ASSISTKINGS QUARTERLY: 10 BEST CREATORS IN FUTBOL

      

Welcome back dear readers, to ASSISTKINGS QUARTERLY REDUX. 
       We haven't seen much movement as far as numbers of assists being racked up by certain players, so it forces us to engage in our favorite past time: digging deep into the performances, the matches, the stats, everything...
           We are emphasizing recency in the total assists category as assists begin to be harder to come by in the business end of the season, although total chance creation, goals created, as well as the Legacy Metric aka their performance over the entire season and their appearances on our lists factor in as well.  
       Although we don't play favorites here, we just want the best. 
        Tell us what you think below and who your top 10 ASSISTKINGS are. 
        I WANNA KNOW!

Key: UDGC = Uncredited direct goal contributions aka earned own goals, earned penalties where the foul stopped an obvious goalscoring chance, deflected passes (that still met their intended target) are included, as well as shots on target resulting in rebound scoring. This is a way to keep track of the overall goals a player has created.
ASSISTHAPPENINGS:

- West Ham's Robert Snodgrass created 6 chances in 10 minutes for the Hammers, producing 8 overall including an assist.


10
JOSHUA KIMMICH (Bayern)
-13 assists overall
-10 in the Bundesliga
(joint leader with Jadon Sancho)

              With 1 assist in his last 3 matches and 1 key pass over his last 2, Kimmich has seen a decline in his creative exploits, while a spotlight has been shown on his defensive qualities as of late and as the light has glown ever brighter on the big stage, Kimmich has answered the call.
              In addition to his heroic performance in defense against Liverpool in which he rebuffed 3 goalscoring chances from Andrew Robertson and Sadio Mane on the left wing, he followed this up with a clearance off of the line in a 1-0 Bayern victory, a contribution as good as an assist for the German right back, especially when trying to keep pace with Borussia Dortmund in the Bundesliga table.
             Kimmich will get his assists sooner rather than later, but he stays on this list (just barely) thanks to his overall, consistent production in the final third over the course of the season.

9
JORDI ALBA  (Barca)

-12 assists overall
-7 in La Liga
-3 in UCL

        Alba hasn't had an assist since the 6-1 obliteration of Sevilla in the Copa Del Rey, however it hasn't been for a lack of effort.
        This weekend, Alba played a perfect ball into Messi for another chapter in their telepathic give and go fantasy novel: the Alba ball on the ground (untouchable in its merriment) into the box followed by a Messi run inside to meet it with his left foot.  Only this time Messi skied the opportunity over the bar, an atypical finish from a typically brilliant Barca move.
      Just as Kimmich has been bombarded in defense recently (as the matches become more intense and with grave importance placed on fullbacks defending as well as attacking, obviously), Alba has been pinned back just the same, against Sevilla's Jesus Navas and Lyon's Bertrand Traore, but he's still managed to carve out chances for his Barcelona teammates, producing 7 key passes dating back to the 1-1 vs Real Madrid, with a trio of chances created this weekend as the return of Samuel Umtiti on the left side of defense has boosted Alba's threat level midnight up the left wing. Alba has been in good recent form, too, with 5 assists in his last 9 matches.
        Despite the dry spell, he stays!

8

JULIAN BRANDT (Leverkeusen)

