XI OF THE SEASON (SO FAR...): Skeletons, Jackals and Vicious Creeps: The Sex, Lies and Racism Story of European Futbol circa 2018
Now that the group stage is over in the Champions League and the league season turns to being nearly halfway done, we look back (with one eye forward as well) at the best XI players on the planet, judged by their performances and consistency, plus their overall stats (as trivial and inaccurate to a player's overall performance as they can be) and their total value for their clubs (points won, goals and assists that directly effected outcomes etc).
And so we begin...
Please post your own below!!!
BEST XI OF THE SEASON (SO FAR)
GK MARC-ANDRE TER STEGEN (BARCA)
The undisputed #1 goalkeeper in the World continues to save Barcelona's porous, scattered and injured back line time and time again, pulling off more 1 on 1 saves than we've seen in a long time from one keeper.
He has continually changed the course of Barcelona matches with one save after another, showing his bravery in leaps and bounds while putting his body on the line routinely for his club.
And who could forget these saves against Sevilla, preserving a 4-2 Barcelona victory in the process:
His risky, though incredibly accurate distribution will always get the headlines, but his shot stopping has taken him to the apex of goalkeeping in world futbol. He truly never gets his due, but he does here, attaining and most likely not releasing his grasp on the top goalkeeper spot in the world anytime soon.
We've been watching, Marc.
EYE GOUGING STAT:
-53 saves on the season already. Had 9 saves vs PSV in the Champions league helping keep Barca in the match, let alone keep the 2-1 lead at full time.
(COMPARED TO THE OTHER TOP 3 KEEPERS: 56 saves for Liverpool's Alisson and 11 clean sheets for the Brazilian; 68 saves and 4 clean sheets for Pickford)
- Barcelona only achieving a sad, lowly 6 clean sheets is due more to their awful defense, namely the loss of Umtiti to injury (twice, thanks to Valverde's insane mismanagement and non-rotation) and Clement Lenglet's sometimes brilliant, sometimes absolutely mad performances (Tottenham round 1= fantastic, vs PSV=awful) and Bartomeau and board member Pep Segura's insistence that Barcelona didn't need another center back. Let's be frank: Barcelona don't even have 1 clean sheet if Ter Stegen isn't there.
RB TRENT ALEXANDER-ARNOLD (LIVERPOOL)
What the barely 20 year old Alexander-Arnold has produced for Liverpool has been stunning: all action, aggressive performances driving forward and tracking back, becoming the "Right-back Kylian Mbappe".
Trent's ridiculously perfect free kick vs Watford shows the outrageous confidence levels of this teenager, stepping in front of Mo Salah to take it, which for a 20 year old, says it all.
Alexander-Arnold has the same poise and confidence that emanates from Kylian Mbappe, another teenager who took their talents to the World Cup and showed them off. Alexander-Arnold showed the same absolute command of his abilities with England post World Cup, scoring his first goal for his country in the next match after his free kick against Watford.
He has also produced 2 assists and we know now, after Klopp benched him for Gomez against PSG, that was (obviously) the wrong decision, and if Liverpool had lost to Napoli and missed out on the Champions league knockout rounds, that decision would've been under a microscope, as would Klopp.
Instead, TAA took it on the chin and then proceeded to save his manager and his club.
And such is Alexander-Arnold's value that he most likely wouldn't have allowed the first or second goals in Paris vs PSG to occur, especially the incredible and shameful 2nd goal from a Neymar fall on his ass assist and Mbappe hammering anything into a net in sight (Mbappe has now announced he has joined the Church of Scientology).
Yet, to save Liverpool's Champions League asses, Alexander-Arnold went off for a man of the match performance against Napoli, going for 4 out of 7 tackles completed, 6 key passes, 2 shots, 3 interceptions, and once again that is just his stats: What he did was simply incredible for a teenage right back.
Alexander-Arnold carried Liverpool over the line just as surely as Salah's goal did or Alisson's unbelievable last second save. Trent did it whilst getting his foot injured, too and hopefully he isn't out for too long, because Napoli nearly had 3 goals once he left the pitch in the final 20 odd minutes.
Anyone watching has seen a listless, goal dry Liverpool eking out results with Gomez at right back and then, in quite the contrast, Alexander-Arnold produces a fiery reminder of Klopp's previous Heavy Metal Futbol in AA's devastating displays that push his team forward and contains any threats on the wing.
True value, absolute talent, world class ability and a fantastic personality.
