Champions League Team of the Week: De Gea and Bayern Munich trio feature

Champions League Team of the Week, featuring David de Gea and a trio of Bayern Munich stars.

David de Gea was at his formidable best as Manchester United drew 0-0 in Sevilla in the Champions League last 16 first leg on Wednesday.

Yet while the Red Devils had their goalkeeper to thank, Bayern Munich flexed their attacking muscle against Besiktas 24 hours earlier. Thomas Muller, Robert Lewandowski and Kingsley Coman were all in peak form against the Black Eagles.

Find out who else made the team of the week after the first legs of all the last-16 ties were completed:

Goalkeeper: David de Gea, Manchester United

There simply isn’t a better goalkeeper in the game right now than de Gea. The Spain international can make saves which defy physics.

He made two such logic-defying stops late in the first half against Sevilla. The first was to turn over a header from point-blank range by Steven N’Zonzi. It was soon followed by an even better stop to tip over a Luis Muriel header.

Even by de Gea’s high standards, both saves were awes inspiring. What the former Atletico Madrid ‘keeper has done is make the spectacular his routine.

A goalie with such talent is worth his weight in gold. De Gea’s value to the Red Devils was summed up by these numbers from WhoScored.com:

If a cagey United team is going to go far in this competition, de Gea will need to remain at the top of his game.

Defender: Jordi Alba, Barcelona

Barcelona’s success this season owes as much to a miserly defense as to the goals and wizardry of Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez. The leaner, meaner Barca back line proved its resolve during Tuesday’s 1-1 draw against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

Jordi Alba was one of the key figures in manager Ernesto Valverde’s traditional back four. The left-back stuck to the task of marking wide forward Pedro.

He was also smart about the way he picked up false 9 Eden Hazard. Alba refused to be pulled out of position or dragged deep by the Belgian’s movement, but stayed tight to the Blues’ danger man whenever he drifted wide.

As good as he was defensively, Alba was also a joy to watch going forward. The 28-year-old was relentless with his runs forward. He was also proficient in possession, playing smart passes and recycling the ball well between the lines.

Alba’s comfort on the ball was one reason why the visitors dominated the passing and eventually got the equaliser they deserved through Messi late on.

Defender: Chris Smalling, Manchester United

Words such as solid and reliable haven’t always applied to Chris Smalling this season. Yet the England international was both of those things at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan Stradium.

Smalling was typically aggressive and commanding in the air. He dealt with any high deliveries aimed at N’Zonzi and Vazquez.

However, what stood out most about the centre-back’s stout performance was how he dealt with a different kind of threat. Sevilla manager Vincenzo Montella’s curious decision to start Muriel through the middle ahead of top scorer Wissam Ben Yedder meant United could be troubled by pace and varied movement.

Those things usually make Smalling uncomfortable, but the 28-year-old never let runners in behind. He was usually in position to intercept a quick layoff and deny Sevilla the combination passing at close quarters their lack of a target man demanded.

Defender: Antonio Valencia, Manchester United

If Smalling had his hands full with Muriel, Antonio Valencia was often swarmed upon by a host of wide players. Joaquin Correa, Pablo Sarabia and Jesus Navas all ran United ragged out wide.

While all three threatened to break down the visitors’ resolve, they never quite managed it. Valencia’s savvy performance was a big reason why.

The seasoned 32-year-old showed all of his experience as he rarely got drawn to the ball and let pace in behind him. Valencia’s positional sense was matched by his instinct for knowing when to shepherd a runner away from the box or when to take decisive action and stop a threat at source.

Considering United’s defense got little covering support from wide attackers Juan Mata and Alexis Sanchez, the efforts of Valencia were all the more impressive.

Midfielder: Kingsley Coman, Bayern Munich

Coman was the proverbial livewire against Besiktas, stretching the visitors beyond breaking point at the Allianz Arena. The coltish Frenchman was all pace and trickery from the start.

Not only was he direct and bold when taking on markers, Coman also used space intelligently. He regularly switched wings and picked the right moments to ghost through the middle.

Calmness and composure are two qualities the mercurial 21-year-old has added to his game this season. Vision and technique are now as prominent as speed and flair.

There was class and efficiency about the way he scored Bayern’s second. Coman finished a beautiful move by coolly slotting Lewandowski’s smart pass into the bottom corner.

It was the finish of a player growing in confidence and maturity.

Midfielder: Ivan Rakitic, Barcelona

Few Champions League midfielders used the ball as well as Ivan Rakitic at Stamford Bridge. The Croatia international was measured and astute with his passing in west London.