-9 assists overall
-7 in the Bundesliga
-UDGC: 3
-Hits the post: 1

           This young German has been under the radar ever since his highly rumored Liverpool saga (for the last few seasons) failed to materialize; even his electric cameos off of the bench in the World Cup that nearly saved Germany's campaign didn't get him the plaudits (he hit the post twice in two 1 goal defeats).
        But if you watch Julian Brandt play, as I'm sure Germany manager Joachim Lowe is, you'll see an adept midfielder with brilliant turns on the ball, advanced vision that's near supernatural when he's on and an all-around work ethic that devastates opponents as much as it impresses us.
        Brandt tried in vain to keep Leverkeusen alive in the Europa league, putting in a cross that couldn't be dealt with, finding its way into the back of the net, but they still needed another goal to advance and Brandt couldn't do it alone with Leon Bailey, Kai Havertz and Kevin Volland having very bad nights.
        Although Leverkeusen had a horrible match against Krasnodar, with horrendous finishing, it wasn't on Julian Brandt. The same goes for the Dortmund match (this weekend) where we witnessed Leverkeusen start on the front foot and play as well as we know the young German nucleus of Havertz, Brandt and Volland can play.
      But then came the rush of blood to the head and the awful, helter skelter face of this Leverkeusen squad reared its ugly head, allowing Dortmund to come from a goal down (after looking dreadful at home, with Leverkeusen rampant in response to the Europa League defeat), only to succumb to a 3-2 eventual defeat (despite Brandt's too-easy free kick / clipped assist to Jonathan Tah's forehead that brought them back into the match).
     Throughout, we saw Brandt play brilliantly, but with his teammates letting him down (around the 70th minute, Brandt turned the Dortmund midfield and right side of defense into piecemeal stains as he spun out of pressure and dished a brilliant ball to the flank, creating an opening on the edge of the box, only to see the offside flag raised on Lucas Alario, lazily cheating in behind).
      Brandt was having an off the mark season until the last two months, riding the waves of bad draws and defeats and continuing to produce and contribute, not only in the final third, but in all areas of midfield as well.

     
7
CHRISTIAN ERIKSEN  (Tottenham)

-12 assists overall
-9 in the EPL
-66 key passes total
(1.9 per match in the EPL, 2.7 in the UCL)

        The Danish attacking midfielder has been at his best in recent weeks, though his club succumbed to a random 2-1 defeat, even with the returning Harry Kane scoring off of the bench, Eriksen couldn't conjure enough for his teammates to deliver the victory.
         The two chances he created amounted to a blocked Danny Rose shot and a Juan Foyth header (from an Eriksen free kick) that went to space and beyond....so...we cannot say Christian Eriksen was at his best this weekend, though he's engineered 2 assists since we last did this list, including his assist (to Fernando Llorente) that all but killed off Dortmund in the Champions League 1st leg tie.
       But now, Eriksen has become the center of criticism for the Tottenham defeat, taking the brunt of it on social media as enemies, Spurs fans and pundits alike talk about his potential transfers to other clubs, his wasteful set pieces and his "lukewarm season" thus far.
        Eriksen hasn't been as bad as advertised, though he has begun to be streaky, more ponderous and "responsible" or slightly negative in possession, which leads to fewer chances created (and thus, less assists) and has often been a shoot-first player this season: delivering in a barrage of created goals (in some games) and then failing to engineer the best openings and combinations for Tottenham to score (in others).
        Perhaps Spurs are running out of gas from having to work harder and run more in the absence of Kane, Alli and Davies among others?
        That could be.....
        But due to recent form (2 assists, 1 goal in his last 3 matches) and overall numbers and (whether the couch-pundits on social media wanna believe it or not) performances, Eriksen must make the list.


6
ANGEL DI MARIA  (PSG)

-12 assists overall
-3 in the UCL

     His duo of brilliant assists against United in the Round of 16 1st leg has to put the Argentine on this list.
     He's been in stuttering form as of late, finding himself in and out of the squad for recent matches, but his overall numbers and creative qualities, coupled with his gritty, aggressive and explosive performance against United at Old Trafford, the scene of some of his career's biggest humiliations and with Neymar and Cavani both MIA....yet he displayed that type of fight and panache that goes missing so often in this player's appearances in the big matches and led PSG  (yes, Di Maria, not Mbappe, led PSG to victory).
      Di Maria rolled back the clock to his Real Madrid days and helped tear United apart in their own house, with one of his assists being an outrageous through ball that  literally went through two or three United defenders legs (and centimeters passed their outstretched toes) on its way to Kylian Mbappe's deft little flicked finish. It was an outrageous pass that was one of the best we've ever seen from the Argentine.
      We must give credit where it is due.


