Football Express News brings you their pick of the bunch as 11 players take up their positions in the European Team of the Week.
The last round of weekend matches were completed last night, with the biggest upset happening at the Stadio Olimpico were Roma suffered a 2-0 loss to Sampdoria.
Having seen match winning saves, crunch tackles, creativity and precise finishing, I have compiled my team of the week. The best 11 players in the top five European leagues.
G.K– Emiliano Viviano (Sampdoria): When you’ve been linked with Arsenal at some point in your career, you’ve definitely got quality. Viviano was spot on, on the night as he made eight saves to ensure Roma lost all three points at home. His ball distribution was pin point as well. Great performance!
R.B– Joel Ward (Crystal Palace): Palace have everything going well for them at the moment. Ward’s combination with Yannick Bolasie was too much for QPR to handle and he deservedly got a goal in the convincing 3-1 win over the relegation candidates.
C.B– Laurent Koscielny (Arsenal): I don’t think Koscielny is the best defender around, but he sure doesn’t get a lot of praise for his efforts. The Polish born French international was the standout performer in the Gunners’ defence, mopping up Per Metersacker’s errors on the day.
C.B– Joel Matip (Schalke 04): What a moment to score a goal! After their heroics in the champions league, Schalke were on the verge of losing out 2-1 to Hertha Berlin, until Matip got the equaliser to silence the home crowd. He continues to prove his importance to the side.
L.B– David Alaba (Bayern Munich): Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery were missing for Bayern, so, someone needed to step up. Fortunately for Pep, more than one of his wards stepped up and Alaba happened to be part of the pack. He also got a goal for his efforts.
M.F– Eugene Polanski (Hoffenheim): He rarely scores, so when he does, he hugs the headlines. Polanski’s double was enough to have his team still harbour hopes of champions league football next season.
M.F– Michael Carrick (Manchester United): Carrick to continues to show us all how important he is to Manchester United. The team was on another level on Sunday and Carrick was involved in anything good. His headed goal oozed of brilliance.
M.F– Patrick Herman (Borussia Monchegladbach): Every time have seen Herman play, he impresses more. Monchegladbach will do well to fend off hosts of interests this summer for the 24 year old. Once again, Herman was at the double as his team reclaimed third spot from Bayer Leverkusen.
F.W– Lionel Messi (Barcelona): 2015; the year of Messi. Lionel is now the outright top scorer in Spain with 32 goals after grabbing another brace against Eibar. At some point, it looked as if Cristiano Ronaldo was going to run away with the Pichichi.
F.W– Divock Origi (Lille): When you score a hattrick, you definitely make it into any team of the week. Origi has the honour of being the only lad to score a hattrick across the top leagues in Europe. His parent club, Liverpool, will be hoping this kick-starts his goal scoring exploits.
F.W– Gabriel Agbonlahor (Aston Villa): This final spot was tough to pick. From Robert Lewandoski to Gareth Bale, both of them having excellent weekends. However, I have decided to go with Gabby Agbonlahor. Villa’s 4-0 win away from home was their biggest in a very long time and it was made possible by Agbonlahor’s excellent running, goals and positive decisions. This was a massive win for the club.