La Liga Team of the Week: Neymar Scores Four and Marco Asensio Assists Three
La Liga returned after the international break, and the big sides got straight back into their stride, with Real Madrid, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid all picking up wins.
Our team of the week features individuals from all three of Spain's top guns, but also an array of other impressive performers from the rest of the league.
As ever, our selection process means we analyse every game to pick out a star XI from the weekend's fixtures, choosing the best players to form a viable formation.
On this occasion, we have gone for a 4-4-2 not too dissimilar to Atletico's, though perhaps with more emphasis on attack in the centre of the park than Diego Simeone's side displayed on Sunday.
Only the best players in each position from this weekend's action make the cut, leading, as always, to several tough decisions along the way.
In addition to individual form, we take into account such factors as opposition quality and overall contribution to the team's display.
GK: Jaume Domenech, VAL
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Not even Valencia's third-choice goalkeeper at the start of the season, Jaume Domenech has made the most of his opportunity after impressing Nuno in training following injuries to Diego Alves and Mat Ryan.
Domenech continued in goal at the weekend against Malaga and came up with a few routine saves—and then, critically, also a penalty save while the scoreline read only 1-0 to keep his team in front. The Spaniard celebrated his heroics, as well he might, and his team went on to record a 3-0 victory.
The 24-year-old has now played eight times for the first team, keeping five clean sheets.
RB: Juanfran, ATM
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Atletico Madrid spent most of the second half defending deep against Real Sociedad, protecting the wide areas as La Real unimaginatively and repetitively tried to attack by crossing toward their striker.
Juanfran was predictably excellent at repelling that method of advancement, seeing off Sergio Canales and David Zurutuza with regularity and also, in the first half, doing well to support play going forward—though that was very much a secondary aim of his in this particular match.
The Spanish first-choice right-back has been extremely consistent this season, and he barely put a foot wrong in this game again.
CB: Josema Gimenez, ATM
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Alongside Juanfran, Josema Gimenez was repeatedly in place to repel the aerial balls which came into the box, helping Atletico Madrid keep a clean sheet with a combination of consistent clearances and brave blocks.
The 20-year-old and Diego Godin were an impenetrable barrier to Jan Oblak's goal, and despite lots of Real Sociedad possession, the home side rarely looked like being able to breach the Uruguayan back line.
Gimenez defended with his usual aggression and full-blooded tenacity and was at the centre of attention late on as that style saw him throw his prone body at a loose ball in the penalty area, with Jonathas tumbling to ground and claiming a penalty as a result.
It wasn't given, Atleti countered and scored, and Gimenez played a huge role in the win.
CB: Victor Ruiz, VIL
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The table-topping clash of the weekend saw Celta Vigo overcome Villarreal 2-1 on the road, but the home side's centre-back Victor Ruiz can count himself extremely unfortunate to have been beaten.
The 26-year-old was excellent throughout, making a number of tackles and interventions to stop Celta's one-touch attack making ground in toward the penalty area, particularly in the second half after Villarreal went down to 10 men and Ruiz lost his defensive partner, Eric Bailly.
Ruiz also surged forward into midfield and even attack, dribbling 40 or 50 yards on numerous occasions, as he tried to push his team out of containment mode. He was tremendous throughout and there was little he could do about either goal.
LB: Marcelo, RMA
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Real Madrid were looking a little flat and predictable going forward against Levante until captain Marcelo intervened, winning the ball and powering infield, swapping passes and smashing in the opening goal in one decisive action.
Quite aside from his goal, he showed good solidity defensively, covering the centre-backs more than once and guarding against Levante's counter-attacks with their wing-backs, while always remaining a support option going forward.
The 27-year-old hasn't always shown this sort of aggressively impassioned performance this season, but this was a good game from Marcelo.
CM: Sergi Roberto, FCB
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Another game, another round of praise for Sergi Roberto.
The right-back/central midfielder played in the latter role against Rayo Vallecano and dominated proceedings, making great use of the wide open spaces between the opposition back line to play a series of through passes for the front three to make use of.
The 23-year-old was combative off the ball, helped to protect the defence and was a good option to always receive play and switch the direction of the attack during more sustained build-up.
Sergi has been, perhaps, Barcelona's most consistent player this season.
CM: Marco Asensio, ESP
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Espanyol's three-man central midfield at Real Betis saw them work very hard to force the home side out wide, but then overload and strike on the counter through the middle once the ball was won.
Inevitably, Marco Asensio—on loan from Real Madrid—was adept at making use of that extra space, whether with one-touch passes or quick dribbles to commit defenders and create room for others.
The 19-year-old attacking midfielder was hugely decisive in the match, assisting every goal for his team in the 3-1 win.
A free-kick delivery led to the first goal, before his vision and passing execution came into play for the latter two: A counter-attack where he dragged defenders out of position before squaring, and some neat footwork inside the box before a composed cut-back for the goal.
RW: Lucas Vazquez, RMA
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Lucas Vazquez didn't start the match on the pitch for Real Madrid, but after being introduced at half-time for Gareth Bale, he injected pace, direct running and a much greater tempo to Real's attacking play.
Starting on the left and later switching to the right when Jese entered the pitch, Vazquez, 24, was quick to showcase his dribbling, his willingness to get short-range crosses into the box and also an appreciation for the odd long-range rocket of a shot.
Vazquez set up Jese's late third goal, but it was just his impact on the game and the difference he made to the team's approach which really gets him this spot in our team.
LW: Neymar, FCB
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The undoubted headline-maker of the weekend and our player of the team this time out, Neymar used all his skilful footwork, composure and pace to repeatedly harm the Rayo defence, scoring four and assisting one in the 5-2 victory.
Two penalties—one in each corner, both sending the goalkeeper the wrong way—netted were a welcome change to seeing Barcelona spurn such opportunities, but of more interest was Neymar winning them through his magical dribbling, change of direction...and no shortage of stupidity from the defenders tackling him.
In truth, Barcelona should have had four penalties in the game as Rayo failed to learn from their mistakes.
Neymar then scored twice in a minute to wrap up the win, reacting quickest to a rebound to fire high into the net and then keeping pace with Luis Suarez to be presented with an easy tap-in. Late in the game, Neymar crossed for the fifth and final goal...
CF: Luis Suarez, FCB
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...which was scored by Suarez himself.
The Uruguayan forward was a frustrated figure at times in the match as he was continually flagged offside, some correctly, some not, but mostly he was just a waspish, omnipresent threat to the erratic Rayo defence as he split the back four with his curved runs and closing down of the ball.
Suarez, 28, was unselfish more than once and could probably have netted a hat-trick himself, but his fine run and finish for the last goal was just reward nonetheless.
CF: Antoine Griezmann, ATM
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Antoine Griezmann completes our lineup, with the former Real Sociedad man scoring the finest goal in La Liga this weekend to send Atletico Madrid to victory.
The French forward, 24, scored the first in the 2-0 win with a sublime showing of acceleration and composure, while his all-round game for the rest of the first half showcased a fine first touch, good link play and some creative work in deeper areas as he linked with Koke.
The second half was more about Griezmann's work rate and ability to help the defence as an outlet, but he did that extremely well, too—both using his pace in pulling wide and his dribbling to hold on to the ball and let his team move upfield.
An ovation from both sets of fans as he was subbed late on told the story of his performance.
