La Liga: Best 11 Players of Week 37

Barcelona are out of the title race! That was the biggest news of the weekend as the club lost yet another game at home this time to Celta Vigo by 2-1.

It means that La Liga is down to 2 teams and it should be an incredible tension filled ride for the final weekend of the season. In 1st place we have Atletico Madrid with 83 points and in 2nd Real Madrid with 81.

Atletico will be play Valladolid away from home and will be the favourites to win that match although it looks a tricky one. As for Real they will play Villarreal at home and be hoping that Atletico will lose or draw.

The relegation battle is also exciting as Elche in 18th place have 33 points but so does Huesca in 17th.

Let’s take a look at the players who shone the brightest in the penultimate week of the championship- did you have them in your team?- note some points also take in week 36 as that was played in midweek.

Goalkeeper: Sergio Asenjo- Villarreal 14pts

Two clean sheets in a row for Sergio Asenjo. But at the weekend Villarreal were able to conquer Sevilla 4-0 and no one quite expected that score. But Asenjo was made to have a busy night and pulled off some remarkable saves, and fully deserves to be included in the team of the week.

Defender: Pau Francisco-Torres- Villarreal 12pts

Two clean sheets for defender Pau who also assisted in a goal when the club played and beat Valladolid last week 2-0. It means that Villarreal are going to have a strong finish to the season and the defender earns a fantastic 12 points in less than a week.

Defender: Alvaro Odriozola- Real Madrid 9pts

Odriozola scored against Granada in midweek as Real Madrid smashed them 4-1. And has picked up a clean sheet at the weekend as Madrid beat Bilbao 1-0 away from home. He’s only played 8 times but has been overseen six clean sheets.

Defender: Raul Albiol- Villarreal 10pts

Villarreal have beaten Valladolid and Sevilla recently and in both matches were able to keep clean sheets and Raul Albiol has been at the heart of that. The veteran player has now helped to keep nine clean sheets so far

Defender: Alberto Moreno- Villarreal 10pts

Villarreal have been the team impressing everyone with 2 wins in a row and no goals conceded in those games as they rise to 5th place. Moreno’s brilliant understanding with Albiol in defence has helped to shape a strong relationship.

Midfielder: Carlos Soler- Valencia 10pts

Carlos Soler is a regular fixture in the team of the weeks now and if you have him you would have seen all the points accumulated by the talented midfielder recently. Soler scored a brilliant 2 goals at the weekend as Valencia beat Eibar 4-1.

Midfielder: Daniel Parejo- Villarreal 6pts

This is a team full of Villarreal players and Daniel Parejo is no exception and he has had a sterling season. Parejo has been involved in no less than 8 goals and with 34 points he is Villarreal’s best ranked midfield player.

Midfielder: David Silva- Real Sociedad 6pts

David Silva has scored just his 2nd goal of the season as Real Sociedad beat Valladolid 4-1. Silva scored a good goal and was absolutely delighted with that as his club try to finish in a Europa League position.

Midfielder: Manuel Trigueros- Villarreal 6pts

Manuel Trigueros scored at the weekend and that was the midfielder’s first goal of the season as Villarreal thumped Sevilla 4-1. The club are in great form now just ahead of their Europa League final meeting with Manchester United and the player will be hoping to star in that game too.

Striker: Carlos Bacca- Villarreal 14pts

You can’t beat the uniqueness of a hat-trick and Carlos Bacca did just that as Villarreal beat Sevilla at the weekend 4-0. Bacca now has 5 goals this season in a campaign which has been disrupted by injury.

Striker: Gerard Moreno- Villarrreal 10pts

Gerard Moreno keeps getting the goals and we have 2 Villarreal strikers in our team of the week. Moreno opened the scoring against Valladolid last week to propel his team forward. Moreno now has a fantastic goal tally of 23 this season and has 103 points and is ranked as one of the best strikers in Europe.

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La Liga: Best 11 Players of Week 26

The heat is on Atletico Madrid who could only draw 1-1 in the Madrid derby. Atletico are just 3 points in front of Barcelona but do have a game extra to play over them.

Barcelona are in great form and have won 3 games in a row and they are chasing down Atletico and Real Madrid are still in the title hunt but are 5 points behind Atletico. Will Sevilla qualify for the Champions League? The club were in a safe position in 4th it seemed but 2 losses in a row and have let in Real Sociedad who are now just 3 points behind them and Real Betis are in good form having won their last 4 games in a row.