EYE GOUGING STAT:
1 goal and 2 assists
1 goal for England
- 51.9 passes
-2 goals and 2 assists
-26 key passes total 1.9 a match across all comps
-38 total tackles dribbled passed 16 times for 0.8 times a match
- 2.8 tackles completed in the UCL shows his readiness for the biggest of stages
-22 total interceptions
All in 1,635 minutes for club and country
CB VIRGIL VAN DIJK (LIVERPOOL)
Ever since the Dutch colossus arrived from Liverpool B (Southampton) last January, Liverpool's defensive identity has completely changed. Van Dijk's arrival coincided with a much more assured, primed and calmer back four
Now, his partnership in the middle with Joe Gomez has been solidified as one of the premier EPL center back duos and his utilization of Alexander-Arnold and Andrew Robertson's pace at fullback to cover for him as he takes aggressive steps to win the ball higher up the pitch, or using his own tremendous pace to cover the runs of any attacker in the channels across the back line, says all we need to know about his defensive command.
There is nothing VVD cannot do defensively and as we've come to find out through his goals for club and country, he's incredibly devastating in the opposition box, With 2 goals and 3 assists (yes, we're counting the one against Everton) and a constant stream of headers flying chaotically around the penalty box, VVD's size, strength, finesse on and off the ball and most of all, his agile footballing mind make him one of the two best center backs in the world this season thus far.
EYE GOUGING STAT:
-5.3 clearances a match
-Only been dribbled past ONCE and that was for the Netherlands in Nations League play. No one has moved passed Van Dijk when he has played for Liverpool.
-Only 0.8 tackles a match and 20 overall show his brilliant reading of the game and his world class usage of his body to shield through balls from sprinting attackers and guide them out of bounds.
-He's been fouled more than he's fouled players, receiving 15 painful fouls and dishing 14 brutal reminders of his size, with 4 yellows total.
-2 goals and 3 assists for Liverpool (counting his 'shot' against Everton. Without that ultimate futbol "Hail Mary", Klopp's Reds settle for a 0-0 draw).
CB AYMERIC LAPORTE (MAN CITY)
Anyone watching cannot deny this kid, unless you're Didier Deschamps, I suppose. Laporte has been a furiously competitive defender this season, winning loose balls, flying up the left wing to cover for marauding left backs caught up field, improving on his already solid aerial duels, bashing in tackles and most of all, using his pace and positioning to seal the ball away from defenders without hardly needing to attempt a tackle.
He's even pitched in scoring 3 goals.
Yet the most interesting spectacle of all that the Frenchman has demonstrated is this: his fearlessness
in the mix of rash challenges, intense opposition and in tight situations, both on and off of the ball he has zero apprehension, hesitation and drives forward with absolute aggression, no matter the cost.
I mean shit, his clearances turn into through balls, something we've only seen from the best of the best, I.E Samuel Umtiti.
This is a new trend in modern futbol, as we see uber-athletically skilled defenders who are versatile in the many positions that they can play, using their finesse instead of flying into tackles, holding the ball as an extra defender, etc upon etc. (Diallo, Zagadou, Upamecano, Umtiti, Ferland and Benjamin Mendy, VVD, TAA among others).
Laporte fits that bill.
EYE GOUGING STAT:
- 15 shots and 5 on target in all competitions
- 17 tackles attempted, with an identical 0.8 completions per match with Virgil Van Dijk, ushering in a new era of center backing: defenders who read the game and use their speed, body and timing to cut off passing lanes, rather than getting stuck in repeatedly resulting in cards, fouls, free kicks, penalties and biggest of all, injuries.
- Dribbled past 6 times
LB JORDI ALBA (BARCA)
The Catalan left back has been in his usual devastating form this season, scoring 2 goals and attaining 6 assists (including one against Real Madrid and 3 assists vs Tottenham in the UCL).
Yet it's been his defensive abilities that have come into question, as he was under the microscope of Luis Enrique's repeated exclusions from the Spain XI, where once previously he was an automatic starter.
Jordi has been dribbled past a career high (since he's been at Barcelona) 26 times, yet his recoveries have been incredible (22 recoveries from 26 dribbles past). It's sad that many pundits have him barely in their top five for greatest left back in the world.
But he is the best and here's why:
EYE GOUGING STAT(S):
2 goals and 6 assists for Barca
-28 tackles completed
-39 interceptions completed, 1.6 a match
-29 clearances, 1.2 a match
-16 blocked crosses
-35 key passes, 2.2 in the UCL, 1.4 in La Liga
-2nd in Champions League for assists (3)
CDM FERNANDINHO (MAN CITY)
I wanted to put the calm and measured presence and consistency of Sergi Busquets, the greatest central defensive midfielder on the planet, at #1 yet we ALL know he is.
But now, time and notice must be given to the brutal exploits of the rugged, beautiful and ruggedly beautiful Brazilian Fernandinho.
The player has always shown such an excellent motor, an ever circling engine of dominance and energy in midfield.
Energy is one of his greatest attributes, though his distribution of the ball has been second to none in the foxhole of City's midfield department. The Brazilian has found life under Pep Guardiola as nothing short of a revelation, improving upon his already venomous and rampant displays and cutting out some of the more shocking, emotional and red card driven antics that marred his reputation previously (his duel vs Fabregas and half the Chelsea team a few seasons ago comes to mind).
