January's La Liga Dream Team: Muriqi leads the charge as Fede finds his groove
Radio MARCA's La Pizarra has selected their Team of the Month for January, with Mallorca's Muriqi and Real Madrid's Valverde standing out among a fresh batch of La Liga stars.
A new year brings fresh faces to the Spanish football spotlight as Radio MARCA’s La Pizarra program reveals their January Team of the Month, with not a single player retaining their place from December’s selection.
Between the sticks
Levante’s Mathew Ryan claims the goalkeeper spot with some proper Bobby Dazzler stats - 19 saves and 2.51 goals prevented. These numbers tell the story of a keeper whose performances have been crucial to his team’s fortunes, with Quintana noting the Australian’s influence during “a month of turning point” for Levante.
Solid at the back
The defensive line shows a blend of reliability and attacking threat:
- Fede Valverde (Real Madrid) - Shining from right-back with two assists, two clean sheets and 14 recoveries
- Raúl Asencio (Real Madrid) - Contributing two goals while winning 10 of 13 duels
- Vitor Reis (Girona) - Adding a goal and assist while helping secure two clean sheets
- Sergio Carreira (Celta Vigo) - Described as “one of the men of the season” by De Llano, contributing a goal and assist in three matches
Valverde’s performances particularly impressed the panel, with Nahuel suggesting his displays have “reminded us of the version we’ve seen in his best moments at Real Madrid.”
Midfield maestros
The engine room features contrasting but complementary profiles:
- Lamine Yamal (Barcelona) - The creative spark with a goal, assist and 13 key passes
- Miguel Román (Celta Vigo) - The reliable distributor with 88% pass accuracy and 3.4 recoveries per game
- Beñat Turrientes (Real Sociedad) - Winning 19 of 29 duels while adding an assist
Lamine’s performance against Real Sociedad drew special praise, with Adrián noting his improved physical condition and comfort on the pitch.
Leading the line
Up top, the selection highlights three forwards who’ve been directly influencing results:
- Víctor Muñoz - The disruptor with two goals, 15 dribbles and 74 carries, described as “a player who can shake up any match”
- Vedat Muriqi (Mallorca) - The main man with five goals - remarkably, the only goals scored by Mallorca all month
- Mikel Oyarzabal (Real Sociedad) - Contributing three decisive goals that earned his team five points
Tactical genius
Pellegrino Matarazzo completes the selection as January’s top manager, collecting 10 points from a possible 12 while maximizing his squad’s collective performance.
Muriqi’s impact can’t be overstated - the big man up front has been absolutely carrying Mallorca on his shoulders. When one player scores literally all your team’s goals in a month, that’s not just form - that’s being the dog’s dinner!