Messi and Ronaldo lead European Team of the Season so far

Alisson may have made a couple of errors since joining Liverpool during the summer but the Brazilian has had a massive impact on Merseyside.

His excellent distribution has added a new dimension to the Reds' play, as so spectacularly underlined by his role in the first penalty won in the rout of Arsenal on Saturday.

Alisson has also exhibited a helpful habit of making big saves at big times – it was his ast-minute save against Napoli that saw the Reds through to the last 16 of the Champions League. 

So, while Jan Oblak, Kepa Arrizabalaga, Tomas Vaclik and Samir Handanvoic have all been excellent for their respective sides, none of them have kept more clean sheets than Alisson (14), who also boasts a better save percentage (80.77) than all of his rivals for the No.1 jersey.

Inter's loss has proven Juventus' considerable gain, with Joao Cancelo now excelling in Turin after spending last season in Milan on loan from Valencia.

The Nerazzurri were unable to make the Portuguese's stay at San Siro permanent due to Financial Fair Play restrictions, so the Bianconeri swooped, paying €40.4 million for a player who has made Massimiliano Allegri's defence even stronger.

Compatriot Cristiano Ronaldo is understandably drawing more attention but the versatile Cancelo has been consistently excellent for Juve, offering an outlet down the right flank.

Andy Robertson has admitted that he has grown tried of talking about the brilliance of Liverpool team-mate Virgil van Dijk.

Just like everyone else, the left-back is running out of things to say about the Dutch giant, who has transformed the Reds' defence and, as a consequence, the team's fortunes since arriving at Anfield for record-breaking £75m during the 2018 January transfer window.

The numbers speak for themselves, though, with Premier League leaders Liverpool having only conceded eight goals in 20 matches this season primarily due to Van Dijk's aerial prowess, fantastic reading of the game and organisational skills.

Kalidou Koulibaly has reportedly just signed a contract extension that makes him the highest-paid player at Napoli and there is no player more deserving of that status at the San Paolo.

The Senegalese centre-half has once again been immense at the back for the Partenopei, the foundation on which their game pursuit of Juventus has been built, and his dismissal against Inter does nothing to change that.

Indeed, watching Koulibaly win everything that is thrown at him in the air, week in, week out, it's easy to understand why Manchester United allegedly bid €100m for his services last summer – and why Aurelio De Laurentiis turned it down.

As he underlined with his response to the incessant racial abuse he received at San Siro, Koulibaly is as inspirational a character off the field as he is on it.

It is absolutely mystifying that Barcelona are taking so long to tie Jordi Alba down to a new deal, given the 29-year-old is presently proving himself the best left-back in the world.

Indeed, it's hard to think of a full-back who is so integral to how a top team plays, given the width Alba provides, as well as his telepathetic understanding with Lionel Messi.

Alba, who has six assists already this term, has been so good, in fact, that even Luis Enrique belatedly decided to hand him a Spain recall in spite of their infamously strained relationship.

It says everything about Allan's influence at Napoli this season that Jorginho has not been missed since departing for Chelsea during the summer.

The midfielder has excellent, distributing the ball intelligently and swiftly, as well as doing an excellent job screening the Partenopei defence.

Unsurprisingly, the long underrated Brazilian, who was particularly impressive in Napoli's Champions League clashes with Liverpool and Paris Saint-Germain, has now been capped by his country and looks set for an even bigger 2019.

The only problem with his work now being properly recognised is that he's now attracting interest from other clubs, with PSG reportedly considering making a move!

Borussia Dortmund pulled off a masterstroke in snapping up Axel Witsel during the summer transfer window for just €20 million.

A lot of European football fans appeared to have forgotten about the Belgium international during his two seasons in China with Tianjin Quanjian but he has wasted little time reminding all and sundry of his enduring class by helping his new employers become the dominant force in the Bundesliga with his dynamism and defensive diligence at the base of the BVB midfield.

Luka Modric may have recently claimed the Ballon d'Or but there is no better player in the world than Lionel Messi, who has reminded everyone of the fact with a string of ridiculously good performances for Liga leaders Barcelona.

The No.10 has racked up 21 goals in just 20 games in all competitions, netting six times in just four appearances in Europe to help his side through to the last 16 of the Champions League.

Messi has also racked up a whopping 12 assists – more than any other player in Europe's 'Big Five' leagues – and is the obvious choice for the right wing in spite of the fine form of Kylian Mbappe (16 goals, eight assists) and Mohamed Salah (16 goals, seven assists).

Marco Reus is fully fit and firing again, a most welcome sight for any true football fan, given the 29-year-old's incessant injury issues in recent seasons.

The attacking midfield has been the best player in Germany so far this term, contributing 14 goals and seven assists to propel Borussia Dortmund to the top of the Bundesliga, and into the last 16 of the Champions League as winners of a group that also contained Atletico Madrid. 

It was always highly likely that the signing of Cristiano Ronaldo from Real Madrid would make an eighth consecutive Scudetto a formality for Juventus, and so it has proven, with the Serie A title race already over.

The Portuguese has been unurprisingly decisive, netting 14 goals, including three in the past week alone that not only preserved the Bianconeri's unbeaten record but also saw them reach the halfway point of the season with a historic haul of 53 points.

Of course, Ronaldo was signed to win Juve the Champions League and he, like his team, impressed only sporadically in the group stage, though his volley against Manchester United undoubtedly ranks as one of the goals of the tournament so far. 

So, while the likes of Neymar (16 goals, seven assists) and Eden Hazard (12 goals, nine assists) have both been in fine form for their respective clubs, Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea, the still unstoppable Ronaldo is our pick for the left wing.

Bayern Munich's form may have fluctuated wildly during the first half of the season but Robert Lewandowski has been consistently brilliant.

The Poland international has scored 22 goals in all competitions, making him the top scorer among those currently operating in Europe's 'Big Five' leagues.

As a result, Lewandowski gets the nod for our central striking berth just ahead of his compatriot and Serie A Capocannoniere Krzysztof Piatek, who has struck 19 times in 19 games for Genoa, and Tottenham hotshot Harry Kane (17 goals, five assists).