La Liga Player Rankings: Messi Down, Ronaldo out and Lack of Stars in New Top 10
Welcome back to our latest player rankings for La Liga, where we have two game weeks to take into account: Jornada 5 from midweek last week, and Jornada 6 from the weekend just passed.
The rankings are based on players' last six games, continually updated throughout the season, with slightly more emphasis placed on their most recent outing.
Only La Liga performances are counted and, typically, one-week wonders do not find their way in—instead, search our team of the week for the top performers over a single weekend.
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.
Lionel Messi's injury means he will miss the next six to eight weeks, and, with our form guide running on a six-week cycle, he will drop out of our rankings soon. However, the Barcelona star has enough credit stored to stay in for this week.
Read on to find his spot in the 20 and see who is on an upward trend to fill the highest spots.
Mentions
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We have five new faces coming in this week after the double-header of Jornadas had a big impact on our top 20.
Those who drop out are a combination of injured or absent stars, players who were dropped or rested and more than one underperformer.
Cristiano Ronaldo of Real Madrid tops the list, while team mate Gareth Bale also drops out. For Barcelona, Andres Iniesta was rested for one game and overrun for the other—and is now injured for good measure. He's out of the 20 for the foreseeable future.
Villarreal forward Roberto Soldado is out after his good start to the season slowed up, while Atletico Madrid's Gabi has put in too many uneven performances of late. He's the fifth departure.
Five new faces are therefore included, while the following remain on the fringes of our thinking:
Daniel Wass, CEL
Diego Godin, ATM
Nahuel, VIL
Luis Suarez, FCB
Joaquin, BET
Aymeric Laporte, ATH
Fernando Torres, ATM
Sidnei, DEP
Jaume Costa, VIL
Carlos Kameni, MGA
Imanol Agirretxe, RSO
20. Bruno Soriano, VIL
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New entrant
Jornada 5: Villarreal rotated their midfield around for the midweek game, but Bruno Soriano (and partner Manu Trigueros) both came off the bench around the hour mark. He impressed with his control and energy as his team ran out 1-0 winners over Malaga.
Jornada 6: Trigueros and Bruno were back in the XI and totally dominated Atletico Madrid in the first half.
Bruno outplayed, out-ran and out-thought Gabi, and he's a direct replacement in our 20 for Atleti's captain. The second half was more reserved, but the 31-year-old was just as impressive.
Next: Villarreal are away to Levante on Sunday and Bruno will presumably feature there rather than in Thursday's home match in the Europa League against Viktoria Plzen.
19. Karim Benzema, RMA
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New entrant
J5: Karim Benzema was the man in the right place at the right time, as he struck twice to send Real Madrid to a 2-1 win away to Athletic Bilbao.
In a tight game, Benzema's finishing and off-the-ball movement proved the difference, with his critical second goal coming seconds after Athletic's equaliser.
J6: Along with his team-mates, Benzema was thwarted time after time by Malaga's stubborn defence and their goalkeeper, who made save after save. Real dominated the match, but the Frenchman couldn't find a way through.
Next: Benzema could be rested in the Champions League, away to Malmo. After that, it's the Madrid derby at the Vicente Calderon.
18. Augusto Fernandez, CEL
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New entrant
J5: Augusto Fernandez was one of several immense Celta Vigo players as they overcame Barcelona by a huge 4-1 scoreline.
His work rate in the centre to win back the ball quickly and distribute it to those in open spaces was nothing short of magnificent. He won't get the headlines for the game, but he was imperative to the tactics.
J6: More of a battle for Fernandez here, as Celta had to grind out a 1-1 draw at Eibar. He remained pivotal to the game plan though, stopping the home team attacking through the middle.
Next: Home to Getafe on Friday night. Augusto will be right in the heart of Celta's midfield again.
17. Eric Bailly, VIL
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New entrant
J5: Eric Bailly has been tremendous of late, with back-to-back performances to keep clean sheets, thanks to his great acceleration, improving maturity and aerial prowess—all three were in evidence in the 1-0 win at Malaga.
J6: Against Atletico Madrid, Bailly completely shut down Antoine Griezmann in the first half, a quite special achievement. Whether running the forwards off the ball or putting in late challenges, he was instrumental in the 1-0 win.
Next: Will likely play against both Plzen and Levante this week. Bailly has performed well alongside a variety of partners in defence this season.
16. Raphael Varane, RMA
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New entrant
J5: Like Bailly, Raphael Varane has been the mainstay while his centre-back partner changes around him. Against Athletic he was next to Pepe and was again a far-better performer, winning ground and aerial duels as well as bringing the ball out of defence with genuine class.