Fernandinho has become an untouchable in Guardiola's XI and a player of unbelievable value if City are to achieve everything they've been tipped to.
EYE GOUGING STAT:
-44 out of 59 tackles completed
-39 interceptions
-53 clearances
-Dribbled past 11 times
-8 shots blocked
-24 passes blocked
-1 goal and 2 assists
-98 Aerial duels won
CM DAVID SILVA (MAN CITY)
The Spaniard had a ghostly World Cup: listless, unimaginative, boring, inept. And he's made a point to prove doubters wrong, once again.
Silva has enjoyed a rich vein of goalscoring form before his injury vs Chelsea, with 8 goals as well as creating a litany of chances for his teammates (90% of which were sadly unfinished) with 56 key passes and 3 assists.
In De Bruyne's absence, Silva has been forced deeper and deeper into the crevices of City's play, eschewing the final third for steady build-up play, coupled with smart runs and an outrageous finishing touch that gets better with age.
David Silva has been simply imperious this season and it's sad that he has gone down injured.
EYE GOUGING STAT:
- Has hit the post twice from his own shots
- Has contributed 6 created chances that his teammates hit the post from
- 4 out of 5 tackles vs Liverpool shows he isn't afraid to get dirty
- 62.3 passes per match at an 87.7% completion rate proves he is the master of puppets for Pep
RF RAHEEM STERLING (MAN CITY)
Sterling has found a home at City and better yet, he's found a role: aimless wanderer, dragging defenders out of position and then making the cutting final killer ball or shot inside the box.
Everything Sterling does is of ultimate purpose: whether he begins 70 yards from goal or clear out on the wing, every run, little flick, sprint, dribble or square ball is designed to create space for teammates and score goals, with most of his key passes (and assists) and shots (or goals) coming inside the opponent's box.
He is the perfect secret weapon for both City and his country, England, who flew all the way to the semifinals on the wings of Sterling's unselfish and intelligent runs which created goals (earning dangerous set pieces from fouls suffered) for Kane, Lingard, Alli, etc.
Raheem earns penalties, free kicks for his side and yellow cards for opponents with his deceptive skill and riotous pace; he scores goals with fine tuned finishing, having matured from his frequent blasts over the top of the goal and shanking of open net shots from years past.
And, thanks to his calm and cool head off of the pitch, he has adapted into a truly special player who City would find an impossible time replacing if he were to go down injured.
After seeing Guardiola's "Valverde-esque" dismissal of sensible rotation that has seen Benjamin Mendy, Kun Aguero, Kevin De Bruyne (did you need him for a full 88 minutes vs Oxford????) and now David Silva all go down injured for long spells, Raheem's endless running and hard work could yet be his undoing if his manager doesn't rest this prized thoroughbred.
EYE GOUGING STAT:
9 goals and 8 assists for City
2 goals for England
At 41.2 passes completed per 90 minutes in the EPL and 40.6 in the Champions league, this is by far the best return Raheem has had in possession, completing 84% of his passes. Guardiola wanted more from Sterling in possession and Raheem has responded . Not only that, he's averaging 32.4 passes per match for England as well, something we wouldn't have expected.
LF EDEN HAZARD (CHELSEA)
The Belgian king has had an impossibly good season, building off of his masterful and somehow under-appreciated World Cup performances that saw him leap over Neymar, Suarez, his own teammate De Bruyne and maybe even Cristiano Ronaldo, as arguably the second best player on the planet (Mbappe has something to say about that and Griezmann already yapped away at his own greatness).
He began the season under new manager, Mauricio Sarri, in unreal form, scoring breathtaking and illustrious goals that sent the racist confines of Stamford Bridge into delirium.
Eden had 8 goals and 3 assists in his first 10 matches, with a hat trick of goals vs Cardiff and finally culminating in his goal vs Liverpool as a substitute, in the CC Cup: He came on and decided an otherwise stale offering from his club and proceeded to annihilate Liverpool's left side of defense, rampaging them for 5 dribbles in one move, finishing it off with a priceless goal we'll definitely 'member. 'MEMBER??
And to go with it he's dished 5 assists in his last 8 matches, overtly proving his majestic brilliance on both ends of the final third.
He's evolved too: he's dribbled less, roamed more and has been fouled fewer times because of it (the Chelsea man has been hacked down 58 times in comparison to his 80+ fouls suffered at this point the last two seasons).
Only time will tell if this burgeoning freight train of a player ascends (or descends, depending on your perspective) to the Real Madrids' of the world, although we know one thing for sure: He is here to stay.
