Sports Mole's La Liga Team of the Week

Atletico Madrid's hopes of retaining the La Liga title took a huge blow this weekend following a 2-0 defeat at Celta Vigo.

Real Madrid and Barcelona both won, however, leaving Atletico seven points behind the league leaders Los Blancos after 23 games of the season.

Week 23's action opened on Friday evening and it was an entertaining start to proceedings as Almeria and Real Sociedad shared the points in a 2-2 draw.

Sevilla beat Cordoba 3-0 in Saturday's opening fixture to get their top-four challenge back on track, before Real Madrid recorded a fairly routine 2-0 win over Deportivo La Coruna at the Bernabeu.

Granada and Athletic Bilbao then played out a goalless draw, before Espanyol ended the evening with an impressive 2-0 win at out-of-form Malaga.

On Sunday, Valencia regained fourth position with a 1-0 victory over Getafe, before Barcelona thumped Levante 5-0 at the Camp Nou to move within one point of the leaders Real Madrid.

Villarreal's top-four hopes took a hit in Sunday's penultimate match, however, as they lost 2-0 at Rayo Vallecano, who eased their relegation fears with all three points.

The evening ended with Celta's much-deserved victory over the champions Atletico.

Eibar and Elche concluded Week 23's action on Monday evening and it was the visitors that emerged victorious.

Here, Sports Mole picks out its 11 star performers following another enthralling weekend of La Liga action.

Sergio Alvarez (Celta Vigo)
The Spaniard did not have too many saves to make in his side's 2-0 win over Atletico, but he was a real tower of strength between the sticks. The stopper's standout moment came in the second period when he somehow pushed an effort from Antoine Griezmann onto the post.

Nicolas Pareja (Sevilla)
Almeria had some bright moments during their 3-0 defeat at Sevilla on Saturday, but they could not make the breakthrough in the final third. Much of their struggles were down to the performance of Pareja, who put in a strong and experienced display at the heart of the back four.
Marc Bartra (Barcelona)
The centre-back has been in and out of the Barca XI this season, but he made a contribution this weekend. The Spaniard helped shut out Levante with a confident and composed defensive performance, while he also set up Lionel Messi for the Argentine's first of his three goals at the Camp Nou.
Andreu Fontas (Celta Vigo)
Atletico forwards Mario Mandzukic and Griezmann both struggled in their 2-0 defeat at Celta, with Fontas ruling the back four for the home side. The former Barcelona centre-back made a number of crucial blocks in the second period and showed his composure in possession of the ball.

Isco (Real Madrid)
Real Madrid have just lost a bit of form in recent weeks, but one of their standout players of the season – Isco – is still in an excellent moment. The midfielder opened the scoring in his side's 2-0 win over Deportivo with a curling effort, while he also set up a number of chances in the second half.
Vicente Iborra (Sevilla)
Iborra scored Sevilla's third and final goal in their comfortable win over Cordoba on Saturday afternoon. The midfielder has been deployed in a more advanced area in recent weeks and it certainly seems to be working. The 27-year-old has been one of his side's standout players this season.
Xavi (Barcelona)
The legs might not move as fast as they once did, but the brain is still ticking. Xavi's involvement at Barca has been limited this season, but he turned back the clock with a vintage performance against Levante. The midfielder's range of passing and awareness were a joy to behold.
Gael Kakuta (Rayo Vallecano)
The on-loan Chelsea winger was Rayo's standout performer in their 2-0 win over Villarreal on Sunday evening. The 23-year-old gave the Yellow Submarine's defence a torrid time in forward areas, while he scored his side's second of the match late on. It was a fine performance from the Frenchman.

Lionel Messi (Barcelona)
The Argentine is arguably in the form of his life at the moment and that continued at the weekend. Messi struck an excellent hat-trick in the 5-0 demolition of Levante, while he also boosted his assist tally by setting up Neymar early on. Levante just could not live with the 27-year-old.
Nolito (Celta Vigo)
One of two Celta forwards to make this particular team, Nolito opened the scoring in his side's impressive 2-0 win over Atletico. The Spaniard was involved in absolutely everything for the hosts, with his movement in the final third creating a number of chances.
Fabian Orellana (Celta Vigo)
Orellana absolutely ran the show in Celta's 2-0 win over Atletico. The Chilean gave the Atletico defence nightmares throughout the contest, while he got his name on the scoresheet late on with an excellent finish. He has the talent to absolutely thrive at this level, but needs more consistency.