J6: The match against Malaga was a quieter one for the Real defence, which this time included Nacho next to Varane, who has now partnered all three of the team's other centre-backs this season. Still, he defended well against the counter-attack and recorded another clean sheet.
Next: Varane will presumably play in both the Champions League and Liga matches against Malmo and Atletico Madrid respectively, because he's fit and available. The game at the Calderon will be a huge test of his consistency.
15. Fabian Orellana, CEL
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Change: -7
J5: Fabian Orellana was excellent, as were most of Celta's attackers, in the 4-1 win over Barcelona. A lightning-fast out-ball option, he blazed a trail down the right flank which the Catalan side couldn't, or wouldn't, track.
J6: Against Eibar, however, it was a poor, poor performance from Orellana who just didn't get involved in the game at all. A much-better work rate was required in this game; It's not all about counters, sprints and penalty-box choices every week, and Orellana didn't want to do the other side of the game here.
Next: Home to Getafe on Friday where he'll likely be in the team.
14. Lionel Messi, FCB
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Change: -3
J5: Messi was Barcelona's most-dangerous performer in the 4-1 loss to Celta, which is why he's still in our 20. He was unlucky not to score once or twice and certainly gave the opposition defence problems, but it was nowhere near enough in the end.
J6: Ten minutes into the match against Las Palmas, Messi was off, injured. A knee-ligament problem and eight weeks on the sidelines beckons.
Next: Rehab and recovery.
13. Keylor Navas, RMA
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Change: +3
J5: Keylor Navas was breached for the first time this season at San Mames, but he made several other saves to ensure Real Madrid still ran out 2-1 winners. It was a typically strong all-round performance interspersed with the odd acrobatic save.
J6: A quieter match for Navas against Malaga, though he still had a few things to worry about in the first half.
Next: He should remain in place for this week's Champions League and Liga games, as Rafa Benitez has not yet rotated his keepers—though Malmo aren't the strongest so Kiko Casilla could feasibly play that one.
12. Luis Alberto, DEP
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Change: +8
J5: Luis Alberto was an unused sub as Depor beat Real Betis 2-1.
J6: The young Spaniard's excellent start to the season continued as he played a starring role in the 3-0 win over Espanyol, claiming another assist along the way.
His movement in off the flank has caused several problems for teams this year and the 23-year-old's composure on the ball and final pass was in evidence once again.
Next: There's no reason to believe he won't feature at Granada on Saturday, where he will hope to exploit a porous defence.
11. Oliver Torres, ATM
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Change: -6
J5: After an explosive start to the season, Oliver Torres' influence is starting to wane a little for Atletico Madrid—a natural occurrence as he (and others) try to fit into the newly shaped team. Oliver played an hour of the 2-0 win over Getafe and was good, without being a stand-out figure.
J6: Villarreal were a much-tougher team to break down, and Oliver was left frustrated by their work rate, willingness to challenge high upfield and then resolute defence in the second half. He was subbed after around an hour as usual.
Next: It's likely Oliver will start only one of the two upcoming games, against Benfica in the Champions League and Real Madrid in La Liga. Which one he features prominently in might tell us a lot about just how strong Diego Simeone's faith in the player is.
10. Marcos Angeleri, MGA
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Change: +9
J5: The biggest mover from last week's rankings is Marcos Angeleri. It tells you everything you need to know about the team that the starting centre-back from a bottom-three club is in our top 10—they've only conceded three goals this season, yet haven't scored once. Angeleri was impressive against Villarreal, but he can't do it all in every game.
J6: Angeleri, centre-back partner Weligton and goalkeeper Carlos Kameni were the stars as Malaga somehow kept Real Madrid at bay—though the profligacy of the home players was just as big a part. Angeleri made challenge after block after clearance to see his team through, while they played the last 15 minutes with 10 men.
Next: Real Sociedad at home. Both teams have struggled for goals this season—stick a bet on a 0-0 if all four first-choice centre-backs feature.
9. Asier Illarramendi, RSO
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Change: +8
J5: Asier Illarramendi was a stand-out performer in Real Sociedad's 3-0 win over Granada as the Basque side finally managed to claim a victory. Illarra broke up play countless times, was his usual aggressive self throughout and played the full 90 minutes.
J6: The match wasn't pretty, but it suited the attrition-like mindset of Illarra as his team fought out a 0-0 with Athletic Bilbao. One concern is the former Real Madrid man picked up his third yellow card of the season after just five starts—a suspension is looming fast, by the looks of things.
Next: That potential 0-0 against Malaga we spoke about in the previous slide.
