THE DESTINY & FATE OF KINGS PT. II: BEST XI PLAYERS IN THE WORLD

GK 
DAVID DE GEA (MAN U.)
Saves: 111 (3.6 per match in EPL)
Clean Sheets: 8
Points Rescued: 24

        As much as I feel slight disgust about this player and his alleged rapey past that seemed to be pushed under the rug, he is arguably the greatest goalkeeper in the World and is in my opinion, in the best overall form.
       Changing managers from the angry doldrums of Jose Mourinho to the happy-go-lucky promise of (former United UCL final hero) Ole Gunner Solsjkaer's reign hasn't just improved the cohesion in attack and the midfield continuity of Paul Pogba.... It has restored faith in the back line, with less attention being centered on the defenders constantly having to defend and block shots. Hell, I could see Luke Shaw himself going a full season without injury thanks to more possession since Mourinho's departure, alone.
        De Gea has proven his worth with some insane performances, specifically against Tottenham: where his 11 save majestic brilliance held on to a 1-0 victory and the clean sheet, stopping 11 shots on target from Harry Kane, Alli and Eriksen, all with point blank brilliant reactions.
       Like I said, we could put Alisson on this list, Ter Stegen was #1 on our last list, but judged on recent form and over the course of the season, De Gea has saved Man United's ass repeatedly... to the point that I feel Sir Alex Ferguson and his cohorts at the top of the United brass said "we'll make these credible rape accusations disappear...but you cannot go to Madrid" back in the Summer of 2016....
     Just a little conspiracy for your entertainment.

RB 
JOSHUA KIMMICH  (BAYERN MUNICH)

Assists: 12
Goals: 1
Uncredited direct goal contributions: 4
Tackles & Interceptions: 31 T, 32 I
Key Passes: 2.7 UCL, 2.4 BUND; 69 total

       The future Bayern and Germany captain has already stamped his signature  aggressive / all action talents on the beginning of a special legacy on the pitch.
       He has played right back, center back and all kinds of permutations in midfield, displaying his versatile specialties in the creative, distributive and in "the thinking man's violence" of our game.
       Kimmich has formed a goal-bound partnership with striker Robert Lewandowski who continues to bulge the back of the net harder than Robert Plant wearing fishnets in The Song Remains The Same. 
        We know (from a season and a half  ago) that Kimmich can blast in goals from all over the pitch, just as Real Madrid found out in both legs of the Champions League a campaign ago. He's capable of grabbing the club he loves from birth by the neck and dragging them over the finish line, if need be.
       His dead ball deliveries can be as stunning as his crossing from open play, forcing opponents to work on set piece defending during pre-match preparations without doubt.
       Not only is he the best right back in the world without being a natural full back, we would be putting him as the best center midfielder in the world if he were playing there every match..



CB
 KALIDOU KOULIBALY (NAPOLI)

Assists: 2
Tackles and Interceptions: 54 T, 38 I
Clearances: 105
Minutes played / Apps: 2,370 (26 A)
Passes Completed: 1,956 (74.3 per match)

      The Senegalese titan is watching his future Summer transfer fee continue to rise by the appearance, as he put in a recent man of the match display showing all the characteristics anyone would dream of from a modern center back, and capped it off with a match turning last man tackle.
      Such is his completeness as a defender, everyone from Barcelona to Man City, PSG or Juventus  (who Napoli would be idiotic to sell him to) is dying just for the opportunity to spend in excess of 100 million for him.
     He uses his massive, hulking body and strength to shield the ball from attackers or often guided the ball out of bounds without even attempting a touch, just like other modern defenders like Samuel Umtiti, De Ligt, or Virgil Van Dijk and born from the influence of such precise defensive specimens as Franz Beckenbauer and Gerard Pique: defenders who use their body / strength in more cunning, passive ways and utilizing their ability on the ball, (together with their anticipatory attributes) to shut down through ball situations or counter attacks.
      Not only that, Kalidou is majestic at spraying the ball wide to rampaging wingers, fullbacks or forwards: 117 accurate long balls in the Champions League and Serie A combined spell this out, while his knack for blocking opponents in his own box is dominant, with 4 clearances a match.
      This is what Koulibaly has turned into an institution at Napoli. And it's the giant transfer fee that he will command from whatever new club signs him that will be enough cash to revamp the entire Napoli back four.
      He's going to be the Italian club's biggest servant, even after he's gone.

CB 
AYMERIC LAPORTE (MAN CITY)

Goals: 4
Assists: 1
Uncredited direct goal contributions: 3
Crazy stat: attempted 24 shots, with 6 on goal; of those 6 on target, only in 2 matches did he fail to score

         The young Frenchman has been an unreal player to watch develop under the radar of Pep Guardiola, as he goes from strength to strength and produces one fantastic performance after another.
        Laporte is so consistent and is such a reliable, versatile left footed defender it's  a disgrace he is yet to make a single senior National team appearance.
        His exclusion from the French national team for the World Cup this last summer was a stupid decision from Didier Deschamps, Yet we could've never imagined these kinds of dominant performances being ignored wholesale by the French boss still.
       Laporte has been ever-present in Guardiola's stacked, expensive squad, proving to be well worth beyond his original transfer fee from Bilbao. He is a tough, strong, powerful defender with skill in abundance.
       His passing range should be edited together as a "Modern Defender's Passing" workshop, such is the ways he not only threatens the opposition with his through balls up the wing, or his penetrating on the ground passes to set up Fernandinho and David Silva at the base of midfield, or how he breaks the lines of pressure coming on to him as a center back: in all situations, he takes absolute care in preserving possession, something which makes him one of only a few automatic starters in the Man City lineup.
       One of the most eye popping attributes of Laporte's game is the way he can control the flow and tempo of a match and then alter it just as quickly, all from some 70-80 yards from goal:
      The buildup to the first goal in City's 3-0 victory over Wolverhampton displays everything about Laporte's outrageous abilities: calm, conservative possession, with Laporte raising his hands almost pleading for calm at one moment, then playing two or three passes in succession with a dropping deeper Sane.
       Laporte receives the ball, then with such devastating cunning, moves to pass to his right, shifting the Wolverhampton lines of defense and midfield just slightly off of Sane's left wing, then blasts a 80+ yard on the ground through ball up the side to Sane, the perfect ball at the perfect time, sending defenders leaping to get a toe to it, all in vain.
      The ball from Laporte was so perfect that by the time Sane latched on to its perfect weight, all he had to do was look up across the opposition box and roll an assist to Gabriel Jesus for the tap in.