Let’s take a look below at who made the team of the week in Spain over the past week, in a formation of 4-4-2.

Goalkeeper: Marc ter Stegen- Barcelona 7pts

Only Marc ter Stegen kept a clean sheet away from home during the past weekend in La Liga as Barcelona beat Osasuna 2-0. Osasuna remained a threat and had some good chances on goal too. The Barca keeper has kept 9 clean sheets so far and his value is 10m.

Defender: Jordi Alba- Barcelona 9pts

Jordi Alba had the perfect game for Barcelona as he helped to keep his 11th clean sheet of the season as Barcelona beat Osasuna away from home 2-0. But the icing on the cake for the defender was that he earned extra points by scoring only his 3rd goal of the season as he opened the scoring.

Defender: Robin Le Nomand- Real Sociedad 5pts

Robin Le Nomand has a total of 32 points and has helped to keep nine clean sheets. The defender put in a good shift as Sociedad beat Levante 1-0 at the weekend and he commanded the back four well. His value is 6.5m.

Defender: Cala- Cadiz 5pts

Cala was instrumental again for Cadiz and the player has been one of the reasons that the club have impressed this season. Cala earned another 5 points at the weekend with his seventh clean sheet of the season. He now has a total of 14 points and his value is just 2.5m.

Defender: Serginho Dest- Barcelona 5pts

Serginho Dest has been a success story this season for Barcelona and he now has a total of 36 points after keeping his 8th clean sheet of the season. Dest played very well and was confident throughout distributing the ball well out of defence as he oversaw a Barcelona victory against Osasuna to keep up their title challenge.

Midfielder: Joaquin Sanchez- Real Betis 4pts

When Joaquin Sanchez came on in the 2nd half Real Betis were 2-0 down at home to Alaves and looked out for the count. But Sanchez made an impact and scored the clubs equaliser as they came back and won the game 3-2. It was Sanchez’s 2nd goal of the campaign so far.

Midfielder: Fran Beltran- Celta Vigo 4pts

Celta Vigo were involved in an incredible seven goal thriller at the weekend away to Huesca with Celta Vigo finally coming through as 4-3 winners. It was midfielder Fran Beltran who struck for the 4th goal and the winner to earn himself 4 points.

Midfielder: David Ferreiro-Huesca 4pts

David Ferreiro ended up being on the losing side as Huesca scored 3 goals at home but it wasn’t enough as they lost the game 4-3 to Celta Vigo in a classic goal fest match. The midfielder scored the third goal to make it 3-3 and thought he had at least earned his club a point but it wasn’t to be, his goal did get him into the team of the week though.

Midfielder: Carlos Soler- Valencia 3pts

Soler scored the equaliser for Valencia as they eventually went on to come back from 1-0 down to beat Villarreal 2-1. Soler scored from the penalty spot and that was his seventh goal of the season so far.

Striker: Manuel Nolito- Celta Vigo 6pts

Manuel Nolito had a very busy game as he assisted in Celta Vigo’s opening goal against Huesca and then at 1-2 scored the equaliser. He earned six points because of this and he has a total of 23 points so far his value is 6.5m.

Striker: Borja Iglesias- Real Betis 8pts

In a week where strikers really didn’t turn up in La Liga Borja Iglesias showed them how to earn points. The forward earned 8 of them as Real Betis stunned Alaves and came back from 2 goals down to win the game 3-2. Iglesias scored Betis’ first goal and then scored the third and last one to cap a memorable performance in a memorable game.

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In Europe Manchester United are bullish and brilliant but in the Premier League they have lost direction

The difference seemingly can’t be measured when Manchester United play in Europe and then switch to domestic football. Here we have a club whose form this season in the Premier League has been amongst the best, but United under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer keep having their dips in form.

Every team of course has form problems and can go on an average to bad run, the problem with Manchester United is that it seems to hang around longer. The flipside to this is that they can pull out 5-6 game winning runs. But in this moment it feels as though the Red Devils have lost some direction in the Premier League.

Perhaps this is down too the fact that their city rivals Manchester City have shot away from the rest of the league and are now 14 points in the lead over United who are in 2nd place. It seems as if United have given up the chase and let’s face it they will not claw those points back now. However at the same time any United fan and anyone associated with the club would love to see them finish 2nd if being champions was always going to be too much for them to achieve this season.

The truth is, at this point, United will have a challenge on their hands to finish in the top four. Currently they are in 2nd and have 51 points and the gap to 5th where Liverpool currently are is 8 points. The Reds have a game in hand and those points could be reduced in midweek.

