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Sports Mole's La Liga Team of the Week

Sports Mole selects its 11 top performers in Spain following another pulsating weekend of La Liga action.

Real Madrid's attempts to retain their La Liga title were thrown into question this weekend with Jose Mourinho's side suffering a 1-0 defeat to Real Betis on Saturday.

Barcelona's thumping 4-0 win at Levante moved the Catalans 11 points clear of Madrid at the summit, while Atletico Madrid also opened up an eight-point lead over the current Spanish champions with victory over Sevilla.

Rayo Vallecano, Real Valladolid and Malaga were also triumphant on Saturday, with the latter recording an impressive 4-0 win over fellow Champions League outfit Valencia.

Sunday also brought yet more drama as Getafe beat Espanyol and Athletic Bilbao and Deportivo La Coruna shared the points in a 1-1 draw at San Mames.

Here, Sports Mole picks out its 11 top performers following another pulsating weekend of action in La Liga.

Adrian (Real Betis)
If you are going to beat Real Madrid then your goalkeeper needs to play well. That was certainly the case with the 25-year-old Spaniard putting on a stunning display on Saturday.

Weligton (Malaga)
There have been claims that the 33-year-old Brazilian is keen for a move back to his home nation, but Malaga will be desperate to keep the defender following his performance against Valencia.
Alex Martinez (Real Betis)
The 22-year-old was a star performer as his side beat Real Madrid on Saturday. He marshalled Karim Benzema out of the match. Not an easy task.
Carlos Puyol (Barcelona)
Oh how Barcelona have missed his presence. It is no coincidence that the club have tightened up defensively since his return to action in recent weeks.

Andres Iniesta (Barcelona)
Iniesta destroyed Levante in the second half as he set up three and scored one in his side's 4-0 win. He was simply sensational.
Benat (Real Betis)
The 25-year-old is now regarded as one of the best midfielders in La Liga and scored a stunning winner as his side beat Real Madrid on Saturday.
Joaquin (Malaga)
The winger has not had the best of times in recent seasons, but he wound back the clock with a mesmerising display in his side's 4-0 win over Valencia.
Francisco Portillo (Malaga)
Portillo was another who starred for Malaga on Saturday as he scored a pulsating opener to send his side on their way to three points.
Arda Turan (Atletico Madrid)
The Turkish midfielder was in sensational form as he scored one and made two in his side's 4-0 win over Sevilla. He has keen a key part of their recent success.

Lionel Messi (Barcelona)
Another two goals for Messi in his side's win over Levante takes him to 84 goals for the calendar year. He is just three goals short of Gerd Muller's record.
Radamel Falcao (Atletico Madrid)
It had been suggested that the Colombian was suffering a drop in form, but he answered his critics with a goal in a powerful display against Sevilla.

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Matt Law
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Real Madrid's Sergio Ramos and Karim Benzema celebrate on November 17, 2012
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Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Atletico MadridAtletico19135134122244
2Real Madrid19134243192443
3Barcelona19122551222938
4Athletic Bilbao19106329171236
5Villarreal198653431330
6Mallorca199371921-230
7Real Sociedad198471713428
8GironaGirona198472725228
9Rayo Vallecano196762222025
10Real BetisBetis196762123-225
11Osasuna196762328-525
12Celta Vigo197392830-224
13Sevilla196582128-723
14Las PalmasLas Palmas196492429-522
15Getafe194781316-319
16Leganes194781829-1119
17AlavesAlaves1945102131-1017
18Espanyol1944111731-1416
19Real ValladolidValladolid1943121337-2415
20Valencia1927101829-1113


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