It is shaping up to be another fascinating title race in La Liga, with Real Madrid, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid all enjoying strong starts to the season.
With the winter break now in force, it is Real Madrid that lead the way. Incredibly, Los Blancos are currently on a 22-match winning run in all competitions and there is no question that they have been the standout team in Spain this term.
Valencia, Villarreal, Sevilla and Malaga are also all enjoying strong seasons, with the battle for fourth shaping up to be just as exciting as the title race.
Down at the bottom, it is Granada, Cordoba and Elche that currently sit in the dreaded drop zone, but there is still plenty of time for that to change.
Here, Sports Mole has picked out its La Liga Team of the Season so far and there are plenty of familiar faces in the XI.
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Thibaut Courtois was the outstanding goalkeeper in La Liga last season, but Bravo has been excellent for Barcelona since joining from Real Sociedad in the summer. The Chilean went 775 minutes without conceding in the league earlier this season and has helped Barca secure the best defensive record at this stage of the campaign. There is no question that he is the club's undisputed first-choice stopper ahead of fellow summer signing Marc-Andre ter Stegen.
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It is close between Juanfran and Real Madrid right-back Dani Carvajal, but the Atletico full-back just gets the nod in this team. The Spaniard actually joined Atletico as a right midfielder, but has since developed into one of the best right-backs in world football. A constant menace down the right this season, Juanfran has been sensational at both ends of the field, with the defensive side of his game also much improved.
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It seems strange that Ramos is still criticised in some sections, but his contribution over the last couple of seasons cannot be called into question. The centre-back is arguably in the form of his career and has been key to Real Madrid's sensational run of form this season. The multi-talented defender has popped up with the odd goal and also cut out the errors that used to harm his performances in seasons gone by.
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Those that are keen followers of Spanish football will be searching for the magnet that seems to exist on Godin's head. The centre-back, who has been linked with a move to Manchester United over the last couple of weeks, is a monster at both ends of the field and helped Jose Gimenez's development during regular partner Miranda's time on the sidelines. Comfortable on the ball, Godin's timing and ability to read the game make him the outstanding centre-back in the world.
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Signed from Porto in the summer, Otamendi has been stunning for Valencia this season. Los Che have the second-best defensive record at this stage of the season and much of their success has been down to the Argentine, whose performance levels have been extremely high. The 26-year-old was linked with a number of European clubs over the summer months, but Valencia moved first and are now reaping the rewards.
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The Spaniard is the joint-leading assist provider at this stage of the La Liga season (eight), while he has made 30 chances in total during the 2014-15 campaign. Atletico's incredible success from set pieces this season has been partly down to the delivery from the 22-year-old, who is now the lynchpin of the Atletico midfield. If Atletico are to retain the league title then they will need Koke to continue producing his best form.
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Bruno will not have received too many headlines this season, but there is no doubting his contribution to Villarreal's strong start to the campaign. The 30-year-old's range of passing and intelligence on the field have been key to the Yellow Submarine this term, while his best performances have come against the bigger clubs. It is a surprise that the likes of Barcelona have not come calling, despite his advancing years.
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In truth, it is no surprise that the German has settled so comfortably into the Real Madrid midfield. The central midfielder has the highest pass-completion of any player in La Liga this season and has already provided seven assists – the joint-second best record in the league. Los Blancos' attackers receive most of the headlines due to their goal-scoring exploits, but Kroos's contribution to the team has been of a very high level.
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The 29-year-old netted his 23rd La Liga hat-trick earlier this month and has incredibly netted 25 goals in just 14 league games this season. Ronaldo also leads the assist charts in Spain, with eight at this stage of the campaign. As a team, Real Madrid have been stunning thus far, but Ronaldo has taken his performances to a new level and there is no question that he has been the standout player in the division during the first half of the campaign.
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This might be the only time that Messi and Ronaldo are in the same team, but the Argentine deserves his spot in the XI. Messi has 15 league goals to his name, in addition to seven assists. The attacker's hat-trick in the 5-1 win over Sevilla last month moved him onto 253 league goals – two ahead of the record previously held by Telmo Zarra. At times, Messi has carried what has been a fairly disappointing Barcelona team for periods of the season.
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Chershev is perhaps a surprise name in this XI, but the Russian deserves his spot. The 23-year-old still belongs to Real Madrid, but has thrived during a loan spell at Villarreal this season. As it stands, the attacker has the joint-highest number of assists in the league (eight), while he has also weighed in with a couple of goals. On this occasion, Cheryshev just edges out strong competition from Carlos Bacca (Sevilla) and Karim Benzema (Real Madrid).
Written by
Matt Law
Matt Law
