THE ASSISTKINGS QUARTERLY...10 OF THE BEST AND MORE OF THE REST
AUTHORS NOTE
It is with great pleasure and patronage that I bring to YOU, dearest futbol fan and reader, a collection of the 10 best creative players in world futbol, interpreted through the metric system we have below the list if you're interested...which is basically, our eyes.
We've seen some truly incredible creative performances from attacking players and defenders alike this season in European futbol, with fullbacks like Joshua Kimmich, Nice's Algerian Youcef Atal, Jordi Alba, or personal favorite Achraf Hakimi getting in on the act with as much fervor and directness as a forward.
The game is changing, as we see a litany of assists being conjured by players all over the pitch and a premium being offered for the services of full-on chance creating machines such as Christian Eriksen, Leroy Sane, Kevin De Bruyne, Jadon Sancho among others proving that the old fashioned #10 is dead and the all around, complete player who looks to attack at all costs is the era we live in now.
Below we have a list of the 10 hottest on the planet right now:
Let's go!
CREATIVE PRACTICES OF NOTE:
- Dijon attacking midfielder and Tunisia World Cup star NAIM SLITI had 3 goals and 3 assists, a rare double hat trick (Messi himself hasn't achieved this feat officially!!), with the Tunisian responsible for all 6 of his team's goals in a wild 6-3 Coup De France victory over St. Etienne
- Manchester City central midfielder ILKAY GUNDOGAN had 4 assists in a CC Cup match vs Rotherham, all from a defensive midfield position, grabbing his first ever career hat trick of assists in the venomous 7-0 City victory.
- 3 different Man City players had 2 assists in a 9-0 nuclear holocaust over Burton in the CC Cup, with Riyad Mahrez, David Silva and Leroy Sane all posting a brace of assists and even more goals should've gone into the back of the net if City hadn't pulled their foot off of the gas pedal in the finishing department (Sane was substituted in the 65th minute).
THE LIST
10.
RIYAD MAHREZ (Man City / Algeria)
- 10 assists overall
- 4 in the UCL (co leader with Mbappe, Depay)
- 4 assists in his last 3 apps. for City
The Algerian winger continues his bristling form as of late with his new club, Manchester City, even while being rotated in and out of Pep's starting XI.
And, though still adjusting to his new surroundings, Mahrez has remained a near constant threat in the final third, combining with his new teammates at will and using the cup competitions against lowly sides to forge a place in the City XI, an extremely hard task at hand given the competition for that spot.
Mahrez has kept himself in contention, with consistent volumes of shots, steady possession play which he has improved upon from his time at Leicester and generating various chances for his club mates.
A lack of assists or goals in the Premier league has been made up for by his Champions league leading 4 assists, however we still feel Mahrez is capable of ascending a few more gears, if given the minutes.
For those who thought Mahrez would be an unused, peripheral figure in the City squad, he has proven that estimation wrong indeed, with his bold, vivacious play.
9.
RYAN FRASER (Bournemouth/ Scotland)
- 10 assists for Bournemouth overall
- 9 in the EPL
- 3 for Scotland in Nations League play
The tireless Scot makes Rod Stewart proud, doesn't he?
The Bournemouth and Scotland winger / forward / wingback has kept his name on nearly all of our lists, dating back to the first month of the season.
And even as Fraser posts 5 key passes while watching his club lose 2-0 to Everton and his forwards miss his chances, including one off of the post, the frustrating nature of his role with the Cherries doesn't keep him down. Ryan Fraser has still retained his confidence enough to probe Premier league defenses better than a Kevin Spacey Alien Abduction.Fraser generated 12 key passes in his last 6 matches, a mean feat for a winger who's forced to defend 3/4 of every match.
Yet Fraser's 9 assists (tied for 2nd in the EPL with Sane) proves everything we need to know about the young Scot: he's ready for a bigger club.
Man United or Arsenal could all use the Scot's tremendous work rate and creativity, or we could see him tailor made for Klopp's Liverpool when lads such as James Milner and Adam Lallana move on.
8.
MEMPHIS DEPAY (Lyon / Netherlands)
- 13 assists overall
- 3 assists for the Netherlands
Memphis Depay has continued to launch assists for Lyon, even while the French club has had inconsistent performances in recent matches.
The Dutchman has gone long stretches of this campaign without talisman Nabil Fekir at full health and Bertrand Traore playing at only half of his potential, yet he's been an ever-present leader on the European assists table.
Depay, nearly every match, has pulled off a number of goalscoring situations for anyone willing to meet the ball on the other side, as we saw him launch a corner to center back Jason Denayer's skull for the only goal on the weekend in Ligue 1 play.