Manchester United have won just once in their last 5 games and have earned just 15 points from their last 30. With their standing that just isn’t good enough. Leicester could be poised to take 2nd place from United too and they have a chasing pack of West Ham, Chelsea, Liverpool, Everton and Tottenham to contend with. Jose Mourinho’s side do not look a threat at present being 12 points behind United but they have 2 games in hand and all could change rather quickly if teams find more consistency.

In drawing 0-0 with Crystal Palace, United also have gone their last 2 games without a goal and when one looks at their strike force including Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial, Bruno Fernandes and Edinson Cavani one would expect better. After all Palace were not fighting for anything when the clubs met this week.

United fans will know this form isn’t just a blip, not under Solskjaer who has had a good 5 dips of form since becoming manager of the club, those dips have stretched out for two months at a time. And that form would have cost Solskjaer his job at many clubs especially a club like Chelsea which Frank Lampard found out just a few weeks ago.

So in the Europa League when United were pitted against Spanish side Real Sociedad it was thought that the club were going to struggle and could get knocked out of the competition. Sociedad had led La Liga this season for several weeks and had taken points from the bigger teams. In Portu Sociedad have their own Bruno Fernandes, a versatile attacking midfielder who also scores plenty of goals. Just last weekend his goal helped the club to take 2 points from Real Madrid away from home as that match finished 1-1. In short Sociedad are a very good side. And yet Manchester United in poor form beat Sociedad 4-0 and knocked them out of the Europa League.

It feels as if United have that fire in the belly and man for man one could say that United have the better team than Sociedad, but one would also have to agree that they thought this match up would have been very close and not settled with such a large score. In Europe in this cup competition under Solskjaer United seem to have found their footing, their place where everything clicks and they should be among the favourites to go on and win the competition.

The players seem more focused in Europe and there is a goal to reach, and perhaps domestically United understand that they need an extra push to stay in the top 4 but apart from that not much can be achieved now, but in Europe and also the FA Cup the fire in the belly remains.

United will play Milan in the quarter finals of the Europa League and should be content in the fact that this isn’t the Milan of 15 years ago. Milan are a good side of course but United over two legs, one would think, would have too much for the Italians.

But Solskjaer needs to be mindful this his side do not lose focus in the Premier League, it is a tough and competitive league that takes no prisoners. If you start to lag and stop winning you will be punished and United are not certain for a top four place. They would be foolish to put all of their eggs in one basket and go for the Europa, they need to maintain some desire to pick up points in the Premier League also.

The next few months will reveal the story more and Solskjaer will be well aware that his job despite an overall good season is far from safe.

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La Liga: Best 11 Players of Week 24

The Pressure is mounting on Atletico Madrid  as they have seen their once 10 point gap at the top cut down to 3 points although Diego Simeone’s side does have a game in hand. Atletico lost for the first time at home this season and have won just once in their last four games. Real Madrid can smell blood and we are certain to have an exciting finish to the season.

Barcelona were stunned at home as they could only draw 1-1 against Cadiz. Lionel Messi had opened the scoring but it wasn’t enough and Barca are 8 points behind Atletico with the same games played.

Sevilla are the best in form side in 4th place but Real Sociedad has regained their form and they have won 3 in a row and are chasing Sevilla down for 4th place.

It was another exciting week in Spain and we will take a look and see if any of your chosen players made the final cut.

Goalkeeper: Thibaut Courtois- Real Madrid 7pts

Real Madrid are on the hunt for the league title and Thibaut Courtois was on hand as Real Madrid beat Valladolid only 1-0 in a very tough game for the club. Courtois has now kept 11 clean sheets this season.

Defender: Antonio Barragan- Elche 7pts

Antonio Barragan is hardly a house hold name and he now has a total of 5 points as he was minus points before. But the player had a great week as he kept a clean sheet as Elche beat Eibar 1-0 and he also assisted in the only goal of the game.

Defender: Jorge Andujar Moreno- Levante 5pts

Jorge Andujar Moreno had a memorable game as Levante became the first club to beat Atletico Madrid at their home as they won 2-0. Moreno was solid in defence as Atletico had no less than 11 shots on target and he played his toughest game of the season, this is for sure.

Defender: Tono-Levante 5pts

Tono linked up well in defence to help to beat the number 1 team in Spain, Atletico Madrid. Tono has only started 5 games, but he had one of his best of his career so far and earned 5 points with his first clean sheet of the season.

