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Luis Suarez, Martin Odegaard and La Liga Team of the Week After Matchday 18
December 23, 2019
Barcelona re-opened a two-point cushion at the top of La Liga after beating Alaves 4-1 at home in Week 18, when Luis Suarez dazzled with three assists and a goal in a hugely valuable win.
Real Madrid fell off the pace after drawing at home to Athletic Bilbao, who succeeded in barricading their goal enough to keep out the likes of Karim Benzema and Luka Jovic for 90 minutes.
Sevilla maintained third place after they beat Mallorca 2-0 away from home, and Ever Banega impressed with two directo goal involvements on the road.
Martin Odegaard had another talismanic performance when Real Sociedad also triumphed away from home, edging Osasuna 4-3 largely thanks to another mesmerising display from the Norwegian.
All statistics courtesy of WhoScored.com.
Week 18 Results
Eibar 3-0 Granada
Mallorca 0-2 Sevilla
Barcelona 4-1 Alaves
Villarreal 1-0 Getafe
Real Valladolid 1-1 Valencia
Leganes 2-0 Espanyol
Osasuna 3-4 Real Sociedad
Real Betis 1-2 Atletico Madrid
Levante 3-1 Celta Vigo
Real Madrid 0-0 Athletic Bilbao
Goalkeeper: Unai Simon
Athletic's 0-0 stalemate away to Real on Sunday saw Los Leones go a third straight league game without a win, but the visitors were content with their share of the spoils following Unai Simon's eight saves in Madrid:
Right-Back: Kieran Trippier, Atletico Madrid
Kieran Trippier's Atletico Madrid resurgence continued with an impressive showing at Real Betis, where the visitors would have also kept a clean sheet were it not for Marc Bartra's injury-time consolation.
The Englishman recorded five tackles, completed two dribbles, and Hector Herrera (90 percent) was the only Atletico starter to beat his pass completion (89 percent).
Left-Back: Cote, Eibar
Eibar ended a run of five league games without a win when they beat Granada 3-0 on Friday, when Cote had his usually prominent involvement down their left flank. The 30-year-old took 68 touches (more than any other player on the field), completed three dribbles and won three aerial duels.
Centre-Back: Inigo Martinez, Athletic Bilbao
Try as they might, Los Blancos failed to break down Athletic's lines at the Santiago Bernabeu on Sunday, and Inigo Martinez was to thank for much of that. The Basque defender led the match with six tackles (no other player had more than four) and won two aerial duels.
Centre-Back: Diego Carlos, Sevilla
Diego Carlos scored his second goal in four league games for Sevilla and kept a clean sheet in their triumph over Mallorca, with the Brazilian maintaining his success following a summer move from Nantes.
Central Midfield: Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa, Villarreal
Villarreal's summer punt on Fulham flop Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa continues to pay dividends after he enjoyed another crucial display in Villarreal's narrow 1-0 win over in-form Getafe. No player won more aerial duels than the loanee midfielder (eight), who also recorded a joint-match-high of three tackles and three successful dribbles.
Central Midfield: Ever Banega, Sevilla
Banega illustrated his mastery from dead-ball scenarios when Sevilla edged Mallorca on Saturday, crossing for Carlos' opener before sealing the result with a second-half penalty. The Argentinian also topped the match charts in passing completion (88 percent) and touches taken (88).
Right Midfield: Martin Odegaard, Real Sociedad
Not for the first time this season, Odegaard scored and assisted to play a critical role in a Real Sociedad win, having two direct involvements to help his side lead 3-0 at Osasuna:
The 10-man hosts came back into the clash to make for a more dramatic ending, but Odegaard's ingenious influence was again clear for La Real.
Left Midfield: Chimy Avila, Osasuna
Chimy Avila came out on the losing side in Pamplona, but Osasuna's left-sided star nevertheless earns a Team-of-the-Week following his brace for the hosts, bringing his tally up to five goals in his last five games, via Premier Sports (UK only):
Striker: Luis Suarez, Barcelona
It's hardly unfeasible for Suarez to have four direct goal involvements in most Barcelona matches, but it's less expected for three of those to be assists:
The Uruguayan set up all three of the Blaugrana's goal to go 3-1 ahead before finally joining the score sheet himself thanks to a late penalty.
Striker: Roger Marti, Levante
Roger Marti came off to a standing ovation when Levante beat Celta Vigo 3-1 on Sunday, having scored twice to help turn around the result after Iago Aspas' breakthrough at the Ciutat de Valencia.