You can count on Depay to deliver quality chances to teammates, and despite recent struggles where opponents have seemingly "figured out" a trick or two from The Dutch international's toolbox (only one assist in his last 5 matches), he's been the most consistent performer in one of Europe's hottest young teams.
With Barcelona and their propensity to allow goals from set pieces on the horizon (this next month in the UCL), Houssem Aouar on the left and Fekir back fit, we should see Depay only increase his productivity in the final third.
KYLIAN MBAPPE (PSG/ France)
- 10 assists overall
- UCL co-leading 4 assists
- 2 earned penalties for PSG
- 1 created own goal and 1 earned penalty for France (post World Cup)
Mbappe continues his scintillating form, pushing the boundaries with another goal and an assist performance on the weekend, devising 4 direct opportunities to score for his teammates, as well.
With 22 goals and 10 assists, with a few more created through his deceptive skill in the box earning penalties, Mbappe has progressed beyond measure and hasn't suffered a World Cup hangover whatsoever.
His dribbling has been a cataclysmic weapon against Ligue 1 and Champions league opposition, setting up an average of 2.4 dribbles per game across three competitions (Coup De France, Ligue 1, UCL).
It's this devastating pace and abundant skill that has defenses screwed when facing the 20 year old; but what makes him much more than a skillful young talent is his supernatural eye for a killer pass in behind pressing defenders while simultaneously using this chaotic speed....all to amazing effect.
And when you have fellow teammates in attack like Neymar and Cavani, you will create goals if your head is up. That is the greatest skill Mbappe has: The ability to raise his chin and keep his vision alive whilst racing up and down the flanks or flying in between Ligue 1 and top European defenses (they faced Napoli and Liverpool twice).
Kylian proceeds to place his name at the top of the greatest in world futbol list with each passing match and with Neymar now out of both upcoming legs vs United, the mantle lays firmly on Mbappe's shoulders to deliver Champions league success to Paris.
6.
EDEN HAZARD (Chelsea / Belgium)
-10 assists in the Premier League (EPL leader)
-1 assist for Belgium post World Cup
-In the last 12 Chelsea matches (drawing 1 and losing 4), the club have scored only 11 goals; of those 11 goals, Eden Hazard has been directly responsible for 8 of them!
Hazard has been unlucky as of late, with only one assist in his last 10 matches, so we have to send him a few spots down the list in favor of more recently firing creators. The Belgian has seen his forwards go wanting, registering 16 key passes over the past 5 appearances for Chelsea with nothing to show for it in the assists category.
Hazard has still been scoring goals and generally keeping his club's slight chance at a top 4 place alive, although he's dealing with a goal drought among the Chelsea setup.
Chelsea manager Mauricio Sarri has been betting on the fact that the Belgium captain is seemingly good for creating 2 goals a match, yet his teammates have been woeful when finishing off the many supernatural openings Hazard has created in this, his greatest season so far.
Will the man go to Madrid?
We hope not, because we fear his talents may be wasted there.
Though staying at Chelsea seems to be an unassailable task the Belgian isn't relishing.
He's stayed in London a few seasons too long.
Simply put, if Hazard is playing for a club like Arsenal, or even Lyon, he's notching an incredible 19 or 20+ assists already in this campaign, not an EPL leading 10 (not to mention what he would do at Barca, Madrid or PSG), since the Belgian World Cup star has already created a delirious 84 total chances thus far this campaign (66 between the Premier League and Europa League combined, 18 in both FA Cup and CC Cup appearances) whilst dragging Chelsea to the precipice of a league cup title.
5.
JADON SANCHO (Dortmund / England)
- 11 assists overall
- 9 in the Bundesliga
- 1 for England in his first international start
- directly responsible for 2 additional (uncredited) goals in the Bundesliga
With another pair of breathtaking assists on the weekend, Sancho launched himself up our list with some outrageous play.
 |
| Sancho (left) has taken the example put forth by Dortmund captain Marco Reus (right), who has been enjoying one of his best campaigns thanks to the presence of the English 18 year old. |
He's becoming one of the elite players of world futbol very quickly, leading Dortmund to their greatest ever points haul at this juncture in a Bundesliga season and usurping Bayern Munich's dead man's stranglehold on the Bundesliga trophy over the last 5+ seasons.
For an 18 year old...this is something....
Just sit back and watch Sancho, because if he progresses at this optimum, he could become the greatest English player of all time.
And that's not a stretch.
4.
JOSHUA KIMMICH (Bayern Munich)
-12 assists overall
-9 in the Bundesliga
-7 assists in his last 9 matches!
This young German is such a favorite of mine.
