The Liga Adelante team of the month for February

February bore witness to an epic battle in the race for first place in the Liga Adelante, with just two points now separating the top five teams in the table. Sixth place, the last of the play-off spots, is currently occupied by R Zaragoza, but the Aragon outfit cannot afford to take their foot off the gas anytime soon as SC Ponferradina and DC Leganés are hot on their heels. The relegation dogfight is also throwing up plenty of excitement and even contests. The LFP.es editorial team have selected the eleven men who, in our view, were February's most outstanding players.

Between the sticks

Jon Ander Serantes only conceded three times for CD Leganés during February. He kept two clean sheets to record a six-game streak of not having to pick the ball out of his net. As well as that, Serantes saved two penalties during the second month of the year, against R. Racing C. and AD Alcorcón.

In defence

Three players from R Valladolid CF, a club sitting in second place, have made it into the team of the month and it is no accident that two of them, Marc Valiente and Carlos Peña, are defenders. The team managed by Joan Francesc Ferrer 'Rubi' only conceded three goals in February.

Level on points with the Castile and León outfit are R. Sporting, whose right back, Alberto Lora, makes it into the team of the month. The experienced Madrid native captains the young back line that has so far had an impressive campaign in the championship. Joining Lora on the dream team for another time is Martín Mantovani, as both these players were also named in the ideal XI back in December. CD Leganés's Argentinian player is developing into a more important figure within the division along with his team, and acts as a rock-solid pillar in the Madrid outfit's defence with each game that passes.

The centre of the park

The midfield is made up of three players from the top-three teams in the table, UD Las Palmas, Valladolid and Girona FC. The Canary Islanders' Nauzet Alemán bagged two goals last month, one of which earned his side a valuable win over Racing.

Valladolid's Óscar González is also a provider of important goals. He scored three times during his team's three wins in February. He is also close to equalling his best ever goals tally in a single season, 13, a record he set during the 2011-12 campaign. Matching these two in terms of creative contribution is Girona's Álex Granell, who also chipped in with two goals of his own last month.

Up front

But there is no shortage of goalscorers in the Liga Adelante, evidence of which was when the 700-goal mark was reached in matchday 27 of the season. Seven of these were scored by Sporting's 19-year-old sensation Carlos Castro, who is beginning to become a real nuisance for opposition back lines.

Meanwhile, Manuel Jesús Vázquez 'Chuli', who joined Leganés during the winter transfer window, has already notched up five goals with the Madrid outfit and enjoyed a phenomenal February in which he hit the mark four times in four games. The forward line is completed with UE Llagostera's Juanjo Expósito. The Catalans managed to climb out of the relegation zone with three wins and a draw, with Juanjo playing an important role during this ascent up the table with two goals.