Barcelona star Messi shines once again to make European best XI

 

There have been five perfect 10s handed out in LaLiga this season. Barcelona ace Lionel Messi accounts for four of them after his standout display against Levante at the weekend. Teenage trio Jadon Sancho, Erling Haaland and Ansu Fati all make the cut, as does PSG's Neymar, who partners Sancho in the middle of the park in the WhoScored European team of the week... 

 

Goalkeeper: Hugo Lloris (Tottenham) - 8.82 rating 

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Tottenham rode their luck in their 2-0 win over defending Premier League champions Manchester City on Sunday afternoon, as goals from Steven Bergwijn and Son Heung-Min secured all three points in a smash-and-grab showing. However, it was captain Hugo Lloris who was the star performer from the victory as the Frenchman saved a first half Ilkay Gundogan penalty, that one of six saves, to return a WhoScored rating of 8.82. 

 

Right-back: Kingsley Ehizibue (FC Koln) - 8.76 rating 

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From a personel perspective, it's a been a solid start to 2020 for Kingsley Ehizibue. He grabbed his first assist of the season, admittedly in a 5-1 loss at Borussia Dortmund, last weekend, and followed that up with his first league goal of the campaign as FC Koln secured a fine 4-0 win over Freiburg. The goal came from his only shot of the match, as the Dutchman dealt with any aerial bombardment with ease, winning six headed battles, to help land a WhoScored rating of 8.76. 

 

Centre-back: Yerry Mina (Everton) - 8.55 rating 

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It was a weekend of goalscoring centre-backs in the Premier League as Yerry Mina's brace helped 10-man Everton to a 3-2 win at Watford on Saturday. The away triumph marked the Colombian's first goals of the season as he netted with his two shots, while defensively, Mina's proactive approach ensured Everton ended the away day woes at Vicarage Road as four clearances and three tackles saw the centre-back come away from the unlikely win with a WhoScored rating of 8.55. 

 

Centre-back: Antonio Rudiger (Chelsea) - 8.43 rating 

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With a WhoScored rating of 8.43, Antonio Rudiger partners Mina at the heart of the defence in the European team of the week. The German netted twice in Chelsea's 2-2 draw at Leicester as he took matters into his own hands in the Blues' push for goals. To go with his brace, Rudiger also won four aerial duels and made one tackle, one interception and one clearance to cap a solid afternoon. 

 

Left-back: Layvin Kurzawa (PSG) - 8.25 rating 

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The first of two PSG players - no prizes for guessing who the second is - Arsenal fans will have been buoyed to see Layvin Kurzawa put in a commendable showing from left-back as the Parisian outfit romped to a 5-0 home win over Montpellier at the weekend. The French defender scored his first league goal of the campaign in the victory, that coming from one of four shots, as Kurzawa routinely pushed forward to chance his luck in the final third. Defensively, Kurzawa made three tackles and one interception in a clean sheet attaining outing that yielded a WhoScored rating of 8.25. 

 

Barcelona star Messi shines once again to make European best XI

 

Right midfield: Lionel Messi (Barcelona) - 10.0 rating 

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With a perfect WhoScored 10 rating, Barcelona's Lionel Messi is our European player of the week. While the Argentine failed to hit the back of the net from any of his 10 shots, Messi was still pivotal in the final third. His seven key passes yielded two assists, both for teenage attacker Ansu Fati, in a 2-1 home win over Levante, one of which was a perfectly weighted pass for the 17-year-old to run onto. An additional nine successful dribbles helped push Messi's rating to a 10, the fourth such time he has achieved the score in a LaLiga match this season. 

 

Central midfield: Neymar (PSG) - 9.80 rating 

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Neymar made his 14th league appearance of the campaign in PSG's 5-0 win over Montpellier. The victory marked his eighth man of the match performance in Ligue 1 this season as the Brazilian star came away from the home encounter with a WhoScored rating of 9.80. While the 27-year-old only had a direct hand in one of the five goals scored, providing the assist for Kylian Mbappe's second half strike, that assist came from one of four key passes. Neymar also drew nine fouls and completed 10 dribbles as he once again excelled in the French capital. 

 

Central midfield: Jadon Sancho (Borussia Dortmund) - 9.34 rating

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Jadon Sancho does things in twos at the moment, specifically one goal and one assist. For the third league game running, the winger scored one and assisted another as Borussia Dortmund landed a 5-0 win over Union Berlin. His one goal came from two shots and one assist from his sole key pass of the match as the teenager again drove forward with purpose, completing six dribbles, to partner Neymar in this XI.

 

Left midfield: Ansu Fati (Barcelona) - 9.43 rating

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Rounding off the Barcelona contingent, and the midfield in the best XI, is star-in-the-making Ansu Fati. The 17-year-old scored his third and fourth league goals of the campaign as Barcelona edged past Levante at Camp Nou, with his brace coming from five shots. Fati could've had himself an assist, too, having made three key passes, but it was his work out of possession that saw him return a WhoScored rating of 9.43 as the youngster made four tackles and one interception to continue his rise to stardom.

 

Barcelona star Messi shines once again to make European best XI

 

Striker: Erling Haaland (Borussia Dortmund) - 9.10 rating

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What a start to the year it has been for Erling Haaland. The teenager scored his sixth and seventh league goals of 2020 as Borussia Dortmund thrashed FC Koln 5-0 on home turf as he maintains his sprint start to life in Germany following his arrival from Salzburg. Showing tremendous prolificacy, Haaland scored with each of his two shots and linked up well with teammates, returning a pass success rate of 92.9%, as the Norwegian garnered a WhoScored rating of 9.10.

 

Striker: Ciro Immobile (Lazio) - 9.99 rating

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Finishing off this XI is Europe's leading marksman, Ciro Immobile. The Italian hotshot netted twice as Lazio gave SPAL the runaround on home turf, earning a 5-1 win, taking the 29-year-old's total to 25 league goals this season. Immobile's two goals came from three shots, while the experienced forwarded landed an assist, too, that coming as a result of one of three key passes. An additional three successful dribbles saw the Lazio striker come away from the win over SPAL with a WhoScored rating of 9.99.

Barcelona star Messi shines once again to make European best XI