He's so smart on the pitch with and without the ball; he's aggressive and fiery in his effort and work for the club; he's shown (a few seasons ago) he can score a litany of goals from different positions. And to aid this, Kimmich always displayed the knack for versatility at its highest levels both for club and country and has, most impressively, been impossible to stop from creating.
With another 2 assists yesterday against Stuttgart, Kimmich took his Bundesliga leading total to 9 (with Dortmund's Jadon Sancho) and gave Bayern a much needed victory to keep pace in the league title race against Lucien Favre and Reus's Borussia Dortmund outfit.
The German right back / midfielder hybrid has 61 key passes for Bayern and is averaging a crazy 2.7 in the UCL and 2.4 in the Bundesliga, all while swapping back and forth between right back and center midfield. Stats don't do this kid justice, as he's creating at least 4 or 5 more goals directly from his passing, wicked crossing, or violent set piece deliveries.
There's nothing this young kid cannot do, but get ready for him to set records throughout the entirety of his career as long as injuries and off the pitch issues don't impede him.
3.
JORDI ALBA (Barcelona)
-13 assists overall
- 3 matches of 2+ assists
- 1 hat trick of assists in UCL
- 5 assists in his last 3 1/2 matches
(substituted on in the second half of the 1st leg vs Sevilla)
The often forgotten genius of Barcelona and Spain left back Jordi Alba is one of futbol's greatest mysteries.
Why is he frequently relegated to 4th or even 5th place on the list of best left backs in the world, currently? Or better yet, the madness that he was forsaken by his current national team and former Barcelona manager Luis Enrique (both post 2018 World Cup until November 2018 and during Enrique's final season in charge in 2017 (Alba didn't even take part in the heroic 6-1 comeback against PSG that season).
Although he was able to take part in this week's 6-1 comeback over Sevilla, in which Alba was a nonstop force up the left wing, combining with the improved Coutinho and setting up 2 goals in the final 2 1/2 minutes! I even had to update this nearly finished article to account for his crazy antics with Messi and friends as the Camp Nou rocked and raved.
It's getting somewhat difficult to keep up with these guys.
What makes Jordi Alba "under the radar" (←←meant to be sarcastic) is his absolute ghost-like consistency, which is at a Messi level in his position. It's this obvious Alba to Messi, Alba to Suarez, Alba to whoever combinations that our brain gets used to seeing over a long period of time, thus it doesn't begin to shock us.
We begin to get desensitized by his greatness, his endless sprinting and juicing of back lines of European clubs all over, much to the terror of many a right winger or right back.
Alba has been enjoying his best campaign ever, with 13 assists overall and 5 in his last 3 1/2 matches for the little Catalan straight out of the La Masia Barcelona Academy. He's also been involved directly in 3 other uncredited goals throughout the season...with Alba's stamp and imprint all over the finished article.
It is this tireless consistency we should never take for granted or grow weary of......
but definitely get used to.
2.
LEROY SANE (Man City)
-12 assists overall
- 9 in the EPL
- 4 assists and 3 goals in his last 4 apps.
- directly responsible for 4 additional goals
The German left winger has been in dominant form as of late, inventing goalscoring opportunities at will in the current City setup.
Manchester City had gone on a tear lately, scoring 29 goals and allowing none over the course of the month of January until they went flat in Newcastle in midweek. And who was integral to this resounding obliteration of all comers?
The afro'd magic of Leroy Sane.
Ze German has run opponents on the left wing into dust, with 4 assists in his last 4 matches and 3 goals to go along with it. With the nonstop danger of his dribbling combined with his pace, eye for a killer pass and Sane's developing assassin finishes, the City attacker is having his most complete season at the helm of Guardiola's attacking lineup.
Next to De Bruyne, Sterling, Fernandinho, Laporte and David / Bernardo Silva, Sane is one of the few untouchables in Pep Guardiola's starting XI at the Etihad.
With 57 key passes at 2.4 chances conjured a match, a wild 3.8 dribbles in the UCL and 2.1 in the EPL, alongside his 11 goals (he's hit 3 shots off of the post, too), 2 for Germany in international play and his 12 assists (with 4 more goals having his direct, albeit uncredited, involvement), Sane has proven himself to be one of the best players in the world.
Although as we witnessed against Newcastle, where City lost for the first time all month, Newcastle center backs Fabian Schar, Jamaal Lascelles and American right back DeAndre Yedlin were all able to crowd and gang-tackle Sane to only 2 chances created with only 1 key pass.
Sane does have the ability to ghost away in certain matches, when aggressively marked into the corner flag on that left wing.
1.
