Team of Week 29: Decisive Williams sinks Sociedad, Tchouameni, Griezmann, Amallah thrive

Inaki and Nico Williams during a LaLiga match | Imago

LALIGA Team of Week 29: Decisive Williams sinks Sociedad, Tchouameni, Griezmann, Amallah thrive

Seye Omidiora 11:15 - 18.04.2023

Following every round of LaLiga fixtures, Pulse Sports presents the most impressive performers of the matchday.

Atletico Madrid continued their impressive run of wins in gameweek 29, claiming a sixth successive victory to extend their ongoing unbeaten run to 13. Here are the round’s most impressive performers.

Pulse Sports LaLiga Team of Week 29

Goalkeeper

David Gil (Cadiz)

Despite conceding twice in Cadiz’s 2-0 loss against Real Madrid on Saturday, Gil was the home side’s standout performer.

The shot-stopper made no less than nine saves in 90 minutes against a side that had 35 attempts at goal, accumulating Expected Goals (xG) of 3.5.

Gil’s showing kept the outcome respectable for the relegation contenders and merits his spot based on that performance.

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Defenders

Jesus Navas (Sevilla)

Navas thrived in Sevilla’s 2-0 win at 18th-placed Valencia, which helped to open a seven-point gap between the clubs.

The captain overlapped with purpose, looked to play the ball forward when necessary and never shirked his defensive responsibility.

At 37, it was a commendable showing from the right-back, who featured in his 25th game of the season as Sevilla move to 13th.

Eder Militao (Real Madrid)

The Real Madrid centre-back played outstandingly in Los Blancos’ 2-0 triumph at Cadiz, with the variation in his passing especially striking at Estadio Ramon de Carranza.

Militao misplaced just six passes in 90 minutes, won seven of 10 dues altogether and made five recoveries.

The result saw Carlo Ancelotti’s men return to winning ways, thus keeping Atletico Madrid third after round 29.

Eder Militao Real Madrid Cadiz LaLiga
Eder Militao was impressive in Real Madrid's 2-0 win over Cadiz

Jawad El Yamiq (Real Valladolid)

El Yamiq was the match-winner for relegation-threatened Valladolid, who stunned Villarreal 2-1 at Estadio de la Ceramica.

Apart from that goal, the Morocco defender’s front-foot style led to a series of interceptions and recoveries — five and six respectively — and he had a 100 percent record in his tussles, albeit from two duels.

The result was Blanquivioletas’ first win in five games, seeing them move five points clear of the bottom three with nine games to play.

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Juan Miranda (Real Betis)

After two defeats for Real Betis against Atletico Madrid and Cadiz without scoring, Betis claimed maximum points with a 3-1 success over Espanyol.

Miranda was a menace from left-back, creating a plethora of chances (four) throughout the game, albeit still without getting his first assist of the season.

The wide defender did score his second of the campaign to make it 2-0 in the 34th minute of the clash, ultimately helping Betis close the gap on fourth-placed Real Sociedad to three in the battle to end in the final Champions League spot.

Midfielders

Guido Rodriguez (Real Betis)

While Miranda probably got more plaudits for the chances fashioned and goal scored, Rodriguez’s midfield performance was almost as outstanding.

The midfielder’s control over proceedings was admirable and the accuracy of the 29-year-old’s passing was noteworthy. 50 of 55 pass attempts found their intended target, and a few of those were long-range passes.

No player won more than Rodriguez’s 13 duels in the game as Betis returned to winning ways.

Aurelien Tchouameni (Real Madrid)

Tchouameni had one of his finest performances for Los Blancos in the middle of the park against Cadiz, fashioning no less than three chances and setting up Nacho Fernandez’s goal.

The Frenchman played nine passes into the final third, demonstrating his front-foot nature, and he did not avoid getting dirty as he got in the way of four shots and cleared the ball from danger whenever he needed to.

Tchouameni in action for Real Madrid

Forwards

Inaki Williams (Athletic Club)

Williams came up trumps for Athletic Club in their 2-0 win over Real Sociedad in the Basque derby, scoring twice against La Real at San Mames.

The Ghana international has scored eight Liga goals this season, matching last year’s return in fewer games, with the campaign still having a few rounds to run.

That triumph not only saw Athletic boost their European ambition — they are four points adrift of Villarreal in sixth — but potentially gives Betis a lifeline as they chase down Sociedad.

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Selim Amallah (Real Valladolid)

A decisive performance in a match they were expected to lose sees Amallah make it into this week’s XI after his goal and assist in Valladolid’s 2-1 success at Villarreal.

The Morocco international opened the scoring after only two minutes against the Yellow Submarine and set up his countryman’s goal just after the half-hour mark.

Having netted his first LaLiga goal last week, Amallah seems to be finding some form at the business end of the season for the relegation-threatened side.

Ayoze Perez (Real Betis)

Perez was vital to Betis’ 3-1 win over Espanyol at the weekend, scoring and assisting in the triumph for the dominant hosts.

Ayoze Perez Real Betis
Ayoze Perez had two goal contributions in Real Betis' 3-1 win over Espanyol

Interestingly, it was the Spaniard’s first assist of the season, although he has netted eight league goals in 2022-23.

The result keeps Manuel Pellegrini’s team three points behind Sociedad who were beaten in the Basque derby over the weekend.

Antoine Griezmann (Atletico Madrid)

Atletico’s post-World Cup form has been impressive, and they extended their unbeaten run to 13 since that 1-0 defeat by Barcelona at the start of January.

Los Colchoneros secured their sixth victory on the spin, with Griezmann the standout player in a 2-1 success over Almeria.

The Frenchman scored twice in the opening half, either side of a Leo Baptistao equaliser, to help the Madrid outfit claim maximum points and take his return in 2022-23 to 11 goals.

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Diego Simeone’s team are only two points adrift of fierce rivals Real Madrid in the standings.

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