8. Rene Krhin, GRA
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Change: +7
J5: Granada are rock bottom with four losses on the spin, but Rene Krhin is a shining light for them to improve as fixtures get a little easier.
Krhin was just as good as Illarramendi in the 0-3 reverse against La Real, but his team-mates certainly weren't up to scratch for the most part. He barely wasted a pass all game and won possession back on numerous occasions.
J6: Against Valencia, Krhin again protected the defence well, was mobile enough to cover the entire width of the pitch and often tried to instigate attacks from deep—it took an unmarked diving header to win the game for Los Che.
Next: A big game at home to Deportivo La Coruna. Granada need to start picking up points.
7. Iago Aspas, CEL
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Change: +7
J5: Iago Aspas ran riot against Barcelona. A year or two ago, that sentence would not have been likely as he struggled at Sevilla and Liverpool; Now back at Celta, he's a focal point for the attack, links play and showed great pace and composure when he scored twice in the 4-1 victory.
J6: Aspas was benched for the Eibar game, rested rather than dropped, but his team needed him as they were a goal down—he came into play at half-time and duly hit the equaliser late on. Four goals this season for Aspas.
Next: Home to Getafe on Friday night. He'll be centre-forward once more.
6. Antoine Griezmann, ATM
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No change
J5: The French forward was key to Atletico's win as he scored a brace—one very early and one very late—to defeat Getafe. His off-the-ball movement, closing down of the defence and link play with the wide midfielders were all important to the cause.
J6: A much more difficult assignment as Griezmann was bested by Eric Bailly in the first half and was then far too deep to affect play inside the penalty box in the second half. Villarreal ran out 1-0 winners over Atletico and Griezmann was among those who couldn't really come up with anything new after the break.
Next: Benfica in the Champions League, Real Madrid in La Liga. Big-game players are required for these fixtures and the No. 7 should start both.
5. Juanfran, ATM
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Change: -3
J5: Juanfran played the match against Getafe at right-back as usual and there were no surprises with his performance. He did his defensive work well, strode forward confidently to support build-up play and was useful and reliable with his distribution.
J6: Presumably with a view to rest him for the upcoming week, Diego Simeone left Juanfran out of the XI against Villarreal and played Jesus Gamez instead.
Next: Benfica in the Champions League, Real Madrid in La Liga. It would be a shock if Juanfran missed either.
4. Sergi Roberto, FCB
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No change
J5: A down and an up for Sergi Roberto since our last rankings, resulting in no movement. He played central midfield against Celta Vigo and was totally overrun, both by work rate and by pace on the counter—not that he was alone in that regard. Roberto was subbed after an hour.
J6: Back at right-back for the Las Palmas match, Roberto was also back to his excellent form from earlier this season. He was instrumental with his runs down the flank, pinning back the Las Palmas wing-back, and claimed an assist in the 2-1 win.
Next: He has already scored for Barcelona in the 2-1 comeback win in midweek over Bayer Leverkusen. Next in La Liga is Sevilla, away.
3. Luka Modric, RMA
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Change: -2
J5: A change of midfield shape was imperative for Real Madrid's success in the 2-1 win over Athletic Bilbao. Luka Modric was one of two on-running central players and he did the job superbly, creating chances and spaces for others and being one of the stand-out performers.
J6: Against Malaga, the same shape was almost prohibitive for Real Madrid as they struggled to break down Malaga. Modric was neat on the ball but not as inventive as the team needed.
Next: Malmo in the Champions League, for which he'll almost certainly be rested ahead of the La Liga trip to Atletico.
2. Diego Reyes, RSO
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Change: +2
J5: Two more clean sheets for Real Sociedad with Diego Reyes at the heart of the defence. Importantly, he's also back beside Inigo Martinez. Against Granada, he was strong in the air and made some big blocks, while also stepping out of defence more than once.
J6: The 0-0 draw with Athletic Bilbao was a game in which the defences were committed and got themselves between the ball and the goal with great frequency. Reyes was the epitome of that and his performances continue to impress.
Next: Away to Malaga where another clean sheet probably beckons. Are we still on the 0-0?
1. Nolito, CEL
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Change: +2
J5: Nolito has risen to the No. 1 spot after his performance in the 4-1 win over Barcelona, where he showed industry and aggression merged with precision and composure. Nolito got it all started with a gorgeous top-corner strike, before setting up two further goals for good measure.
J6: It was tougher going for Nolito against Eibar, but—unlike Fabian Orellana—he put in the hard work and defensive requirements before going looking for the ball to try and make things happen. Celta got the 1-1 draw in the end, while Nolito is the joint-top scorer of La Liga with five goals.
Next: Home vs. Getafe on Friday night.
