Spanish La Liga Team of the Week

In a match shrouded by the controversial dismissal of defender Sergio Ramos, it was Ozil who made the crucial difference for his side as Los Blancos kept pace with second placed Atletico Madrid, who recorded an impressive 3-0 win over Real Valladolid.

Ten-man Valencia overcame their numerical disadvantage to claim an unlikely 2-0 win over struggling Real Mallorca, while league leaders Barcelona had Lionel Messi to thank once again as the Blaugrana overturned a half-time deficit to beat Granada 2-1, and Malaga eked out a narrow 1-0 win over Athletic Bilbao, with striker Javier Saviola scoring the winning goal.

Celta Vigo remained in the drop zone after losing their third game in a row with a 3-1 loss to Getafe, Osasuna beat rivals Real Zaragoza 1-0, Real Sociedad battled to a 1-1 draw with Levante, and Espanyol beat Real Betis 1-0 to record their third consecutive league win.

Here, FOXSPORTSASIA.com selects the best players from the La Liga this week. The formation chosen is 3-4-3.

GK: Willy Caballero (Malaga)

It is rare for a goalkeeper to steal the spotlight in the La Liga, but that is exactly what Caballero did in his side's clash with Bilbao. The 31-year-old was simply unbeatable on the night and his heroics in goal helped him keep a fully deserved clean sheet.

In an open game with many chances at both ends of the pitch, Caballero stunned the crowd at La Rosaleda with a terrific double save to deny Aritz Aduriz from scoring in the first half, and then in the second period, came to his side's rescue with a fantastic string of acrobatic stops to deny Bilbao forward Ibai Gomez from putting the ball into the back of the net.

CB: Federico Fernandez (Getafe)

It is strange that Fernandez has not yet been snapped up by one of the bigger European clubs given his consistent performances for Getafe this season. The 23-year-old was once again imperious in the heart of defence against Celta and there will surely be interest in his services when the transfer window opens once again.

Fernandez was sharp in the tackle and remained calm under pressure to keep possession, effectively starting several of his side's counter-attacks with clever passes out from defence. The Argentinian capped his wonderful display by getting himself on the scoresheet when he jumped highest to head in a corner.

CB: Raúl Rodríguez (Espanyol)

Espanyol are a totally changed side ever since appointed Javier Aguirre as head coach, and the transformation is most obvious in centre-back Rodriguez, who put in a solid display in the heart of defence for the Periquitos against Betis.

Rodriguez cut an imposing figure, clearing his lines effectively and showing excellent reading of the game to make several timely interceptions to deny Betis a sniff at goal. The 25-year-old's dominance in the air was evident as he won majority of his aerial duels and nearly got on the scoresheet with a header from a set-piece which just went wide.

CB: Sergio Ballesteros (Levante)

Ballesteros has been a mainstay in the Levante squad since joining the club in 2008, and his absence from the team the previous weeks due to injury negatively impacted the Granotes. But Ballesteros made sure his return from injury would be a positive one as he helped his side earn an all-important point against Sociedad.

The 37-year-old defender used his vast experience to make several crucial interceptions and timed his challenges to perfection on numerous occasions to deny Sociedad striker Carlos Vela from making progress into the Levante penalty box.

DM: Gary Medel (Sevilla)

Medel is likened to renowned hard man Gennaro Gattuso for his tough, uncompromising challenges in the middle of the pitch, and he was at his best against Deportivo, providing a stable defensive platform in midfield upon which Sevilla used to launch their attacks against the Blanquiazules.

Naturally, goalscoring is not something one would associate with Medel. But the Chilean international surprised everyone by scoring a well-taken brace to lead his side to victory against Deportivo. He scored his first when he rifled a fierce shot into the bottom corner of the net after having been released by Jesus Navas, then scored his side's third goal five minutes before the break when he poked the ball home from close range from Alberto Moreno's cross

CM: Lucas Piazon (Malaga)

Chelsea sent Piazon out on loan to Malaga with the intention for him to get some valuable match experience to further improve his game. But based on Piazon's sparkling display for Los Boquerones against Bilbao, the Blues must surely be wondering if they should have kept the 19-year-old at the club instead to help them out for the rest of the season.

Piazon, making his first start for Malaga, was lively throughout the game and provided the assist for the only goal of the game with a superb piece of play. The Brazilian showed great strength and skill to trick his way into the Bilbao penalty area and showed great awareness to cut the ball back for striker Javier Saviola, who gladly put the ball into the net from close range.

LM: Mesut Ozil (Real Madrid)

For once, someone other than Cristiano Ronaldo stole the headlines in Madrid. No, I am not talking about Sergio Ramos, who got himself sent off in the 18th minute for two contentious fouls. I am talking about Ozil, who proved to be the hero for Real in their win over Vallecano.

The effervescent German international showcased his incredible passing range and vision to break Vallecano's defence on a few occasions and it was no surprise that he would be the architect of both his side's goals. Ozil first set up Morata to score in the third minute with a clever cutback into the penalty box, then sent in a delicious free-kick eight minutes later which Ramos directed into the back of the net.

RM: Adrian Colunga (Getafe)

Colunga was the standout performer for Getafe against Celta as he ran the show for the Azulones in midfield with his quick, incisive passing and direct play. A constant threat to Celta's defence, Colunga was at the heart of everything good his side did and was deservedly applauded after the game.

The 28-year-old opened the scoring for his side when he capitalised on a mistake by Celta defender Gustavo Cabral and unleashed a powerful left-footed shot past Celta custodian Javi Varas. Colunga was then heavily involved in his side's second goal as his goalbound shot was blocked on the line but eventually bundled home by Diego Castro.

ST: Diego Costa (Atletico Madrid)

Atletico boss Diego Simeone made the bold proclamation that Costa's return from a two game suspension would lift his side following a poor run of results, and the 24-year-old certainly did not disappoint, leading his side to a convincing victory over Valladolid with a well-taken goal.

Aletico had taken a slender one goal lead through Radamel Falcao, but with Valladolid looking increasingly threatening as the game went on, it was imperative for Simeone's men to get a second. And it was Costa who duly obliged as he smashed the ball into the net from close range after having been set free by Jorge Koke's ingenious header.

ST: Roberto Soldado (Valencia)

Things looked dire for Valencia in their clash against Mallorca when they were reduced to 10 men at the half-hour mark after Tino Costa was shown a straight red card for a terrible foul on Jose Nunes. But just when it seemed like Los Che would falter in the face of their numerical disadvantage, up stepped deadly striker Soldado to save the day for Ernesto Valverde's men.

The former Real Madrid player was at the heart of the move which led to his side's opening goal scored by Ricardo Costa, then got in on the goalscoring act himself with a smart right-footed finish which left Mallorca custodian Dudu Aouate grasping at air.

ST: Lionel Messi (Barcelona)

Once again, Messi makes it into the La Liga Team of the Week after the Argentinian wizard produced yet another virtuoso performance to help the Blaugrana come from behind to beat Granada.

Unsurprisingly, Messi was heavily marked throughout the game by two Granada defenders, but even that was not enough to keep the 25-year-old down. Messi scored his side's deserved equaliser with as simple a goal as he will ever score when he tapped the ball into an empty net after Granada custodian Tono spilled Fabregas' shot. The diminutive forward then secured all three points for his side with a fantastic free-kick from 25 yards out which curled beautifully out of the despairing reach of Tono.