EYE GOUGIING STAT:
He's averaging 3.8 dribbles a match, down from his last few seasons due to his evolution as a roaming player, eschewing his usual left wing based stationary runs. He now moves and pulls the defense and midfield around with him, reminding us of a "Belgian Sterling": ushering in a new era and an ever-more dangerous, maniacal Eden Hazard to the forefront of our imaginations.
- Only 9 total dribbles combined against City, Tottenham, United, Liverpool and Arsenal, clearly demonstrating his evolution of play as a roaming, conniving attacker and not as direct as he was previously.
- He has still achieved 56 dribbles out of 81 attempts; 14 out of 23 for Belgium (post World Cup)
(this differs from his whopping 40 successful dribbles out of 52 from his World Cup exploits, showing a clear desire to not be fouled as much and to evolve into an ever dangerous, even harder to pin down all-around attacking force)
(COMPARED TO MESSI: The Barcelona man has 62 successful dribbles out of 91 attempts)
F KYLIAN MBAPPE (PSG)
How can a 19 year old top a 4 goal World Cup debut? How should a World Champion respond to such hype as "better than Messi", "could be better than Pele"?
What the hell do you do?
If you're Kylian Mbappe you don't fold in on yourself and cry; you don't pout, you don't curse the world for admiring your talents to the point of obsession.
You go to Disneyland with your friends, for one; you score 4 goals in 9 minutes; you come off of the bench to rescue your country from destructive media crucifixion down 2-0 to Iceland and you force the ball into the back of the net, you will it in...then you dance and earn your own penalty and then you dispatch it with salutations and supreme confidence to equalize; you show maturity in the respect you give elder, more experienced players (even while being touted as better at this embryonic state); you play unselfishly, creating goals for others with the same shit-eating grin you wear when scoring them; you continue, you push on and in fact: get better.
Mbappe has been quietly an assassin this season, hiding in the shadows, barely touching the ball and then he finds time, space or makes some of his own and suddenly you're dead to rights. If he were a car, he'd definitely be a Ferrari...no, he's more of space shuttle...
Mr. Mbappe has not only outshone his PSG teammate Neymar (who, while productive enough to make this list, doesn't because he simply can do a lot more, given they're in Ligue 1) he has obliterated many of his own teammates in the process of embarrassing opponents, such is the absurd jealousy that comes from owning such prized abilities (Griezmann wondering if he's still the talisman for France, Neymar wondering if he left Barca to escape Messi's shadow just to be encapsulated by Mbappe's fire).
EYE GOUGING STAT:
15 goals and 7 assists for PSG
-In only 16 total appearances, and has earned 3 penalties.
- for France (since World Cup) Kylian has 2 goals and another penalty earned (which he scored).
F LIONEL MESSI (BARCA)
What can be done when in 2018, the greatest player of all time and eternity can't seem to do enough for the crowd of criticism and deluge of doubt headed his way? When, of all people, Pele disrespects Lionel Messi as a "one skill player" (no doubt FIFA was using the Brazilian phenomenon to give their poisonous Ballon D'or list credibility (Messi at #5??? Even His biggest haters aren't stupid enough to put him lower than #3 on the list for greatest of all time!!!) and we must all listen and agree? Appreciate and accept this nonsense?
I won't.
I refuse.
This is a player who, at his absolute worst, contributes five times the goals, assists, chances created, shots on goal, dribbles than any other player...and this is describing Messi at his worst.
This is a player who possesses the best futbol IQ on planet earth. His thinking is so fast on the ball: he's made five moves before you've woken up.
Messi has been in unstoppable form, yet again, and even on his worst outings this season, Lionel has been the difference no matter what. Whether it be completely taking on the entire opposition and scoring everything in his path or totally trusting and backing young teammates like Ousmane Dembele and Phil Coutinho into being giants of the pitch themselves.
He has assisted goals to Dembele, Suarez, Pique, Rakitic, Coutinho and Alena among many others and has scored from passes off of the feet of Dembele, Suarez, Coutinho, Rakitic and multiple times from Jordi Alba (of course).
We've seen him work his ass off for his team, hunting and harrying defenses with his underrated pressing, ala Suarez.
Most fascinating: Messi's renewed sense of responsibility thanks to finally becoming Barca captain. As if the humble little genius needed anymore renewal or rebirth....
Yet just as the Pele comments and the Ballon D'or bullshit award have given Messi the fuel to ignite his anger, the anger to unify his abilities and his abilities to carry a team, to drive them on, he has used the captaincy as a platform to demonstrate just what he means to futbol:
He's set the records, he's set the bar impossibly high, he's set the world on fire since he was a young adolescent and he now sets the stage: the stage he controls as both lead actor and director, only through the grace of his unlimited selflessness and his abundant leadership does anyone else get to star and my my my, how many times do we see an Oscar winner content with sharing the award? How many times do we see an MVP loving the fact he's a co-MVP?
