La Liga Best XI – Week 12

With the latest round of La Liga taking place this past weekend, it is now time to cast our minds back and see which players performed their roles the best for their clubs. There were, as always, some quality games on display – Barcelona losing for only the second time this season at home to Real Betis was something of a shock, while Real Madrid made it two wins on the bounce with their 4-2 win at Celta Vigo. We will be adopting a 4-3-3 this week, so let’s get to it.

GK - Asier Riesgo (Eibar)
In all reality, there were only five clean sheets kept this weekend, and all of those were spread across three games. Riesgo was the cheapest of the goalkeepers to earn seven points, in only his third start of the campaign.

DF - Jonas Ramalho (Girona)
Ramalho was one of a host of defenders to earn themselves five, though they did all come from those same games mentioned previously. At just 2.5m, Ramalho was the least expensive of the bunch as Girona held visitors Leganes to a goalless draw.

DF - Rubén Vezo (Valencia)
Valencia’s start to the season has been awful by their own standards, but Vezo and his colleagues did their job to perfection as they recorded a 1-0 win at Getafe.

DF - Jonathan Silva (Leganes)
Silva played in the 0-0 draw between Girona and Leganes of course, and these five points will be vital to anyone with him in their team. That takes his seasonal tally to six so far.

DF - Antoñito (Real Valladolid)
Antoñito featured during Real Valladolid’s home 0-0 draw with Eibar, and while the game may not necessarily have been the best the hosts have now kept three clean sheets with the 30-year-old in the side (seven appearances so far).

MF - Thomas Partey (Atletico Madrid)
Partey did what was expected of him as Atletico battled to a well-earned 3-2 home win against Athletic Bilbao. He scored one and set another up, offering a vital contribution to his side.

MF – Daniel Parejo (Valencia)
The second Valencia player to feature on this week’s list is Parejo, who scored the only goal in their 1-0 win at Getafe, earning himself two points in the process. That outcome takes his total for the season now to 15.

MF – Arturo Vidal (Barcelona)
Barcelona may have found themselves on the losing side for only the second time this season, but it wasn’t for the want of trying on Vidal’s part. He scored one and set another up, though he did lose one point for being booked.

AT – Williams (Athletic Bilbao)
Williams (or Iñaki Williams Arthuer, as his parents named him) may have turned out for the side who ultimately came second best against Atletico Madrid, but he scored both of their goals for eight points, taking his season total to 19.

AT – Lionel Messi (Barcelona)
The game’s most expensive fantasy player may not have been able to spearhead his Barcelona side to victory, but the Argentinian grabbed two goals as the Catalans ultimately fell short at home against Real Betis in what was the first time the hosts had conceded four goals at home in almost 15 years (against Deportivo la Coruna in 2003).

AT – Mikel Oyarzabal (Real Sociedad)
Oyarzabal helped drill his Sociedad teammates on to a 3-1 win at Levante, with the 21-year-old showing real maturity by bagging one and setting up another. That gives him six for the week and is only the second time he has recorded a points gain this season, after grabbing eight when Sociedad beat Athletic Bilbao by the same scoreline last month – a game in which he scored twice.

So that does it for this week’s Best XI, coming up this weekend we see a big clash as Atletico Madrid host Barcelona, while Valencia look to build on their win by welcoming Rayo Vallecano, and Espanyol take on Girona.

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