LIONEL MESSI (Barcelona)
- 10 assists in La Liga (#1 in assists, of course)
- directly responsible for 3 more goals
(2 from shots on target and 1 earned penalty)
Messi has 2 assists in his last 7 matches (OH MY GOD NO!!!!! He's only scored a goal in every one of those matches & nabbing one off of the bench, too), although with 14 key passes in his last 4 appearances, you'd be harsh to exclude him from this list.
It's obvious to anyone watching, that Messi and finally his manager Ernesto Valverde, are taking the foot off of the gas pedal on the GOAT more than last season, with the 31 year old Messi choosing to save his energy for the biggest of matches, although it would be hard to tell if he really has dialed it down: Messi has kept pace with Neymar, Saint-Maximin and Sofiane Boufal with dribbles per match across all European leagues, which always depicts Messi's lust for a duel to a smaller degree than he actually attempts.
This isn't Messi slowing down.
Hell no.
This is Messi finally being rested for once, and maaan he doesn't look too bad, does he?
As currently as this last weekend against Girona, Messi played an outrageous through ball to send Coutinho through on goal with a one on one chance against keeper Bounous, but the Brazilian took too much time and smashed it off of the goalkeeper. The ball was so good, Coutinho didn't realize he had as much time as he did to pull the trigger. He had no excuses to miss such a triumphant masterclass of perfection that was the through ball Leo played up the left wing, right between two focused and pressing, but hapless looking Girona defenders.
Messi was looking to his left all game for the sprinting Jordi Alba (who ripped another assist to Messi, the 6th he's laid on for the Argentine GOAT), or the cutting inside angled "runs" of Coutinho. But the former Liverpool man wasted a mass of openings and attacking angles with boring, ponderous play.
.
Flash forward to midweek and you have Messi earning a penalty and, facing a 0-2 deficit to Sevilla, he improbably (but then again...we know Messi..he does this all the time) handed Coutinho the ball to take the critical penalty. And when you are entrusted by someone as legendary, as perfect as Lionel Messi, it empowers you to do great things: With all the justified criticism surrounding Coutinho, he buried the penalty and scored again in the same match, capping off a wonderful display where he looked a completely transformed specimen.
The unselfishness from this man isn't just cool or commendable: he's literally saying "come join me at the top...there's plenty of room."
No statistic will ever be able to handle, judge or convey how his unselfishness affects his club, though we can surmise it boosts the collective ability of the squad to well beyond what was expected.
And his invention extends to Ousmane Dembele, who was combining with Leo brilliantly before the Frenchman's injury, assisting a ridiculous 6 of the Frenchman's 13 goals.
And we all know about his famous, prolific partnership with Luis Suarez that still continues to rampage opposing back lines the world over and will continue to flourish once Ousmane Dembele's pace and skill comes back into the team to aid the slower creative geniuses up top.
With a filthy 79 total key passes between La Liga, the Champions Legue and his few Copa Del Rey appearances, Messi has continued to carve defenses like Michael Myers at a millennial-hipster owned bed and breakfast. This man simply never stops and 79 chances created barely begins to scrape the amount of opportunities he's given to his Barcelona teammates.
Lionel Messi isn't just a master and commander of time and space, he is a leader of men and a character for all to follow, sports fan, Barca fan, Messi lover or hater (how could you?), etc....this is a man that bears no equal, nor accepts any claim to the titles of which we give him.
But....Leo....by the way, bro....you're the GOAT!
METRIC
1. PERFORMANCE:
the impact and effect their creativity (any act on the ball) has on the overall results of their team (i.e victories and losses combined with high or lower levels of performance). In this part of the metric, we judge goals and contributions to goals that aren't credited officially with assists (such as earned penalties or causing own goals.
2. UNCREDITED CONTRIBUTIONS:
This would include chances created that weren't officially counted thanks to a teammate's bad touch or failed run, since key passes are only officially counted if the pass is completed, yet we all know a pass doesn't have to be completed for a chance to have been created (just make sure your brain is alright after that...whew..mine is barely). Here, we also equate decisive passes (the pass that sets up the assist) as chances created, as well.
3. RECENCY BIAS:
We do give credence on these lists to players who are hotter in current matches than others who have cooled, with the overall tallies being considered
4. DIFFICULTY OF OPPOSITION:
This is an obvious factor. Example: such is the lower level of defensive, goalkeeping and deeper midfield talents below the top 2 or 3 clubs in France's Ligue 1 or the Netherlands Eredivisie, that 7 or 8 assists in the Premier league, Bundesliga or La Liga equates to 10 or 11 in France or Holland.
The eyes don't lie
Messi has my vote!
ReplyDeleteYes indeed!!!!
ReplyDeleteGreat. I like it. may nang luong mat troi tam phang .
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