ALMOST NEVER.
He is the footballing equivalent of Santa Claus, the Barcelona version of Jesus...
And Messi's ego is almost allowed to be as big as Ronaldo's, yet he minimizes the attention wrought upon him.
Ronaldo executes a politician's wave beautifully...but Messi lets his feet wave bye bye as he sets another record and kills your favorite team......
......again......
Just sit back, forget what you think you know and enjoy.
Just enjoy him.
Don't ever take him for granted.
EYE GOUGING STAT:
17 goals, 9 assists for Barca
GK MARC-ANDRE TER STEGEN (BARCA)
The undisputed #1 goalkeeper in the World continues to save Barcelona's porous, scattered and injured back line time and time again, pulling off more 1 on 1 saves than we've seen in a long time from one keeper.
He has continually changed the course of Barcelona matches with one save after another, showing his bravery in leaps and bounds while putting his body on the line routinely for his club.
And who could forget these saves against Sevilla, preserving a 4-2 Barcelona victory in the process:
We've been watching, Marc.
EYE GOUGING STAT:
-53 saves on the season already. Had 9 saves vs PSV in the Champions league helping keep Barca in the match, let alone keep the 2-1 lead at full time.
(COMPARED TO THE OTHER TOP 3 KEEPERS: 56 saves for Liverpool's Alisson and 11 clean sheets for the Brazilian; 68 saves and 4 clean sheets for Pickford)
- Barcelona only achieving a sad, lowly 6 clean sheets is due more to their awful defense, namely the loss of Umtiti to injury (twice, thanks to Valverde's insane mismanagement and non-rotation) and Clement Lenglet's sometimes brilliant, sometimes absolutely mad performances (Tottenham round 1= fantastic, vs PSV=awful) and Bartomeau and board member Pep Segura's insistence that Barcelona didn't need another center back. Let's be frank: Barcelona don't even have 1 clean sheet if Ter Stegen isn't there.
RB TRENT ALEXANDER-ARNOLD (LIVERPOOL)
What the barely 20 year old Alexander-Arnold has produced for Liverpool has been stunning: all action, aggressive performances driving forward and tracking back, becoming the "Right-back Kylian Mbappe".
Trent's ridiculously perfect free kick vs Watford shows the outrageous confidence levels of this teenager, stepping in front of Mo Salah to take it, which for a 20 year old, says it all.
Alexander-Arnold has the same poise and confidence that emanates from Kylian Mbappe, another teenager who took their talents to the World Cup and showed them off. Alexander-Arnold showed the same absolute command of his abilities with England post World Cup, scoring his first goal for his country in the next match after his free kick against Watford.
He has also produced 2 assists and we know now, after Klopp benched him for Gomez against PSG, that was (obviously) the wrong decision, and if Liverpool had lost to Napoli and missed out on the Champions league knockout rounds, that decision would've been under a microscope, as would Klopp.
Instead, TAA took it on the chin and then proceeded to save his manager and his club.
And such is Alexander-Arnold's value that he most likely wouldn't have allowed the first or second goals in Paris vs PSG to occur, especially the incredible and shameful 2nd goal from a Neymar fall on his ass assist and Mbappe hammering anything into a net in sight (Mbappe has now announced he has joined the Church of Scientology).
Yet, to save Liverpool's Champions League asses, Alexander-Arnold went off for a man of the match performance against Napoli, going for 4 out of 7 tackles completed, 6 key passes, 2 shots, 3 interceptions, and once again that is just his stats: What he did was simply incredible for a teenage right back.
Alexander-Arnold carried Liverpool over the line just as surely as Salah's goal did or Alisson's unbelievable last second save. Trent did it whilst getting his foot injured, too and hopefully he isn't out for too long, because Napoli nearly had 3 goals once he left the pitch in the final 20 odd minutes.
Anyone watching has seen a listless, goal dry Liverpool eking out results with Gomez at right back and then, in quite the contrast, Alexander-Arnold produces a fiery reminder of Klopp's previous Heavy Metal Futbol in AA's devastating displays that push his team forward and contains any threats on the wing.
True value, absolute talent, world class ability and a fantastic personality.
EYE GOUGING STAT:
1 goal and 2 assists
1 goal for England
- 51.9 passes
-2 goals and 2 assists
-26 key passes total 1.9 a match across all comps
-38 total tackles dribbled passed 16 times for 0.8 times a match
- 2.8 tackles completed in the UCL shows his readiness for the biggest of stages
-22 total interceptions
All in 1,635 minutes for club and country
CB VIRGIL VAN DIJK (LIVERPOOL)
Ever since the Dutch colossus arrived from Liverpool B (Southampton) last January, Liverpool's defensive identity has completely changed. Van Dijk's arrival coincided with a much more assured, primed and calmer back four
Now, his partnership in the middle with Joe Gomez has been solidified as one of the premier EPL center back duos and his utilization of Alexander-Arnold and Andrew Robertson's pace at fullback to cover for him as he takes aggressive steps to win the ball higher up the pitch, or using his own tremendous pace to cover the runs of any attacker in the channels across the back line, says all we need to know about his defensive command.