Chelsea’s rigid defensive shape forced Barcelona to build steadily through midfield. The Blaugrana didn’t mind being patient, though, not with Rakitic dictating the pace of play.

His neat distribution was matched by a willingness to play a little deeper than his natural game dictates. Rakitic was the player who got Barca moving forward, but left Andres Iniesta to probe further forward.

This was a disciplined performance defined more by progressive quality on the ball than destructive tendencies.

Midfielder: Fred, Shakhtar Donetsk

Unlike Rakitic, Fred’s reputation has been built on his defensive work. However, the Manchester City target proved he can offer plenty in attacking areas by netting the winner for Shakhtar Donetsk in Wednesday’s 2-1 victory over Roma.

Fred scored his first Champions League goal thanks to fiercely struck free-kick. The spectacular strike capped an assured performance from a player justifying the interest from the Premier League leaders.

Fred has the eye for a pass and timing when tackling former Shakhtar star Fernandinho used to secure a move to City in 2013. Based on his current showings, Fred will be as worthy a replacement for Fernandinho at City as he’s proved at Shakhtar.

Next: Champions League round of 16 power rankings

Midfielder: Willian, Chelsea

A quite wonderful finish was Willian’s just reward for a superb effort against Barca. The Brazilian’s remit was to roam the flanks and get close in support of Hazard.

Willian stuck to his demanding dual role superbly. He dovetailed well with Hazard’s movement, never missing a chance to rotate through the middle when a gap appeared.

As good as he was, though, fortune hardly favoured Willian. The gifted forward struck both posts before opening the scoring.

Even so, his goal was worth the wait, coming from a pinpoint finish eased into the net with the precision of a through pass.

The goal was hardly a surprise, since Willian has outshone some of the tournament’s biggest names when shooting from distance, according to OptaJohan:

With attackers as talented as Willian in this sort of form, it would be a mistake to rule out Chelsea springing an upset at the Camp Nou in the second leg on Wednesday, March 14.

Striker: Thomas Muller, Bayern Munich

Two goals and an assist were all in a night’s work for Muller. The player who just loves the Champions League was at his best against Besiktas.

Thoughtful movement, always a feature of Muller’s game, routinely put him in dangerous positions. The 28-year-old had a sixth sense for where the gaps would be in the Besiktas defense and exploited them ruthlessly.

His goals were both predatory finishes from close in, proof of Muller’s instincts for seizing chances. His pass for Lewandowski’s second and Bayern’s fifth was an ideally weighted and inch-perfect ball delivered from a player who saves his best for the biggest stage.

Having Muller back in the groove is one more reason why Bayern should be feared by the rest. Die Roten have been clicking into gear since Jupp Heynckes returned as manager and restored talents like Muller to the lineup.

Striker: Robert Lewandowski, Bayern Munich

Lewandowski wouldn’t let himself be outdone by Muller. The Polish powerhouse also chipped in with an assist and a pair of goals.

It was Lewandoski who teed up Coman with a slick return pass. He was just as assured when the chances came his way.

Lewandowski’s first goal came about when he was quickest to react after Mats Hummels’ shot had been parried. Later, the 29-year-old proved he’s lost none of his pace when he raced clear to meet Muller’s pass and slot in Bayern’s fifth.

Lewandowski led a fluid forward line in frightening form, per BBC Sport:

"Their front three of Lewandowski, Coman and the talismanic Muller, who was shrewdly rested in their previous Bundesliga win over Wolfsburg, had 16 shots between them and two assists."

Not many teams can match Bayern’s depth and quality in attacking areas.

Striker: Lionel Messi, Barcelona

Barca are one of the few who can feel their attacking menace is the equal of Bayern’s. The Blaugrana are always strong up top as long as Messi is still pulling the strings.

He was at his most threatening for portions of the trip to Chelsea. Playing against a familiar foe, one he hadn’t scored against in eight previous matches, brought out the best in Messi.

The 30-year-old produced a few familiar slalom-style runs to help break down Chelsea’s deep defending. He also conjured one or two delightful passes from his wand of a left foot.

Eventually, the Blues shackled Barca’s brilliant No. 10 by having Cesc Fabregas stay glued to him. However, Messi will only stay quiet for so long, and his deft movement got him free of his marker to make no mistake with the equalizer in the 75th minute.

The goal only underlined Barcelona’s reliance on their pocket-edition talisman, per Squawka Football:

Barca needn’t worry about the reliance, though, since there’s no better player to be beholding to than Messi.