La Liga Player Rankings: Antoine Griezmann Up, New Barcelona Star Included
Jornada 13 in La Liga was another weekend of intense action, with no real surprise results but plenty of top-class performances on both a team and individual level.
Those players performing consistently well in Spain's top flight make up the bulk of our player rankings, which have been updated once again to reflect the latest matches.
The rankings are based on players' last six games and are 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. In other words, don't be looking for Lionel Messi in our top 20 just yet, after just one start in La Liga post-injury!
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 the entire 90-minute period.
Mentions
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Three changes again this week: Rene Krhin (Granada) remained sidelined by injury and drops out of our 20 for the first time since the season and our rankings reasonably started to take shape.
Inaki Williams (Athletic) is out after failing to keep his dynamic form going, and Tiago (Atletico) is out after a broken leg saw him subbed during the game at the weekend—he's out until March.
On the verge
Andres Iniesta, FCB: Three starts, three fantastic performances since his return from injury.
Lucas Perez, DEP: A goal in each of his last four Liga appearances
On the watchlist
Borja Baston, EIB
Marco Asensio, ESP
Gerard Pique, FCB
Timothee Kolodziejczak, SEV
20. Yevhen Konoplyanka, SEV
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New entry
It's inexplicable that Unai Emery has still tried to forge a Sevilla team, even in recent weeks, without Yevhen Konoplyanka in it—but his performance against Valencia once again showed why he has to be a key pillar of their attack if they are to mount a top-four challenge.
The Ukrainian was once effective and exciting, beating players on the outside and finding passes or crosses into the box that created panic in the Valencia defence.
Performance-wise he has been right on the money, his end product is good and his consistency impressive—the only reason he's not higher in the charts, or in it for longer, is that being taken out of the team every couple of weeks means he can't score more highly in our rolling six-week system.
19. Jan Oblak, ATM
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Up 1
Atletico Madrid goalkeeper Jan Oblak had one of his quietest matches of the season during Jornada 13 as Atleti won 1-0 against Espanyol.
The Slovenian claimed some high crosses and set pieces with authority, especially near the end of the game, and his distribution was good—but the away side failed to even get one shot on target, so he wasn't exactly overworked.
Oblak is La Liga's best goalkeeper this season in terms of his goal-conceded ratio.
18. Mario Gaspar, VIL
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Down 2
On Sunday, Villarreal's defence was disjointed, the midfield lacked creativity and the forward line was almost non-existent—culminating in a very poor defeat at Getafe by a 2-0 scoreline.
Mario, one of La Liga's best full-backs this season, was subbed just after the second goal went in, and he had very little attacking say on the game; defensively, he was reasonably strong, but this was far from his best.
17. Victor Ruiz, VIL
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Down 2
The same goes for Victor Ruiz, who lined up in the centre of the back line that Mario was on the right side of.
Ruiz has been a standout, but neither he nor partner Eric Bailly were authoritative against Getafe, not really taking charge or winning duels against Getafe's two-man attacking line, and Ruiz was also lax in his passing out of defence.
The defence needs to bounce back quickly for Villarreal.
16. Claudio Bravo, FCB
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New entry
Bouncing into our top 20 for the first time this season is Barcelona's Claudio Bravo, who has now kept four clean sheets in a row in La Liga following the 4-0 success over Real Sociedad.
Bravo was called upon several times to thwart counter-attacks or close-range finishes, notably from Bruma late on in the game, and the Chilean managed to preserve another shut-out.
Barcelona's goalkeeper continues to show agility and reflexes to match any of those in world football, while his distribution and sky-high confidence are both beyond reproach.
15. Mariano, SEV
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New entry
Mariano has started four out of the last five for Sevilla ahead of regular captain and starter Coke, with noticeable results.
The uncapped Brazilian right-back has been tremendous, attacking with great verve and tenacity down the flank, linking well with those in the midfield line ahead of him and delivering some telling balls into the box.
At the other end, he is aggressive in his defensive work, recovers position quickly and is in the side very much on merit.
Against Valencia, he put in a typical performance, dominating the flank and giving his team an overload in key areas once Los Che went down to 10 (and later nine) men.
14. Augusto Fernandez, CEL
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Up 4
Celta Vigo's midfield enforcer Augusto Fernandez bounces back up this week after a big display against Sporting Gijon, where Celta won 2-1.
Argentinian midfielder Fernandez was a real dominant presence in midfield, repeatedly winning back the ball as Sporting looked to counter and keeping his side pressed high and on the front foot, while also protecting the defence late on when either side could have won it.
Fernandez was hugely involved in Celta's build-up play and dominance in open play throughout much of the game.
13. Yannick Carrasco, ATM
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Up 1
Only a slight rise for Yannick Carrasco this week, with the Atletico Madrid winger taking a substitute place to start with but entering after just over half an hour of play.
Carrasco came on for the injured Tiago when the Portuguese midfielder broke his leg in a challenge, with Koke shifting infield and Carrasco himself on the wing.
The Belgian was as fast-paced and tricky as ever, creating plenty of shooting chances for his team-mates that were spurned. But he also missed a few opportunities to score himself and perhaps made the wrong decision a few times when the match could have been wrapped up.
12. Keylor Navas, RMA
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Down 2
Keylor Navas kept a clean sheet at Ipurua as Real Madrid beat Eibar 2-0, but it wasn't a game where the Costa Rican had to worry too much about a constant stream of shots toward his goal.