Defender: Aissa Mandi- Real Betis 5pts

Aissa Mandi has been with Real Betis for a few seasons now and is becoming a veteran in defence. Mandi kept his sixth clean sheet of the season as Betis beat Getafe 1-0. Mandi’s value is 6.5m.

Midfielder: Portu- Real Sociedad 6pts

Portu started the season very strong, but he went a little quiet by Christmas but the player looks back to his best now and Real Sociedad beat Alaves 4-0 at the weekend to recover from their 4-0 loss against Manchester United in midweek. Portu scored the last goal.

Midfielder: Casemiro- Real Madrid 6pts

Casemiro scored yet again for Real Madrid and has proven to be one of the most important players for Zinedine Zidane’s team. Casemiro scored the only goal as Real beat Valladolid 1-0.

Midfielder: David Silva- Real Sociedad 6pts

David Silva still has that magic touch and the midfielder was involved in not one but two assists as Real Sociedad beat Alaves 4-0. Silva has 4 assists so far and 24 points for the season.

Midfielder: Alex- Cadiz 4pts

Alex scored a last minute penalty to give Cadiz a memorable point at Barcelona as the teams drew 1-1. He now has 21 points for the season and has been one of Cadiz’s best players so far.

Striker: Kevin Gameiro- Valencia 4pts

Kevin Gameiro scored only his 2nd goal of the season but it was an important one as Valencia beat Celta Vigo 2-0 and it was Gameiro who scored the winner goal.

Striker: Lionel Messi- Barcelona 4pts

There would be disappointment for Messi and Barcelona as they could only draw at home 1-1 against Cadiz. However Messi scored the opening goal which was a penalty and that was his 16th goal of the season. He is now joint top alongside Luis Suarez.

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La Liga: Best 11 Players of Week 22

The last few weeks in Spain have swung Atletico Madrid’s way and they look like the favourites to win the title now. Atletico are seven points in front of both Real Madrid and Barcelona but have 2 games in hand over them.

Real Madrid won their 13th game of the season but Barcelona overtook them into 2nd place because they now have a better goal difference. Lionel Messi started from the bench but he came off to score a goal against Real Betis as Barcelona came back from a goal down to win 3-2.

Sevilla beat Getafe 3-0 to confirm that they are one of the best in form sides in the league and the club have now won 4 games in a row and are just a point behind Madrid and Barca.

Let’s take a look below to see which players have performed the best in the fantasy rankings over the past weekend.

Goalkeeper: Bono- Sevilla 7pts

Bono has made it again as the best goalkeeper of the week. Only two teams Sevilla and Alaves kept clean sheets and Bono was kept slightly the more busier on the night as he kept his 8th clean sheet of the season and is now ranked no.2. on the goalkeepers list in Spain behind Jan Oblak.

Defender: Raphael Varane- Real Madrid 8pts

With Real Madrid’s strikers taking a night off it was defender Rapahel Varane’s moment to shine and even though he dropped points for conceding a goal Varance scored both of Madrid’s goals as they beat Huesca away from home 2-1.

Defender: Diego Carlos- Sevilla 5pts

Diego Carlos is no stranger to best players of the week and the player helped to keep his 8th clean sheet of the season as Sevilla eased to a 3-0 victory Over Getafe, Carlos’ value is 6m.

Defender: Sergio Escudero- Sevilla 5pts

Sergio Escudero played a very mature game in a heated battle which seen sending offs. The player has become more solid as the season has gone on and really helped Sevilla to another keep sheet. He has 17 points so far this season.

Defender: Florian Lejeune- Alaves 5pts

Alaves were the better side but the club had a very close fought game with Valladolid at the weekend with Alaves edging through 1-0. Lejeune picked up 5 points for his clean sheet and his value to add to your team is 5m, though he has just 9 points so far.

Midfielder: Joan Jordan- Sevilla 6pts

Joan Jordan had another solid week as he earned six points. The midfielder assisted in two out of the 3 goals that Sevilla scored including the opening one and that was his 5th assist of the season.

Midfielder: Alejandro Gomez- Sevilla 6pts

Sevilla are dominating this list this week and Alejandro Gomez earned six points. Gomez was the player who settled this game as even though Sevilla won 3-0 against Getafe the score was only 1-0 with three minutes to play. Gomez scored the 2nd goal which wrapped up victory for the home side.

