La Liga Team Of The Season
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Spanish Inquisition: La Liga Team Of The Season
With the league calendar in Spain now taking a mid-season break, Goal.com’s KS Leong offers his La Liga team of the season so far.
Formation: 3-1-3-3
Goalkeeper
Dudu Aouate (Mallorca) – Spain’s two high profile goalkeepers, Iker Casillas and Victor Valdes may be leading the race for the Zamora Trophy, but with a number of big-game defenders infront of them, it’s little wonder. Aouate, on the other hand, has had to single-handedly rescue his Mallorca side on several occasions with a hatful of superb saves. The Israeli has conceded just three goals in seven home games and he is one of the main reasons why the Balearic Islanders have found themselves all the way up in fifth place in the standings at present.
Defence
Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid) – Touted as Paolo Maldini’s heir, the Merengues right-back has enjoyed a resurgence this season after a tumultuous past couple of years where he suffered from inconsistency and a dip in form. Now, having rediscovered his confidence under Manuel Pellegrini, he looks sharper in defense and much more threatening in attack, whether it’s down the right wing or infront of the opposition goal from set-pieces.
Carles Puyol (Barcelona) – The Blaugrana captain remains the bedrock of the team’s unstoppable rise. Much of the focus has been on Gerard Pique and his scoring exploits, but it’s the veteran Puyol who constantly holds Barca’s backline together with his remarkable reading of the game and brave last-ditch tackles. The highlight of his season thus far is undoubtedly his man-of-the-match performance against Real Madrid.
Joan Capdevila (Villarreal) – As the Yellow Submarine struggled in the early stages of the season, the experienced left-back appears to have found a second wind towards the tail-end of his career. He has made some vital assists and scored some crucial goals and in what is a hugely pivotal season for Capdevila, he will be hoping to carry his sterling form through to the end of the campaign into next summer for the 2010 World Cup.
Midfield
Lassana Diarra (Real Madrid) – The Frenchman’s value and importance to Los Blancos cannot be stressed nearly enough. His work rate as a defensive midfielder is second to none and this season, with the help of Xabi Alonso forming part of the double pivot, Lass has been given the freedom to exhibit the attacking side of his game. And to further highlight his incredible versatility, he frequently roams forward or drifts out wide to the right to act as an overlapping full-back.
Jesus Navas (Sevilla) – The tricky winger has long caught the attention of La Liga followers with his dazzling displays but this season, he has taken his form up another notch. This season, he has demonstrated a characteristic that has been missing from his game in previous years: consistency. Also having overcome his homesickness and anxiety problems, he capped off his year with a fully deserved maiden call-up to the Spanish national team in November.
Xavi (Barcelona) – The engine that continually keeps Barcelona ticking over, the midfield pocket dynamite has not missed a beat this term. With five assists in the league, his simple yet majestic ball control and possession-retention abilities continue to amaze while his outrageous passing range remains a sight to behold. If Puyol is the glue that holds Barca’s backline together, then Xavi is the heart and soul of the Blaugrana’s now world famous irresistible attack.
Diego Costa (Real Valladolid) – The 21-year-old Brazilian is poised for big things. Still fairly unheard of and playing in an unfancied team like Valladolid, the attacking midfielder has quietly been one of the star performers in the league in the first 15 rounds of the season. Defenders have found it difficult to cope with his pace and trickery, whether he’s playing through the middle or out wide. He has provided three assists but even more impressive, he has six goals to his name.
Attack
Lionel Messi (Barcelona) – The more accolades Messi wins, the more criticism he seems to face. Such is football. But in spite of all that, he has not allowed personal success or denigration affect his game as he continues to lead Barca’s attack with elegance and efficiency. If anything, he is improving on his minor shortcomings, such as his predatory instincts infront of goal and his all-round game. On top of his nine goals, he has also made five assists.
David Villa (Valencia) – ‘El Guaje’ is showing no signs of suffering from the ill-effects of the transfer wild goose chase during the summer. After coming so close to leaving the Mestalla for Real Madrid and then for Barcelona, the 28-year-old has won back the hearts of the Che faithful as he currently leads the Pichichi race with 12 goals after 15 rounds. Villa continues to stake his claim as one of the best strikers in world football at present.
Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid) – The most expensive football on the planet has already proved his doubters wrong with a superlative performance for his new club so far this campaign. His attacking influence in this newly-assembled Real Madrid side is unquestionable and his absence was painfully felt during his month-long lay-off because of an ankle injury. In eight La Liga appearances, he has scored in six of them, tallying seven goals in total.
Aouate
Sergio Ramos - Puyol - Capdevila
Lass
Jesus Navas - Xavi - Costa
Messi - Villa - Ronaldo