There is nothing VVD cannot do defensively and as we've come to find out through his goals for club and country, he's incredibly devastating in the opposition box, With 2 goals and 3 assists (yes, we're counting the one against Everton) and a constant stream of headers flying chaotically around the penalty box, VVD's size, strength, finesse on and off the ball and most of all, his agile footballing mind make him one of the two best center backs in the world this season thus far.
EYE GOUGING STAT:
-5.3 clearances a match
-Only been dribbled past ONCE and that was for the Netherlands in Nations League play. No one has moved passed Van Dijk when he has played for Liverpool.
-Only 0.8 tackles a match and 20 overall show his brilliant reading of the game and his world class usage of his body to shield through balls from sprinting attackers and guide them out of bounds.
-He's been fouled more than he's fouled players, receiving 15 painful fouls and dishing 14 brutal reminders of his size, with 4 yellows total.
-2 goals and 3 assists for Liverpool (counting his 'shot' against Everton. Without that ultimate futbol "Hail Mary", Klopp's Reds settle for a 0-0 draw).
CB AYMERIC LAPORTE (MAN CITY)
Anyone watching cannot deny this kid, unless you're Didier Deschamps, I suppose. Laporte has been a furiously competitive defender this season, winning loose balls, flying up the left wing to cover for marauding left backs caught up field, improving on his already solid aerial duels, bashing in tackles and most of all, using his pace and positioning to seal the ball away from defenders without hardly needing to attempt a tackle.
He's even pitched in scoring 3 goals.
Yet the most interesting spectacle of all that the Frenchman has demonstrated is this: his fearlessness
I mean shit, his clearances turn into through balls, something we've only seen from the best of the best, I.E Samuel Umtiti.
This is a new trend in modern futbol, as we see uber-athletically skilled defenders who are versatile in the many positions that they can play, using their finesse instead of flying into tackles, holding the ball as an extra defender, etc upon etc. (Diallo, Zagadou, Upamecano, Umtiti, Ferland and Benjamin Mendy, VVD, TAA among others).
Laporte fits that bill.
EYE GOUGING STAT:
- 15 shots and 5 on target in all competitions
- 17 tackles attempted, with an identical 0.8 completions per match with Virgil Van Dijk, ushering in a new era of center backing: defenders who read the game and use their speed, body and timing to cut off passing lanes, rather than getting stuck in repeatedly resulting in cards, fouls, free kicks, penalties and biggest of all, injuries.
- Dribbled past 6 times
LB JORDI ALBA (BARCA)
The Catalan left back has been in his usual devastating form this season, scoring 2 goals and attaining 6 assists (including one against Real Madrid and 3 assists vs Tottenham in the UCL).
Yet it's been his defensive abilities that have come into question, as he was under the microscope of Luis Enrique's repeated exclusions from the Spain XI, where once previously he was an automatic starter.
Jordi has been dribbled past a career high (since he's been at Barcelona) 26 times, yet his recoveries have been incredible (22 recoveries from 26 dribbles past). It's sad that many pundits have him barely in their top five for greatest left back in the world.
But he is the best and here's why:
EYE GOUGING STAT(S):
2 goals and 6 assists for Barca
-28 tackles completed
-39 interceptions completed, 1.6 a match
-29 clearances, 1.2 a match
-16 blocked crosses
-35 key passes, 2.2 in the UCL, 1.4 in La Liga
-2nd in Champions League for assists (3)
CDM FERNANDINHO (MAN CITY)
I wanted to put the calm and measured presence and consistency of Sergi Busquets, the greatest central defensive midfielder on the planet, at #1 yet we ALL know he is.
But now, time and notice must be given to the brutal exploits of the rugged, beautiful and ruggedly beautiful Brazilian Fernandinho.
The player has always shown such an excellent motor, an ever circling engine of dominance and energy in midfield.
Energy is one of his greatest attributes, though his distribution of the ball has been second to none in the foxhole of City's midfield department. The Brazilian has found life under Pep Guardiola as nothing short of a revelation, improving upon his already venomous and rampant displays and cutting out some of the more shocking, emotional and red card driven antics that marred his reputation previously (his duel vs Fabregas and half the Chelsea team a few seasons ago comes to mind).
Fernandinho has become an untouchable in Guardiola's XI and a player of unbelievable value if City are to achieve everything they've been tipped to.
