One Barcelona player makes the European Team of the Week but it's not Lionel Messi

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  • Four-goal hero Mauro Icardi

    Europe was left on all fours, aghast by the goalscoring exploits of three otherworldly forwards this weekend as Inter Milan, Real Madrid and Liverpool produced stunning victories.

    Despite the limited Premier League schedule with FA Cup action on the menu, there was still a feast of action across Europe’s top-five leagues.

    With that in mind, here is our European Team of the Week.

    GK – Alex Meret (SPAL)

    Juventus hadn’t failed to score in an away game since last September and that was against Barcelona. SPAL are flitting dangerously above the Serie A drop zone and so when title-chasing Juve visited, the expectation was for a walk over. Not to be as 20-year-old Meret burnished his reputation as one of Italy’s bright young goalkeepers with a commanding display in a 0-0 draw.

    CB – Aleksandar Kolarov (Roma)

    Whisper it quietly but the Roma defender has been one of Serie A’s best signings this season. The 32-year-old was razor-sharp in the 2-0 win over Crotone, producing a devilish cross – the type impossible to defend between keeper and centre-back – for Stephan El Shaarawy to tap home. It was his sixth league assist of the season – the most by a defender in Serie A.

    CB – Gerard Pique (Barcelona)

    A colossus at the back in Barca’s 2-0 win over Athletic Bilbao. He won everything in the air and made several well-timed interventions to switch his side from defence to attack. He was second for interceptions (three) and first for both clearances (seven) and blocked shots (two). His centre-back partner Samuel Umtiti is routinely praised for imposing performances but Pique warrants a eulogy this week.

    CB – James Tomkins (Crystal Palace)

    While reluctant to include centre-backs in this team due to goalscoring exploits, it’s hard to ignore the performance of Tomkins in the 2-0 triumph over Huddersfield. The three points lifted Palace out of the Premier League’s bottom three and Tomkins was a pillar of strength, continuing his fine form of late. He poked home the opener from a corner and was assured all afternoon.

    AM – Ishak Belfodil (Werder Bremen) 

    Werder Bremen are experiencing another second-half season surge and that form is being mirrored by the Algerian. Having failed to find the net in the Bundesliga since December, the 26-year-old scored twice and assisted the other in a 3-1 defeat of Augsburg. The two goals – scored in the first half – were a complete contrast. The opener saw Belfodil sharply cut in from the right before curling home, the second was thanks to a fortunate ricochet off the keeper.

    CM – Naby Keita (Liverpool)

    German football is losing an extraordinary talent. The Liverpool-bound midfielder was instrumental in Leipzig’s historic comeback win over Bayern Munich. He clinically plundered the equaliser and delightfully assisted Timo Werner for the winner. Leipzig’s woeful finishing denied him from bloating his assists column.

    CM – Toni Kroos (Real Madrid)

    Suffice to say the Real Madrid maestro has been less cruise control and more panic mode this season with a string of unusually careless performances. Against Girona, he was superb, though. Everything ran through him as he dropped deep and orchestrated play ahead of him.  Quick of thought and accurate with the application, he assisted Cristiano Ronaldo twice.

    AM – Josip Ilicic (Atalanta)

    Hat-tricks for everyone this weekend it seems with the Slovenian one of four to hit at least three in our XI. European hopefuls Atalanta stormed to a 5-0 win over lowly Verona, Ilicic reaching double figures in the league this season with his treble. The 30-year-old scored from the spot and then produced two wonderful strikes to complete his hat-trick.

    FW – Mohamed Salah (Liverpool)

    Four goals, one assist and a comparison with Lionel Messi – yes, Salah was that good against Watford. The “Egyptian King” surpassed even his own ridiculous standards this term to produce a practically perfect performance. Beyond the statistical acclaim – Salah has now scored 28 league goals this season – he was a real handful and rose far above his peers. Watch his hat-trick goal – disgusting.

    ST – Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid)

    It was nice of the Portuguese superstar to give the rest of his La Liga rivals a three-month headstart in the Pichichi race but he’s back in the contest and not slowing down. No one rivals his movement off the ball and his four-goal haul is a testament to that. It’s now 17 goals in his last eight games and the 33-year-old is on another level right now.

    FW – Mauro Icardi (Inter Milan)

    Another apex predator who is finding form again is Icardi. He emphatically erased the doubts around his talent after a mini-drought following an injury return with four goals at Sampdoria. In the process, he became the sixth-youngest player to break through the 100-goal mark in Serie A and those links with Real Madrid will likely begin popping up again.

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