarramendi on the verge of a move back to Anoeta, according to Goal.com, an Illarra-Bergara midfield pivot looks an exciting and balanced pairing to take La Real another step toward the top half of the table this term.
13. Ivan Cuellar, SPO
8 of 20
Sporting Gijon's goalkeeper Ivan Cuellar made our TOTW thanks to a string of second-half saves which kept Cristiano Ronaldo and Co. at bay.
Sporting took the 0-0 draw against Real Madrid, an unexpected point to add to their tally as they look to survive a first season back in La Liga.
Cuellar's reactions and reflexes were largely to thank for his clean sheet, though he also came out to close down a couple of one-on-one chances, too.
12. Thomas Vermaelen, FCB
9 of 20
Thomas Vermaelen enjoyed a rare start at centre-back to begin the season, having suffered horrendously from injuries last season and even before joining Barcelona.
He made a good start to 2015-16, too, helping keep a clean sheet at San Mames to earn a 1-0 win over Athletic Bilbao. The Belgian defender was pivotal in his side's ability to consistently see off Aritz Aduriz and stop the supply line to him, particularly after the striker had just scored four in two games against the Catalan club to win the Supercopa.
Vermaelen was strong, quick across the ground and played out of the back line very well.
11. Juanfran, ATM
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Atletico Madrid right-back Juanfran had an excellent game, playing with real invention and drive down the flank as his side dominated in the 1-0 win over Las Palmas.
Juanfran is always a steady performer and a reliable defender, but this match showed the lesser-seen side of his game as he pushed forward with regularity, overlapped and combined with Oliver Torres ahead of him and delivered into the area more than once.
The first half saw Atleti attack almost exclusively down the right, and Juanfran ensured those attacks didn't go to waste.
10. Oliver Torres, ATM
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Ahead of Juanfran was team-mate Oliver Torres, with the attacking midfielder having a base position on the right of four across the middle—but having total freedom to come infield, roam to create an overload on the left and basically go wherever he could find space to create.
His time on the pitch saw him display his superb first touch and tight turning circle, beating players one-on-one and threading passes for the front men to play off.
Several times he was the one to open Las Palmas' packed five-man defence with quick give-and-go moves. He showed he's ready to play a big part for Atleti this term.
9. Carlos Vela, RSO
12 of 20
Not too many forwards made a huge impact on the opening day of the season, but Carlos Vela certainly impressed for Real Sociedad.
The Mexican linked very well with new strike partner Jonathas, created a number of shooting chances for himself and his team-mates and worked hard off the ball to deny Depor an easy way out of their own half.
He was the best attacker on the pitch for much of the game before his late substitution, and the signs are there for La Real to have a good season.
8. Fabian Orellana, CEL
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Celta Vigo's Fabian Orellana was the big difference in an opening-day win over Levante, scoring one and assisting the other in a 2-1 victory.
Orellana ran from the right side infield at every opportunity, following up attacks and leading counters with his pace and direct running. His goal, a neat finish after a good move down the left, showed his ability to contribute inside the penalty area; Celta will need that this term after heavy losses on the established attacking line over the summer.
Late on, he set up the winner with a clever run and cut-back from the right.
7. Tomas Pina, VIL
14 of 20
Tomas Pina showed his usual industry and ball-winning ability in the centre of the park for Villarreal, but also a different side to his game, as he rampaged forward into space from deep to set his team moving further upfield.
He broke forward a number of times in the first half to create problems for Real Betis in defending both a wide threat and a late run through the middle, while also playing a few intelligent forward passes into the edge of the box for the forwards.
Later in the game, as Betis threatened and eventually equalised, Pina was important in protecting his back line and was a calm head in possession.
6. Filipe Luis, ATM
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While Juanfran raided down the right in the first half for Atletico, the second half was the Filipe Luis show.
Back from Chelsea after a disappointing year away, the Brazilian left-back slotted straight back into the side to dominate defensively and provide a great outlet down his flank on the attack.
Strong in the challenge, quick to link and break into the area, fantastic control on the ball—Filipe's old traits at Atleti look back in force already.
5. Alberto Lopo, DEP
16 of 20
Carlos Vela impressed but couldn't break through Deportivo's back line—and along with our No. 20-rated German Lux, Alberto Lopo was the main reason why.
The veteran centre-back was constantly alert to balls into the box, making a large number of interventions to prevent Jonathas and Vela having a free run on many occasions—particularly in the first half, when his partner at the back, Sidnei, consistently suffered meltdowns when trying to deal with danger.
Lopo also got himself in the way of a couple of goal-bound shots to preserve his team's clean sheet.
4. Roberto Soldado, VIL
17 of 20
Roberto Soldado, welcome back to La Liga.
Formerly one of Spain's top strikers—in terms of the league and the national team—Soldado endured a horrendous two years with Tottenham in the Premier League and almost has to begin from scratch back in Spain.
He made the best of starts to the new phase of his career, though, scoring just half an hour into his Villarreal debut and putting in a very good all-round performance to lead the attack in the 1-1 draw.
3. Luka Modric, RMA
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The only Real Madrid player to feature in our early rankings, Luka Modric ran the game from start to finish in the 0-0 draw with Sporting Gijon and had the keys to unlock their defence—but his own side simply couldn't finish off a chance.
With lots of movement in the Real attack, Modric thrived with his propensity to find space in the attacking half, drive forward and pick a pass. Positional rotation from the front players was good—only the finishing wasn't. Modric, though, made use of that rotation by unerringly looking for the runs infield and fooling defenders with his own execution.
He was a buzzing, non-stop menace, and Sporting couldn't lock him down at all.
2. Sergi Roberto, FCB
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Sergi Roberto started off as sub for Barcelona's opening game but soon came on for the injured Dani Alves at right-back and absolutely shone for his team in what is very much a secondary role for him.
The youngster showed impressive acceleration and pace with his runs down the flank, linked very well with those infield of him and dug out some clever crosses from the byline—all without neglecting his defensive duties.
With Alves likely to be out for a month, it looks like Sergi Roberto will get plenty of game time in the position in the coming weeks.
1. Diego Reyes, RSO
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Top of the pops for the opening day is a centre-back—no surprise—and a debutant: Real Sociedad's Diego Reyes.
The Mexican 22-year-old was immediately comfortable in his pairing with Inigo Martinez, as they complemented each other in style and position. They dealt comfortably with Depor's attack, which was largely played out in front of them, but Reyes also added his class on the ball to his aggressive work in protecting Geronimo Rulli in goal.
There's a long way to go, but Reyes was our top Liga performer this weekend—which can only be a good thing, as La Real look to re-establish themselves in the top half of La Liga.