Midfielder: Fernando- Sevilla 4pts

Fernando earned 4 points as he played a solid game and kept his line in midfield as Sevilla beat Getafe 3-0. Fernando picks up points for helping his side keep a clean sheet and the player now has 19 points so far this season.

Midfielder: Shinji Okazaki- Huesca 2pts

There were many players who earned just 2 points but Huesca midfielder Shinji Okazaki gets the nod. He held firm and played a confident game against Real Madrid and made it hard for the team to attack like they normally would have. Even though Huesca lost the game 2-1 it was a closer match than anyone was expecting. Check out Okazaki’s stats here.

Striker: Gerard Moreno- Villarreal 8pts

Villarreal could only draw 2-2 in the end with Elche and Gerard Moreno opened the scoring and got both goals in the end for his side who were away from home. That was Villarreal’s 4th draw in a row and Moreno has now scored a fantastic return of 12 goals this season.

Striker: Mikel Oyarzabal- Real Sociedad 8pts

Mikel Oyarzabal started the season very well but had faded a little soon after. Perhaps he is back now and the player looks on hot form. The striker scored 2 of Real Sociedad’s goals as they crushed Cadiz 4-1 at home. Oyarzabal now has 10 goals so far this season.

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Best La Liga Players so far 2020/21

La Liga took a break this past week and they will play instead in midweek, so this gives us a chance to reflect on the players that have been lightning up the league season.

Two players will be picked from each position and we will look at how they have contributed so far be it with clean sheets, assists or goals. Based on their fantasy points they will make this elite list and you can check to see if any of your players make the best La Liga players of this season so far.

Goalkeeper

1. Jan Oblak- Atletico Madrid 75pts

Jan Oblak has been far and away the best goal keeper in Spain and is probably the best in Europe right now. Oblak is 29 points ahead of Remiro and his team are 1st in La Liga. Oblak has kept 11 clean sheets from 16 starts and his value is 11m.

2. Remiro- Real Sociedad 45pts

Real Sociedad started the season in fantastic form and Remiro was key to this. He has earned 45 points so far and has kept 8 clean sheets the same as Thibaut Courtois for Real Madrid.

Defender

1. Kieran Trippier- Atletico Madrid 59pts

An Englishman is currently the best defender in Spain and Kieran Trippier deserves more good press than perhaps he is getting in his home country. Trippier has been able to adapt and fit right into this Atletico Madrid team. He hasn’t scored yet this season in the league but that isn’t his job, he has assisted in 5 goals though and has helped to keep 10 clean sheets.

2. Mario Hermoso- Atletico Madrid 52pts

Mario Hermoso along with Trippier has been outstanding in defence for Atletico. It is incredible to think that after 16 games the club has only conceded 6 goals especially when some teams can concede that in one game. Hermoso has scored 1 goal, assisted in 1 and like Trippier he has helped to keep 10 clean sheets.

Midfielder

1. Marcos Llorente- Atletico Madrid 50pts

Yet another Atletico Madrid player makes it to the best players of the season so far, that is 4 out of the 8 players chosen playing for one club. Llorente has been incredible in midfield and contributed in 9 goals this season, 6 goals and 3 assists. He isn’t afraid to back track too and has been as solid as a rock.

2. Portu- Real Sociedad 42pts

At least for the first 3 months of the season you would be hard pressed to find a better and more inform midfielder than Portu. Every week his name seemed to pop up with a goal or an assist and it was no wonder that Sociedad were early pacesetters. Portu has scored 5 goals so far and assisted in another three and his current value is 8.5m.

Striker

1. Iago Aspas- Celta Vigo 45pts

The strikers are dominated by two 33 year olds. One is expected to be here the other less so. Iago Aspas has scored 9 goals for Celta Vigo and assisted in another six. Now here’s the amazing fact Celta Vigo have scored 22 goals in the league and Aspas has been involved in 15 of them, that works out at 70% of the goals coming from Aspas, not a bad return. His value is 8.5m.

2. Lionel Messi- Barcelona 43pts

A list of best players in Spain wouldn’t feel complete without Lionel Messi and he would be making lists like this every year for the past 13 years at least. By his standards it has been a quiet start and at times Barcelona have struggled with form. Still Messi has earned 43 points and scored 11 goals and assisted in another 2.

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La Liga: Best 11 Players of Week 10

Barcelona lost their 3rd game of the season and they are now down in 12th position and 12 points behind current leaders Real Sociedad. Sociedad have won 70% of their games so far and have pulled out a 3 point lead at the top.