Real were compact, looked to counter and were far more solid than in their previous two games—meaning Navas didn't have too much to deal with other than a couple of routine saves, a few high balls and his distribution.
A downward fall is more indicative of those who played well and moved up the charts, rather than any shortcoming on Navas' part.
11. Juanfran, ATM
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Down 3
Atletico Madrid right-back Juanfran was back in the team for the win over Espanyol, but he had minimal impact on the 1-0 win.
A few forays forward didn't lead to too much other than a speculative shot of his own, with the delivery from the right side coming mainly from the midfielders rather than the defender.
At the back, Juanfran didn't have too much to worry about. He was solid and unspectacular, which is perfectly fine for a defender.
Nothing of a note to report from Juanfran, and he falls accordingly.
10. Raphael Varane, RMA
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Down 3
Raphael Varane was injured and missed Real's win at Eibar.
9. Sergi Roberto, FCB
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Down 6
Sergi Roberto was also injured and missed Barcelona's win over Real Sociedad.
His greater fall reflects the rolling six-game scenario, as he has now missed two of the last five Liga games and was higher ranked, where competition for places has been fierce.
8. Diego Godin, ATM
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Up 5
Atleti's grizzled centre-back Diego Godin was imperious and near unbeatable as he dominated in both penalty boxes against Espanyol.
The Uruguayan went close to scoring as he headed a set piece against the post, while he also had another effort fly just wide not long after.
Defensively, he was a total rock, mopping up counter-attacks and clearing set pieces alike. He showed why many regard him as the world's best pure defensive centre-back.
7. Aritz Aduriz, ATH
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Up 4
Athletic Club striker Aritz Aduriz netted a hat-trick to give his team three goals and three points against Rayo Vallecano, moving himself to 20 for the season all told.
Half of those goals have come in La Liga—where he is the third-highest scorer now—and it was a perfect treble against Rayo as he struck with his left foot, right foot and a header in the first hour of the game.
Manager Ernesto Valverde was effusive in his praise of Aduriz after the game, per FourFourTwo: "We have to hope that Barcelona don't sign Aduriz, as he represents the culmination of the way we play, or at least the way we aim for. We are very fortunate to have him in the team. For every year that passes he gets better. He has great belief in his ability, provides a fantastic outlet and is a treasure for us."
6. Luka Modric, RMA
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Up 3
Luka Modric returned to form in Real Madrid's 2-0 win over Eibar.
The Croatian took a leading role in midfield with his ability to move possession on intelligently and make himself available for a pass again afterward, always being the player who kept Eibar chasing and his own team looking forward.
His involvement in the game was reflected in his assist for the opening goal, while he was also repeatedly fouled by the home players in an attempt to stop him dictating the flow of the match.
5. Nolito, CEL
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Down 1
Celta's Nolito scored the telling goal as they beat Sporting 2-1 at home, but even if there was an element of fortune about the late winner—the goalkeeper's clearance clattered into Nolito and straight into the net—it still showcased some of his best attributes: intelligent movement, hard work to make space and a willingness to challenge for every ball.
And, perhaps, an important split-second awareness to shape himself well so that the ball rebounded the right way...although that may be taking things a step too far for this particular goal!
In any case, Nolito was as inventive and full of endeavour as always and had already hit the woodwork before scoring. He drops, but again due to others being better rather than himself playing poorly.
4. Antoine Griezmann, ATM
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Up 2
Antoine Griezmann scored a very early winner for Atleti, notching in the third minute at home to Espanyol to hit his sixth Liga goal of the season—10th in all competitions—with a clever flick into the far corner.
Thereafter, the French forward could have scored or set up further strikes but for some profligate finishing, but his movement and ability to beat defenders was on show, and he was a real danger when cutting inside as Atleti went to a 4-3-3 after the break.
Griezmann looks to be getting back toward his top level in recent weeks, and a more consistent run of scoring has been a welcome part of that.
3. Sergio Busquets, FCB
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Up 2
All the podium places are once more filled with Barcelona players, but third spot has seen Sergio Busquets usurp midfield team-mate Sergi Roberto this week.
Busquets is omnipresent in the lineup and in everything Barcelona do, protecting the defence but also setting the platform for the unstoppable attack to flourish with his clever passes through the opposition midfield and quick releasing of the ball at the right times.
Against Real Sociedad, he was one of the best on the field. With Busquets, Andres Iniesta and the front three all in tremendous form, there are few teams who can stop Barcelona.
2. Luis Suarez, FCB
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No change
No movement for Luis Suarez in our rankings, which is the polar opposite to his actual on-pitch performance.
The Uruguayan was irrepressible once more against La Real, scoring a spectacular volley for Barcelona's second goal in the 4-0 win and generally being his fiendish self throughout, working hard to close down the defence and linking superbly with the other two in attack.
Suarez worked the channels, was a menace inside the penalty box and now has 12 goals in La Liga this season.
1. Neymar, FCB
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No change
Predictably, no change at the top, either. Neymar was a step up even from Suarez again on Saturday, terrorising Real Sociedad with a succession of dribbles, sprints, instances of close control and selfless passes inside the box.
He ended the match with a hand in three of the four Barcelona goals, scoring two and assisting Lionel Messi right at the end, and he was a clear standout for the best player on the pitch.
Neymar remains our top-ranked player in La Liga and doesn't look as though he's going anywhere any time soon.
