MX23RW : Tuesday, April 23 17:55:03| >> :120:15398:15398:

Sports Mole's La Liga Team of the Week

Sports Mole selects its 11 star performers in Spain following another enthralling weekend of La Liga football.

Atletico Madrid continued their remarkable start to the season at the weekend with Diego Costa's first-half strike handing them all three points in the Madrid derby against Real Madrid at the Bernabeu.

There were also wins for Valencia, Barcelona, Levante, Elche, Getafe, Real Betis and Granada as another round of La Liga fixtures provided some stellar performances.

Week seven's action opened on Friday evening as Real Valladolid shared the points in a 2-2 draw with Malaga, before Saturday's early start saw Valencia continue their recovery with another three points in a 1-0 win over struggling Rayo Vallecano.

Barcelona followed with a 2-0 win at Almeria, but Sevilla were denied their first away win of the season in a 1-1 draw with Real Sociedad. Saturday's action was completed in Madrid as Diego Simeone led his Atletico side to a stunning three points at the home of their rivals.

Osasuna remained in the relegation zone following their 1-0 defeat to Levante on Sunday, but Elche did manage to move out of the bottom three with their first win of the season in a 1-0 win over Celta Vigo.

Espanyol suffered their second league defeat on the spin as they lost 2-0 at home to Getafe in Sunday's penultimate fixture, before Real Betis ended Villarreal's unbeaten start to the season with a 1-0 win in Seville.

Week seven's action concluded on Monday evening as Athletic Bilbao, who would have moved into the top four with all three points, were beaten 2-0 away to Granada.

Here, Sports Mole selects its 11 star performers following another enthralling weekend of La Liga football.

Beto (Sevilla)
The 31-year-old might not be the most imposing goalkeeper in the league, but he is certainly one of the most athletic. His skills were called upon on a number of occasions during Sevilla's 1-1 draw with Real Sociedad on Saturday. His side could not hold on for all the points despite taking the lead, but they would have left with nothing but for some heroics from the Portuguese in the second period.

Adriano (Barcelona)
An injury to Jordi Alba has allowed the Brazilian a run in the Barcelona side in the last couple of weeks and he has not disappointed. He netted his second league goal of the season in the Catalan outfit's 2-0 win over Almeria on Saturday. The full-back will never be the best defensively, but he offers such a threat in the final third.
Antonio Amaya (Real Betis)
It didn't quite happen for the centre-back during his time in England with Wigan Athletic, but Amaya has been in fine form since joining Betis in 2011. Arguably, he has enjoyed his best-ever start to a season with the 30-year-old's performances gaining admiring glances in the early part of the campaign. He was once more at his solid best in his side's 1-0 win over Villarreal on Sunday evening.
Miranda (Atletico Madrid)
The Brazilian was, alongside Diego Godin, part of the best centre-back partnership in the league last season. The experienced defender has continued that form into the new campaign. He was rock at the heart of the Atletico defence in their 1-0 win over Real Madrid on Saturday. Time after time he was called upon to make important blocks, which he answered on each occasion.
Alberto Moreno (Sevilla)
If recent reports are to be believed, Manchester United have been watching the Spaniard over the last couple of weeks. The Premier League champions would have been impressed with what they had seen if they were in attendance for Sevilla's draw with Sociedad on Saturday. Not only was the 21-year-old an attacking threat, he was also calming influence in the back four.

Koke (Atletico Madrid)
The 21-year-old is now a full member of the Spanish national team with his progress over the last year quite remarkable. He has enjoyed a fine start to this season and continued that form in Saturday's 1-0 win against Real Madrid. He was not over-awed against more experienced opponents, while it was his pass that allowed Costa to stroke home in the 11th minute.
Pablo Sarabia (Getafe)
Getafe were struggling to break down Espanyol in Sunday's meeting in Barcelona until Sarabia was introduced with 20 minutes remaining. The midfielder, who was a surprise omission from their starting XI, turned the match on its head after entering. He assisted Adrian Colunga for his first, before playing a key role in the striker's second. He will not be on the bench next week.
Javi Marquez (Elche)
The 27-year-old scored the only goal of the match as Elche picked up their first three points of the season with a 1-0 win over Celta Vigo on Sunday. Not only did the midfielder show composure to slide his low effort into the bottom corner, he was also a constant threat to the home side's defence. If Elche are to survive this season, then they will need Marquez on top form.
Diego Buonanotte (Granada)
It has not quite happened for the Argentine since he joined Granada from Sevilla, but he has been impressive in the early part of this season. His best performance of the campaign thus far came on Monday evening as he inspired his side to a 2-0 win over Athletic Bilbao. There is no question that, on his day, he is one of the league's most creative players.

Adrian Colunga (Getafe)
Colunga's two strikes were enough to earn his side all three points in Sunday's clash with Espanyol. The home side had looked the more dangerous for long periods, but the striker popped up 15 minutes from time to open the scoring, before adding his second in stoppage time. His movement was a constant problem for Espanyol all evening.
Diego Costa (Atletico Madrid)
Love him or loathe him, you just cannot ignore Costa, whose first-half strike earned all the points for Atletico in the Bernabeu. He won his personal battle with Sergio Ramos on Saturday, while he ran the entire Madrid defence all over the pitch until he was withdrawn in the latter stages. It was just about the perfect centre-forward performance from the Brazilian, whose goal moved him onto eight league strikes for the season.

ID:108359: cacheID:108359:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:9291:
Restore Data
Share this article now:
David Villa in action during his presentation as a new Atletico de Madrid player at Estadio Vicente Calderon on July 15, 2013
Read Next:
Sports Mole's La Liga Team of the Week
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Real Madrid32256170224881
2Barcelona32217464372770
3GironaGirona32215667402768
4Atletico MadridAtletico32194959382161
5Athletic Bilbao321610652302258
6Real Sociedad321312746341251
7Real BetisBetis32121284038248
8Valencia32138113534147
9Villarreal32119125155-442
10Getafe32913103844-640
11Osasuna32116153746-939
12Sevilla32910134145-437
13Las PalmasLas Palmas32107153039-937
14AlavesAlaves3298152838-1035
15Rayo Vallecano32713122739-1234
16Celta Vigo32710153747-1031
17Mallorca32613132638-1231
18CadizCadiz32413152245-2325
19Granada3239203361-2818
20Almeria32111203164-3314


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!