Real Madrid could only draw 1-1 away to Villarreal and Atletico Madrid have gone 2nd after beating Barcelona. Let’s see if any of your players made the team of the weekend below.

Goalkeeper: Jan Oblak- Atletico Madrid 7pts

Jan Oblak kept his sixth clean sheet of the campaign and one of the most important ones as Atletico Madrid overcame Barcelona 1-0 at home. Oblak had to make 5 crucial saves and now has 42 points overall.

Defender: Kieran Tripper- Atletico Madrid 5pts

Kieran Trippier has been one of the best defenders in Spain this season and has really grown as a player with Atletico Madrid. He helped to keep a clean sheet and shut out Barcelona.

Defender: Nacho Monreal- Real Sociedad 5pts

Real Sociedad won a tough game 1-0 over Cadiz and Monreal really put in a shift to keep the newly promoted side at bay. Monreal has kept 4 clean sheets so far this season and is valued at 8.5m.

Defender: Felipe- Atletico Madrid 5pts

Felipe is the 3rd best ranked defender in the league and helped to keep a 5th clean sheet for Atletico Madrid. This game at the weekend was more impressive given that he shut out Lionel Messi and co, as they beat Barcelona 1-0.

Defender: Zaldua- Real Sociedad 5pts

Not many defenders picked up points over the weekend in La Liga and the best defending teams have been Atletico Madrid and Real Sociedad. Zaldua played well and maintained the back line superbly. He has only managed to start 2 games this season but could see that increase with this performance.

Midfielder: Yannick Carrasco- Atletico Madrid 5pts

What a game for Yannick Carrasco who scored the only goal of the match to beat Barcelona 1-0. Carrasco had just been booked and his game didn’t look so good but a few minutes later and just before half time he scored. He has scored 2 goals this season and now has a total of 17 points.

Midfielder: Gonzalo Melero- Levante 4pts

Levante drew 1-1 with Elche and Gonzalo Melero scored the opening goal of the game for Levante. He also put in a good shift in midfield and distributed the ball well. His value is worth 6m.

Midfielder: Angel Correa- Atletico Madrid 4pts

Angel Correa has appeared in the team of the week on many occasions and he has been a solid player for Atletico. He played a very pivotal role for the club as they overcame Barcelona 1-0 and at times kept Messi quiet.

Midfielder: Adnan Januzaj- Real Sociedad 4pts

Adnan Januzaj provided his first assist of the season as Real Sociedad beat Cadiz 1-0. He is the 2nd best ranked midfielder for the club and has 20 points overall now.

Striker: Oscar Plano- Real Valladolid 6pts

Oscar Plano opened the scoring for Real Valladolid as they beat Granada 3-1. He also set up the clubs 2nd goal and had an overall brilliant game away from home. It was Plano’s first goal of the season.

Striker: Lucas Perez- Alaves 6pts

Alaves were expected to lose to Valencia and sprung a surprise by drawing the game 2-2. Lucas Perez earned six points by assisting in the first goal for the club and then converting a penalty. The striker has scored 2 goals so far this season and his value is 4m.

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La Liga: Best 11 Players of Week 9

Real Madrid lost 4-1 against Valencia which just keeps the Spanish league more interesting as Real Sociedad won their sixth game of the season to go four points clear of the champions. Sociedad have not lost a game since the end of September.

Barcelona finally played like the Barca of old as they crushed Real Betis 5-2 and even Lionel Messi seemed happy as he scored a couple of goals. And Atletico Madrid have now won 4 games in a row as they crushed in form side Cadiz and they remain in 3rd place.

So with many points up for grabs for the players let’s take a look to see if any of your chosen players made the final cut and the team of the weekend.

Goalkeeper: Jan Oblak- Atletico Madrid 7pts

Jan Oblak is regarded as one of the best goalkeepers in the world and he has already help keep 5 clean sheets this season. He was solid as a rock against Cadiz as they had genuine chances to score although Atletico ran out 4-0 winners in the end.

Defender: Nacho Monreal- Real Sociedad 9pts

Nacho Monreal helped keep a clean sheet and Real Sociedad beat Granada 2-0. Monreal capped off a fantastic weekend by opening the scoring also and Sociedad stay top of the league.

Defender: Sergio Escudero- Sevilla 5pts

Sergio Escudero now has 10pts as he earned another 5 at the weekend as Sevilla came past Osasuna 1-0. Escudero actually started from the bench and played well and held the back line in a game that Sevilla could well have drawn. He is valued at 6m.