5
HAKIM ZIYECH (Ajax)

-11 assists overall
-UDGC: 9
-Key passes per match: 91 (4 in Eredivisie, 1.5 in the UCL)

       The Moroccan scored 2 venomous goals on the weekend in yet another 5 goal haul for the always impressive Ajax, while we also saw future Barca star Frenkie De Jong put in an all around unbelievable display.
        Like his Barca bound teammate, Ziyech is right on the heels of a major move in the summer, as his 11 assists overall barely even scratches the surface of his dynamic production.
        A match ago vs NAC Breda, Ajax won 5-0 with Hakim tallying a single assist. But when you watch the actual match, it becomes sickeningly evident how much the attacker contributes to his team's success.            For all 5 goals, Ziyech was not only in the middle of the action, he directly created all of them: he blasted a free kick off of an opponent's hand for a Tadic penalty; he sent a corner into Nicolas Tagliafico who ruptured the crossbar, only for the rebound to come straight back to Ziyech who put in an identical and dangerous cross again to the Argentine left back, this time the ball  caressing his head and deflecting off of another opponent and into the net; for another goal, Hakim took aim from distance and thrashed a shot that the Breda keeper could only touch directly into the path of Dusan Tadic who made no mistake burying it from a wide and tight angle; then, as if we all needed more humiliating evidence of Ziyech's domination, he added an official assist for the 2nd goal and earned yet another own goal (as his shot from distance fluffed off of the back of a sprawling defender and into the net).
       As well as this plethora of goals coming from the Moroccan World Cup star, the highly sought after Ziyech set his price ever higher with a fantastic overall display against Real Madrid in the 1st leg of the Round of 16, scoring a brilliant goal, hitting 3 shots on target, completing 54 passes, successful in 2 tackles and 2 interceptions and achieving 5 dribbles against the defending European champions.
       In today's world of stat-superiority and numbers equaling greatness, the dominance of Hakim Ziyech's pure goal creation cannot be overstated (third in total key passes in all top tier European league competitions behind only Hazard and Lionel Messi): no player has created more uncredited direct goal contributions this season for his club than Hakim Ziyech.
       His stock is rising for those who watch and dissect the game and although the Eredivisie is an easier league in comparison to the Premier League, La Liga, the Bundesliga, or even the improved (but still red card ridden) Ligue 1, Ziyech's sheer amount of charismatic all-action brilliance is seeing his future transfer suitors double by the match.
       

4
LEROY SANE (Man City)

-13 assists overall
-9 in the EPL
-62 key passes  (1.6 in UCL, 1.5 EPL)
-Shots off of the post: 3
-UDGC: 3

      Despite his recent minutes dropping considerably in the last 6 or 7 matches, including cameo appearances in the CC cup final vs Chelsea and the UCL 1st leg, Leroy Sane (nearly) always plays brilliantly when given the minutes.
     His expert match tying free kick in the 80th minute vs Schalke was cold stoned proof Guardiola should've started the German against his former club, while he nearly helped steal the match in the CC Cup final with a good ball to Aguero in the final seconds, only for Aguero to spill his shot into a comfortable, albeit diving save for Kepa "You Cannot Sub Me Off, Damnit!" Arrizabalaga.
      Maybe it's just Guardiola's sense of rotation that has left Leroy Sane out of recent matches, but we think he's the last player on the City squad that needs a rest. He's only played 2,064 minutes on the season, 800+ minutes less than players like Fernandinho or Laporte  (25 and 27 apps. out of 27 EPL matches respectively, 3,000+ minutes played for each of those two players), while Leroy was only truly injured for one or two of those matches.
      Still, Sane contributes almost every time he steps on the pitch, averaging 0.5 assists per 90 minutes which is why he finds himself back on our list.


3
EDEN HAZARD (Chelsea)

-10 assists (all in Premier League)
-97 chances created by Hazard this season
-UDGC: 4
     
       You cannot help but feel sad for Eden Hazard: the Chelsea man went on a dribbling spree in the CC Cup final, pulling off 8 against City, dishing 2 chances and scoring in the shootout with a monstrous penalty oozing with world class quality.
       And....it was all in vain: City trumped Chelsea in the shootout, with Hazard looking on in dismay.
       His expression was one of complete, relaxed torture and helplessness.
       With an otherworldly 97 chances created in all competitions  (mostly from the Premier League), Hazard is level with Lionel Messi for total chances conjured  across all European leagues and competitions, a truly unbelievable statistic considering the lack of a striker  (at Chelsea) who's scored more than 5 goals, a squad teetering on the brink of collapse domestically and a manager (Sarri) on the edge of mutiny.
        This has been his greatest season yet, it's just such a shame he hasn't had teammates to revel in his nonstop creation with. The likelihood of Hazard having 21-25+ assists at a more well-equipped club (at this point in the season) is very high.
     

