MX23RW : Sunday, December 22 17:33:48| >> :60:1042:1042:

Sports Mole's La Liga Team of the Week

Sports Mole picks out the 11 players that impressed during week 10 in La Liga.

Real Madrid moved top of La Liga for the first time this season at the weekend as Barcelona lost 1-0 at home to an impressive Celta Vigo side on Saturday.

There were also wins for Valencia and Atletico Madrid, who now sit second and third respectively, but Sevilla missed the chance to go top after losing at Athletic Bilbao.

Week 10's action started on Friday evening, with Getafe moving into the top half of the table with a 2-1 win over struggling Deportivo La Coruna.

Real Madrid made it seven straight league wins with a thumping 4-0 victory over Granada on Saturday, before Atletico beat winless Cordoba 4-2 at the Calderon.

The next match brought the shock of the weekend, with Barcelona losing 1-0 at home to Celta in a match that saw the hosts hit the woodwork four times. Only an inspired display from Celta stopper Sergio Alvarez prevented the Catalan side from claiming all three points.

The final match on Saturday saw Malaga win 1-0 at Real Sociedad, with that result bringing to an end Jagoba Arrasate's spell as Sociedad boss.

Sevilla missed the chance to top the table after losing 1-0 at Bilbao on Sunday, but Valencia kept pace with the leaders after winning 3-1 at Villarreal.

Levante then moved off the foot of the table with a 2-1 win over Almeria, before Elche edged out of the drop zone with a 2-1 victory over Espanyol.

The action concluded on Monday evening, with Eibar winning 3-2 at Rayo Vallecano to move into the top half of the table.

Here, Sports Mole picks out its 11 star performers following another pulsating round of La Liga action.

Sergio Alvarez (Celta Vigo)
There might never be a better goalkeeping display at the Camp Nou than Alvarez's performance on Saturday. The Spaniard made six or seven top-drawer saves against Barcelona, with his incredible and simply spectacular display helping Celta record a shock 1-0 win over the Catalan outfit.

Shkodran Mustafi (Valencia)
The 22-year-old scored twice as Valencia continued their strong start to the season with a 3-1 win at Villarreal on Sunday. The German international was also strong at the heart of the back four, but any defender that scores twice simply has to make the team of the week.
Weligton (Malaga)
The 35-year-old was brilliant at the heart of the Malaga defence during his side's 1-0 win over Real Sociedad on Saturday. The Basque outfit turned the screw in the latter stages of the match, but the Brazilian proved a tower of strength.
Sergi Gomez (Celta Vigo)
Celta goalkeeper Alvarez was the star of the show at the Camp Nou, but Gomez was also in excellent form against his old club. The centre-back made a host of brilliant clearances as the pressure increased late on, while he was also more than prepared to play from the back when possible.
Marcelo (Real Madrid)
The left-back's performances have been called into question over the last couple of seasons, but the Brazilian is now arguably in the best form of his career. The defender was excellent against Granada on Saturday – rattling the crossbar and giving the opposition nightmares with his pace from a deep position.

Pablo Piatti (Valencia)
It would be fair to say that the 25-year-old has thus far struggled to fulfill his early promise, but there are good signs this season. The Argentine played a star role in Valencia's win at Villarreal on Sunday – registering two assists during what was an all-action midfield display.
James Rodriguez (Real Madrid)
The Colombian took a little bit of time to settle this season, but his performances in recent matches have been superb. The former Monaco attacker showed his class at the weekend as he scored twice in Real Madrid's 4-0 win over Granada. His first was an absolute stunner.
Antoine Griezmann (Atletico Madrid)
Griezmann has recently been challenged by Atletico boss Diego Simeone to reproduce his goal-scoring form from last season and the Frenchman answered that call with two goals against Cordoba. The attacker was involved in everything good about his side's performance in the Spanish capital.

Mikel Arruabarrena (Eibar)
The attacker scored twice on Monday evening as Eibar won 3-2 at Rayo Vallecano in what was an entertaining fixture in the capital. Arruabarrena's first was from the penalty spot, while his second came after 86 minutes, with that strike proving the difference between the two sides.
Karim Benzema (Real Madrid)
The Frenchman continued his excellent recent run of form this weekend as Real Madrid beat Granada 4-0. The former Lyon forward set up his side's first two goals, before grabbing the third with a brilliant finish. Granada just could not live with the attacker's quality.
Cristian Jonathas (Elche)
The 25-year-old, who is currently on loan at Elche from Pescara, scored twice as his side beat Espanyol 2-1 on Sunday. Elche incredibly finished the match with nine men, but the home side held on to record all three points, courtesy of a double from the Brazilian.

ID:186447: cacheID:186447:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:8249:
Written by
Matt Law
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Real Madrid's French forward Karim Benzema looks to Barcelona's goalkeeper Claudio Bravo after scoring during the Spanish league football match Real Madrid CF vs FC Barcelona at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid on October 25, 2014
Read Next:
La Liga Team of the Week
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
6pm
Lions
@
Bears
6pm
Browns
@
Bengals
6pm
Patriots
@
Bills
6pm
Titans
@
Colts
6pm
Giants
@
Falcons
6pm
Rams
@
Jets
6pm
Cardinals
@
Panthers
6pm
Eagles
@
Washington
9.05pm
Vikings
@
Seahawks
9.25pm
49ers
@
Dolphins
9.25pm
Jags
@
Raiders
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Atletico MadridAtletico18125133122141
2Real Madrid18124241182340
3Barcelona19122551222938
4Athletic Bilbao19106329171236
5Mallorca199371921-230
6Villarreal177642928127
7Real Sociedad187471613325
8GironaGirona187472625125
9Osasuna186752327-425
10Celta Vigo187382728-124
11Real BetisBetis176652021-124
12Sevilla186482027-722
13Rayo Vallecano175661920-121
14Las PalmasLas Palmas175482227-519
15Leganes174671523-818
16AlavesAlaves184592130-917
17Getafe183781115-416
18Espanyol1743101629-1315
19Valencia172691626-1012
20Real ValladolidValladolid1833121237-2512


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!