Defender: Zaldua- Real Sociedad 5pts

Zaldua put in a good shift but had to be substituted in the 2nd half. But helped Sociedad in defence with some fantastic passes and they kept yet another clean sheet.

Defender: Gimenez- Atletico Madrid 5pts

Gimenez earned all points as Atletico Madrid put paid to Cadiz’s great start. The club kept a clean sheet in a crushing 4-0 win. This was the defender’s first points of the season and he is valued at 7m.

Midfielder: Carlos Soler- Valencia 13pts

What  a memorable weekend it was for Carlos Soler who earned an incredible 13 points as Valencia stunned champions Real Madrid and won the game 4-1. Soler scored a hat trick and all of the goals were penalties. He kept calm for each one as Valencia made a huge statement. Soler now has 19 points overall.

Midfielder: Marcos Llorente- Atletico Madrid 8pts

Another great win for Atletico Madrid as they overcame Cadiz by 4-0. Llorente assisted in the clubs first goal of the game and set up Felix and then scored the 2nd which seemed to deflate the visitors. From there on in there was only going to be one winner.

Midfielder: Fidel Chaves de la Torre- Elche 4pts

Elche drew 1-1 with Celta Vigo and Fidel as the player is known opened the scoring with a penalty. Though the club couldn’t hold on Fidel earned a good 4 points and has been solid this season and has 17 points overall. He may be worth looking into and he is valued at a fantastic bargain of just 3m.

Midfielder: Sergi Roberto- Barcelona 4pts

After their slow start Barcelona players have been missing from players of the weekend. Sergi Roberto saw his side beat Real Betis 5-2 and whilst remaining consistent in midfield he went one better and assisted for Barcelona’s last 2 goals of the game which were highly important and a huge factor in closing out the game.

Striker: Joao Felix- Atletico Madrid 10pts

Joao Felix has been on great form in the last few weeks and the highly promising youngster scored 2 goals including the opening one and assisted in another as he won man of the match as Atletico crushed Cadiz 4-0. Felix now has five goals so far this season.

Striker: Lionel Messi- Barcelona 8pts

Lionel Messi is back! He scored 2 goals as Barcelona beat Real Betis 5-2 in their first real performance of the season. Messi now has 10 points and will want to build on this for the rest of the season and get back to the form that everyone knows him for.

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How Jokin Aperribay and Imanol Alguacil have guided Real Sociedad to the top of La Liga

Take a look at the La Liga table and the team sitting on top are none other than Real Sociedad. The club from the Basque country are showing their best form since they almost won the league title in 2002/03 after an epic battle with Real Madrid. But what chance does the club have now of repeating that challenge and maybe going one step further?

Club owner Jokin Aperribay will be celebrating 10 years as president and though they haven’t always been memorable at a team like Sociedad a lot of work must go on in the background to see the benefits down the line and that seems to be paying off this season.

Real Sociedad really are a throw back in time to when teams did not spend millions on the latest talent. Sure Sociedad have dipped into that arena once or twice but the clubs core values are simply to promote from within and their youth system is of utter importance.

A few years ago Aperribay said: “When they come to the first team it’s incredible news, these players come up through our system and know our colours, they understand our community and they are willing to push that and work hard and be part of the community and understand why we are here.” This is a reinforcement of promoting from within something that has all but died with most European clubs and especially the elite and it is a refreshing method.

The choice of coach at the club then shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone. Imanol Alguacil is Sociedad through and through. The 49 year old started his career at Sociedad playing for the B team and spent a total of 9 years with the club in the 1990s. His managerial career has followed suit and he has only been in charge of either the Real Soceidad B team or the senior and that has been ongoing since 2011.

Imanol as he is widely known by just his first name in Spain stands for everything that Sociedad represent. A local that played the majority of his career with the club and is now coach- Sociedad’s ethics simply wouldn’t have it any other way. And for this season especially Imanol’s inner workings of the club and the backing of the president are seeing all of that hard work rewarded.

There is real quality in the side and leading the fantasy rankings is Remiro the goalkeeper who already has 28 points and has kept 4 clean sheets and only conceded four goals since the beginning of the season.

Attack is good too in the form of Mikel Oyarzabal who has scored 5 goals and assisted in a further 2. Portu has been a rock in midfield and he also has a total of 28 points and has scored four goals and assisted in another two and these are players that are regularly making the best La Liga team of the weekends.