2
JADON SANCHO (Dortmund)

-12 assists overall
-10 Bundesliga assists 
(joint leader with Joshua Kimmich)
-UDGC: 4
-Key passes per match: 2 in Bund, 1 in UCL
-3 assists, 2 goals and 1 UDGC in his last 6 matches

       Sancho continued his journey as one of the 20 best players on the planet (right now) as he notched another assist and an expert volleyed goal, saving Dortmund in the process as they barely prevailed over a rampant, but streaky Leverkeusen team 3-2. This brings the Englishman to 3 assists in his last 6 matches, though his performance on the weekend was purely immense in the 3 points it provided his club in the title race.
      The result was in doubt for most of the match as Dortmund looked labored and dogged as Leverkeusen were all over them early. This intensive pressure and sustained loss of possession or complete dearth of any continuity of play from Dortmund should've been capitalized by this young German nucleus at Leverkeusen (Havertz, Volland, Brandt) in what should've been a few goal lead within the first 25 minutes.
      After a brilliant Havertz assist to Kevin Volland, Dortmund responded thanks to the brilliant play of Jadon Sancho. Time and time again the teenager is there to not only save Lucien Favre's squad from profligate play, but to literally win the matches.
      Sancho took a quick corner from the left against the run of play, completely bamboozling Jonathan Tah and Mitchell Weiser, both completely missing the ever-bending corner that was buried by (another teenager) center back Dan-Axel Zagadou to level it.
      Then, with a stunning cross from center / left back Abdou Diallo, the Manchester City exile bashed a volley across Lukas Hradecky and stole the lead, 2-1.
      It was after more dangerous, slippery dribbling from Sancho on the wing that created the 3rd goal, as well, sucking pressure towards him and freeing the ball to the open Witsel and Achraf Hakimi, who's cross was deflected into Gotze's path and the 2014 World Cup Final hero couldn't miss.
      Sancho is having one of the most remarkable campaigns in modern memory given his age. The ability to rapidly absorb tactical nous on the pitch has expanded his toolbox far more than training in the City u21's would've ever done for his career.
      The education he's demonstrated on the pitch through an open mind and ears  (he's constantly listening to veterans and coaches) and the overall game he keeps developing, continues to unfold before our entertained and awe-inspired eyes.


1 
LIONEL MESSI (Barca)

-15 assists overall
-11 La Liga & European leading assists
-UDGC: 3
-97 chances created  (all comps.)

    Messi didn't stop creating during the recent Barcelona dry run, supplying 14 key passes in the last 4 Barca matches. In those matches, Barcelona only scored 5 goals, with all 5 coming from the feet of Messi.  The Argentine was unlucky over the span of that dry spell, setting up multiple teammates for a litany of close-range chances that went askew.
      Though the floodgates finally opened for the Catalans this weekend, with Messi the conductor of it all: He continued his outrageous gravity-defying season with yet another hat trick of goals, his 50th all time, in the come from behind 4-2 Barcelona victory over Sevilla.
     All 3 goals Messi scored were spectacular, though his final piece of play is what makes Messi the Greatest Of All Time: knowing his buddy Luis Suarez absolutely needed a goal for his confidence, Messi looped a deft chip over former Barca academy defender Sergi Gomez and into the pathway of Suarez.
      Suarez, almost on auto-pilot and pure adrenaline from the greatness and unselfishness of Messi, showed his utmost confidence in a lofted finish over the keeper, lifting the ball (using the perfect weight of Messi's assist) into the far corner.
     That was Messi's European leading 15th assist in all competitions and he did it in resounding style, continuing his reign at #1 on our list for four lists running.
     He can't stop...won't stop...