EYE GOUGING STAT:
-44 out of 59 tackles completed
-39 interceptions
-53 clearances
-Dribbled past 11 times
-8 shots blocked
-24 passes blocked
-1 goal and 2 assists
-98 Aerial duels won
CM DAVID SILVA (MAN CITY)
The Spaniard had a ghostly World Cup: listless, unimaginative, boring, inept. And he's made a point to prove doubters wrong, once again.
Silva has enjoyed a rich vein of goalscoring form before his injury vs Chelsea, with 8 goals as well as creating a litany of chances for his teammates (90% of which were sadly unfinished) with 56 key passes and 3 assists.
In De Bruyne's absence, Silva has been forced deeper and deeper into the crevices of City's play, eschewing the final third for steady build-up play, coupled with smart runs and an outrageous finishing touch that gets better with age.
David Silva has been simply imperious this season and it's sad that he has gone down injured.
EYE GOUGING STAT:
- Has hit the post twice from his own shots
- Has contributed 6 created chances that his teammates hit the post from
- 4 out of 5 tackles vs Liverpool shows he isn't afraid to get dirty
- 62.3 passes per match at an 87.7% completion rate proves he is the master of puppets for Pep
RF RAHEEM STERLING (MAN CITY)
Sterling has found a home at City and better yet, he's found a role: aimless wanderer, dragging defenders out of position and then making the cutting final killer ball or shot inside the box.
Everything Sterling does is of ultimate purpose: whether he begins 70 yards from goal or clear out on the wing, every run, little flick, sprint, dribble or square ball is designed to create space for teammates and score goals, with most of his key passes (and assists) and shots (or goals) coming inside the opponent's box.
He is the perfect secret weapon for both City and his country, England, who flew all the way to the semifinals on the wings of Sterling's unselfish and intelligent runs which created goals (earning dangerous set pieces from fouls suffered) for Kane, Lingard, Alli, etc.
Raheem earns penalties, free kicks for his side and yellow cards for opponents with his deceptive skill and riotous pace; he scores goals with fine tuned finishing, having matured from his frequent blasts over the top of the goal and shanking of open net shots from years past.
And, thanks to his calm and cool head off of the pitch, he has adapted into a truly special player who City would find an impossible time replacing if he were to go down injured.
After seeing Guardiola's "Valverde-esque" dismissal of sensible rotation that has seen Benjamin Mendy, Kun Aguero, Kevin De Bruyne (did you need him for a full 88 minutes vs Oxford????) and now David Silva all go down injured for long spells, Raheem's endless running and hard work could yet be his undoing if his manager doesn't rest this prized thoroughbred.
EYE GOUGING STAT:
9 goals and 8 assists for City
2 goals for England
At 41.2 passes completed per 90 minutes in the EPL and 40.6 in the Champions league, this is by far the best return Raheem has had in possession, completing 84% of his passes. Guardiola wanted more from Sterling in possession and Raheem has responded . Not only that, he's averaging 32.4 passes per match for England as well, something we wouldn't have expected.
The Belgian king has had an impossibly good season, building off of his masterful and somehow under-appreciated World Cup performances that saw him leap over Neymar, Suarez, his own teammate De Bruyne and maybe even Cristiano Ronaldo, as arguably the second best player on the planet (Mbappe has something to say about that and Griezmann already yapped away at his own greatness).
He began the season under new manager, Mauricio Sarri, in unreal form, scoring breathtaking and illustrious goals that sent the racist confines of Stamford Bridge into delirium.
Eden had 8 goals and 3 assists in his first 10 matches, with a hat trick of goals vs Cardiff and finally culminating in his goal vs Liverpool as a substitute, in the CC Cup: He came on and decided an otherwise stale offering from his club and proceeded to annihilate Liverpool's left side of defense, rampaging them for 5 dribbles in one move, finishing it off with a priceless goal we'll definitely 'member. 'MEMBER??
He's evolved too: he's dribbled less, roamed more and has been fouled fewer times because of it (the Chelsea man has been hacked down 58 times in comparison to his 80+ fouls suffered at this point the last two seasons).
Only time will tell if this burgeoning freight train of a player ascends (or descends, depending on your perspective) to the Real Madrids' of the world, although we know one thing for sure: He is here to stay.
EYE GOUGIING STAT:
He's averaging 3.8 dribbles a match, down from his last few seasons due to his evolution as a roaming player, eschewing his usual left wing based stationary runs. He now moves and pulls the defense and midfield around with him, reminding us of a "Belgian Sterling": ushering in a new era and an ever-more dangerous, maniacal Eden Hazard to the forefront of our imaginations.
- Only 9 total dribbles combined against City, Tottenham, United, Liverpool and Arsenal, clearly demonstrating his evolution of play as a roaming, conniving attacker and not as direct as he was previously.