One of the most important players for Sociedad is arguably David Silva. Though he is coming to the end of his career the talented player- a legend for Manchester City and much missed in England has impressed for his new club. But what else would one expect from one of the best players of his generation in the last decade. The move felt like a surprise but Silva is obviously content and the experience that he can bring to the side just in the dressing room really can’t be measured.

Presently Real Sociedad sit in 1st place with 17 points and have won 4 games in a row. Even though Real Madrid are just a point behind and have a game in hand what is encouraging is that Sociedad are scoring goals. It really is the best way to measure a team. The club beat Celta Vigo last weekend 4-1 and before that put another four goals past Huesca. In all they have scored 14 goals in their past four games and have 18 so far this season which is easily the most in the league.

How far can Sociedad go this season? We should know more by Christmas but their main rivals at this time will be Real Madrid and the emerging Atletico Madrid.

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La Liga: Best 11 Players of the Weekend: Matchday 6

Barcelona lost and Real Madrid lost, repeat and repeat but the big two clubs lost and for now La Liga feels quite unpredictable. At least Barcelona can say they lost away from home against a tough team in Getafe. But what is Madrid’s excuse? Losing at home to Cadiz was probably the biggest shock in European football this weekend.

So Real Sociedad are top of the league after winning back to back games and Villarreal are only in 2nd place due to goal difference. Everything is to play for so let’s take a look at which players made the final cut of 11, maybe you will recognise a few in your fantasy picks?

Goalkeeper: Remiro- Real Sociedad 7pts

Whilst Getafe’s and Cadiz’s goal keepers could have made the final cut for keeping a clean sheet against Barcelona and Real Madrid it is worth noting that the clubs had 3 shots on target between them. Remiro gets the nod after Real Sociedad impressed again in a 3-0 win and that is Remiro’s 4th clean sheet already this season and he now has 28 points.

Defender: Dimitri Foulquier- Granada 6pts

Dimitri Foulquier earned 6pts at the weekend as Granada beat Sevilla 1-0. He did get booked but helped to keep a clean sheet and also assisted in the winning goal.

Defender: Paulo Oliveira- Eibar 5pts

Oliveira had a great game making some decisions that kept a clean sheet for Eibar, as the club, playing at home, drew 0-0 with Osasuna. He is valued at 5m and now has 8pts

Defender: Damian Suarez- Getafe 5pts

Damian Suarez had to keep alert to keep Barcelona out as Getafe recorded a famous 1-0 victory at home against the Catalan giants. Suarez was solid at the back and really led his team well to minimise Barcelona’s threat on goal.

Defender: Cala- Cadiz 5pts

Cadiz continued their brilliant start to the season by beating Real Madrid 1-0 at the Bernabeu and defender Cala was the best of the bunch at the back keeping Madrid fairly quiet.

Midfielder: Portu- Real Sociedad 6pts

Yet again Portu makes the final 11 cut after another dazzling display by Sociedad. The club beat Real Betis 3-0 away from home and Portu scored the opening goal. His team are now top of La Liga

Midfielder: Pere Milla- Elche 6pts

Pere Milla scored the opening goal as Elche playing away from home beat Alaves 2-0. Milla controlled the ball well in midfield and to get a goal and set up his team for victory was icing on the cake.

Midfielder: Yannick Carrasco- Atletico Madrid 6pts

Atletico Madrid recorded a 2-0 win over Celta Vigo and for much of the game the score was only 1-0, but Carrasco scored in injury time to finally confirm the win. Atletico have started the season unbeaten and will be one of the favourites to win the league.

Midfielder: Adnan Januzaj- Real Sociedad 6pts

A brilliant 3-0 win for Sociedad against Real Betis was capped off by a good goal from Januzaj who rounded off the win by grabbing the clubs 3rd goal. He is valued at 6.5m is looks like being a very reliable capture.

Striker: Mikel Oyarzabal- Real Sociedad 6pts

There’s quite a flurry of Real Sociedad players making this weeks list and for good reason, right now Sociedad are the best club in Spain. Oyarzabal assisted in the opening goal of the game and then scored the 2nd from the penalty spot.

Striker: Luis Suarez- Atletico Madrid 4pts

Luis Suarez has already been hit and miss for Atletico but when he is on fire there is no stopping him. Suraez was integral to this game as he opened the scoring for Atletico in a game that they eventually won 2-0, and he now was 3 goals and one assist already this season.

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