İSPANYA LA LIGA WEEK(JORNADA) 17
Goalkeeper
Stefano Sorrentino (Recreativo Huelva): The Italian produced a show straight out of the top drawer to keep Atletico Madrid at bay despite a stunning 32 shots on goal. How Los Colchoneros never managed to score, only he will know.
Defenders
Fabricio Coloccini (Deportivo): The Argentine put in a five star display against Diego Milito and Ricardo Oliveira, capped off by a superb strike that rescued a point for his team. He needs to play regularly as a centre-half, not moved around all over the pitch.
Daniel Jarque (Espanyol): Juande Ramos has his eyes on this man, and it was not hard to see why. Levante threw everything they had at him, but could not find a way past. What is more, he popped up at the other end to secure what was a very lucky win for his team.
Pepe (Real Madrid): It was not the best display from Los Merengues, which left them with plenty of defending to do against a fired up Osasuna side. That they did, though, with Pepe putting in a gutsy display.
Midfielders
Wesley Sneijder (Real Madrid): It has been a difficult few months for him since he burst onto the scene with an explosive start to the season. Preferred over Guti, he made good on the mandate with lots of hard work, as well as a goal and an assist.
Xavi Hernandez (Barcelona): What a display! Ran the show from start to finish, plucking the ball off Albelda's feet at will, running circles around the Valencia players, and sending an array of destructive passes forward.
Jose Maria Movilla (Real Murcia): The former Real Zaragoza hard-man did what he does best, stamping his authority on the midfield, and making sure that the likes of Duscher, Colsa and Jorge Lopez never found any joy. That formed the basis for a valuable win that sees his side move one point clear of the drop zone.
Marcos Senna (Villarreal): The hero of the Submarines' 3-1 away win over Getafe. It was always going to be difficult against the likes of Casquero, Granero and De la Red, but the naturalised Spanish international pulled out all the stops to give his team the edge in the middle of the pitch.
Forwards
Nihat Kahveci (Villarreal): If the hard work came from Senna, the finishing touches were applied by the supremely talented Turk, who came up with a timely brace to squeeze the resistance out of Getafe.
Samuel Eto'o (Barcelona): Real Madrid, here I come! That was the message plastered all over his display against Valencia. Scored twice to put the game to bed, and was terrible unlucky to not get himself a few more before being substituted. Most definitely the performance of the week.
Mariano Pavone (Real Betis): The Argentine is gradually coming into his own after a poor first few months in Spain, and lo and behold, so are Real Betis. Who would have backed them to score thrice after just 14 goals in 15 games?
......................Sorrentino
.......Coloccini .. Jarque ... Pepe
Sneijder .. Xavi .. Movilla .. Senna
............Nihat ... Eto'o ... Pavone
Honourable Mentions
Lionel Messi looked menacing before coming off with an injury, and Giovani Dos Santos did well after coming on. Eidur Gudjohnsen also surprised by showing himself capable of making a few smooth touches and passes. It was all-round dominance from Barcelona, and one cannot forget Gabriel Milito, Eric Abidal and the ever consistent Andres Iniesta.
Elsewhere, Fabrizio Fuentes (Villarreal) did very well against Getafe before being sent off in the final minute, while Valladolid full-backs Rafa and Pedro Lopez were outstanding against Sevilla. The man of the match in that game, however, was goalkeeper Sergio Asenjo, who just loses out to Sorrentino.
Villarreal midfielder Cani deseves a mention for his outing against Getafe, as does Mallorca's Jonas for his show against Athletic Bilbao in what was otherwise a forgettable game. Juan Pablo Caffa (Real Betis) also turned a few heads with his show against Almeria.
Deportivo forward Cristian continued to showcase his potential against Zaragoza, while Fernando Baiano also showed some signs of getting back to his best.