- He has still achieved 56 dribbles out of 81 attempts; 14 out of 23 for Belgium (post World Cup)
(this differs from his whopping 40 successful dribbles out of 52 from his World Cup exploits, showing a clear desire to not be fouled as much and to evolve into an ever dangerous, even harder to pin down all-around attacking force)
(COMPARED TO MESSI: The Barcelona man has 62 successful dribbles out of 91 attempts)
How can a 19 year old top a 4 goal World Cup debut? How should a World Champion respond to such hype as "better than Messi", "could be better than Pele"?
What the hell do you do?
If you're Kylian Mbappe you don't fold in on yourself and cry; you don't pout, you don't curse the world for admiring your talents to the point of obsession.
You go to Disneyland with your friends, for one; you score 4 goals in 9 minutes; you come off of the bench to rescue your country from destructive media crucifixion down 2-0 to Iceland and you force the ball into the back of the net, you will it in...then you dance and earn your own penalty and then you dispatch it with salutations and supreme confidence to equalize; you show maturity in the respect you give elder, more experienced players (even while being touted as better at this embryonic state); you play unselfishly, creating goals for others with the same shit-eating grin you wear when scoring them; you continue, you push on and in fact: get better.
Mbappe has been quietly an assassin this season, hiding in the shadows, barely touching the ball and then he finds time, space or makes some of his own and suddenly you're dead to rights. If he were a car, he'd definitely be a Ferrari...no, he's more of space shuttle...
Mr. Mbappe has not only outshone his PSG teammate Neymar (who, while productive enough to make this list, doesn't because he simply can do a lot more, given they're in Ligue 1) he has obliterated many of his own teammates in the process of embarrassing opponents, such is the absurd jealousy that comes from owning such prized abilities (Griezmann wondering if he's still the talisman for France, Neymar wondering if he left Barca to escape Messi's shadow just to be encapsulated by Mbappe's fire).
EYE GOUGING STAT:
15 goals and 7 assists for PSG
-In only 16 total appearances, and has earned 3 penalties.
- for France (since World Cup) Kylian has 2 goals and another penalty earned (which he scored).
What can be done when in 2018, the greatest player of all time and eternity can't seem to do enough for the crowd of criticism and deluge of doubt headed his way? When, of all people, Pele disrespects Lionel Messi as a "one skill player" (no doubt FIFA was using the Brazilian phenomenon to give their poisonous Ballon D'or list credibility (Messi at #5??? Even His biggest haters aren't stupid enough to put him lower than #3 on the list for greatest of all time!!!) and we must all listen and agree? Appreciate and accept this nonsense?
I won't.
I refuse.
This is a player who, at his absolute worst, contributes five times the goals, assists, chances created, shots on goal, dribbles than any other player...and this is describing Messi at his worst.
This is a player who possesses the best futbol IQ on planet earth. His thinking is so fast on the ball: he's made five moves before you've woken up.
Messi has been in unstoppable form, yet again, and even on his worst outings this season, Lionel has been the difference no matter what. Whether it be completely taking on the entire opposition and scoring everything in his path or totally trusting and backing young teammates like Ousmane Dembele and Phil Coutinho into being giants of the pitch themselves.
He has assisted goals to Dembele, Suarez, Pique, Rakitic, Coutinho and Alena among many others and has scored from passes off of the feet of Dembele, Suarez, Coutinho, Rakitic and multiple times from Jordi Alba (of course).
We've seen him work his ass off for his team, hunting and harrying defenses with his underrated pressing, ala Suarez.
Most fascinating: Messi's renewed sense of responsibility thanks to finally becoming Barca captain. As if the humble little genius needed anymore renewal or rebirth....
Yet just as the Pele comments and the Ballon D'or bullshit award have given Messi the fuel to ignite his anger, the anger to unify his abilities and his abilities to carry a team, to drive them on, he has used the captaincy as a platform to demonstrate just what he means to futbol:
He's set the records, he's set the bar impossibly high, he's set the world on fire since he was a young adolescent and he now sets the stage: the stage he controls as both lead actor and director, only through the grace of his unlimited selflessness and his abundant leadership does anyone else get to star and my my my, how many times do we see an Oscar winner content with sharing the award? How many times do we see an MVP loving the fact he's a co-MVP?
ALMOST NEVER.
He is the footballing equivalent of Santa Claus, the Barcelona version of Jesus...
And Messi's ego is almost allowed to be as big as Ronaldo's, yet he minimizes the attention wrought upon him.
Ronaldo executes a politician's wave beautifully...but Messi lets his feet wave bye bye as he sets another record and kills your favorite team......
......again......
Just sit back, forget what you think you know and enjoy.
Just enjoy him.
Don't ever take him for granted.
EYE GOUGING STAT:
17 goals, 9 assists for Barca
Messi has hit the post a staggering 10 times this season already, making it in the 40+ range of hitting the post between the last two seasons. Bad luck or just a show of strength and intent? Is Messi just toying with us all? Going easy on us?
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