        It must be seen to be believed if you'd missed it.
       It was the best ball I've seen since Pogba's long ball that freed up Mbappe (in what would eventually turn into Pogba's goal in the World Cup final). This is one big reason why the statistics known as "assists" and "key passes" never does the reality, or players involved, justice.
       That is why on our lists here at the Uninterupted Sports Odyssey, we count the stats judged most by the eyes.
       And unless our eyes deceive us, Laporte isn't just a shoe-in for the next few French national teams in tournaments, he's a probable starter if Samuel Umtiti is never the same again.
       

LB
JORDI ALBA (BARCA)

Assists: 12
Goals: 2
Key passes: 47 total
Uncredited direct goal contributions: 4

      Barca left back Jordi Alba is enjoying his greatest season, this coming after a career-best campaign in 2017/18, yet Alba has become even better.
      He's already notched 3 multi-assist matches so far, including 5 assists in his last 5 matches, a 3 assist match in the Champions League against an upper-crust back line and Jordi has expanded his influence, combining for goals with Dembele, Coutinho and Suarez multiple times.
       The guy is a defender....this obviously means he is scampering 70+ yards to get involved in a goal, every time...he's playing by far one of the toughest positions to play in futbol, full back...and he's doing it better than anyone else. Only Achraf Hakimi of Dortmund was truly in contention next to Alba for this list.
        Alba displays an immense work ethic that masks the loss of Samuel Umtiti in the left side of defense and grants new Barca center back (and Umtiti replacement) Clement Lenglet a type of clemency (ahhh! See what happened there!) to adapt to his new environment, expectations, teammates and club, as Jordi's speed has covered the left wing admirably.
       Jordi Alba is as big of a cog in the Barca machine as Messi, Busquets Pique, or Ter Stegen, proving absolutely necessary to any club success.


DM 
AXEL WITSEL (DORTMUND)
Passes per game:91.4 in UCL, 72.4 in BUN)
Completion rate: 94.5, 93.2 (UCL, BUN)
Goals: 5 (2 in his last 4 apps.)
Assists: 1
Blocks: 10 shots blocked
Clearances: 35
Tackles: 37
Interceptions: 34

          The biggest steal of the summer transfer window has to be the Belgian mainstay Axel Witsel coming to Borussia Dortmund, settling their midfield into a titanic wall that has hurdled the club to their biggest point haul in Bundesliga history.
         Witsel has long been one of the most underrated midfielders in all of Europe, displaying a Busquets-esque panache mashed together with a bruising, Belgian destroyer, typical of Fernandinho or Kante completely capable of taking the ball from you, off of you and through you if the refs will allow.
         He can pass through you, as well as beat you up in the center of the park with expert tackling and timely, slightly negative fouls that halt counter-attacks at the drop of a hat.

       Axel Witsel should've had more suitors than Dortmund, as he had been wasting the prime of his career away in the wastelands of the Russian premier league and Chinese futbol. It was almost too little too late for him to go and make his mark at a big club, although he now has joined the perfect club and manager at an incredibly crucial time in his career path.
       Not only has Dortmund boss Lucien Favre trusted Witsel with the entirety of his midfield and complete control over the tempo of matches, he has made sure his midfield stalwart will guide other younger talents in the Dortmund squad such as Mahmoud Dahoud and Maximillian Phillip (just as Witsel has done with Belgium teammate Youri Tielemans, taking him under his wing) . The two, young German Dortmund mids could feasibly become fantastic players, with Dahoud in particular poised to be an all-world midfielder if he develops without burden.
       If Dahoud, who's been on the bench more often than the pitch thanks to Witsel's majesty are taking notes on their Belgian teammate, one day they may be even better thanks to his example.

CM
DAVID SILVA  (MAN CITY)

Goals: 9
Assists: 7
Uncredited direct goal contributions: 5
Key Passes: 2.2 EPL, 3.8 UCL, 73 total
Passes per game: 60.8 at a high 80s completion percentage

            The City attacking midfielder has dropped ever deeper as the bells of Father Time have tolled, yet his vision and second to none first touch  (well, every touch) have made him a far more dangerous and effective team player, spraying the ball wing to wing and pinging it through gaps in the center.
          He has been a force alongside Fernandinho, often proving to be more robust and strong in the tackle than he was at the beginning of Guardiola's arrival. Such is City's pass-happy domination that the slender, smaller David Silva is averaging 60.8 passes from deep in the engine of midfield in the 'physical', 'violent' Premier League. He's rarely been challenged by an opposing midfield, whether on or off the ball.

          The newly shaven-headed monster has controlled the midfield in nearly every match, the exception being the 2-1 victory over Liverpool where Klopp fielded his most cunning, physical and pragmatic midfield three (Henderson, Milner and Wijnaldum), the midfield 3 that also took Liverpool to the UCL Final) and forced David Silva into a physical battle and athletic race in the center, all without having to foul him. Although a late Sane goal won the match for the Citizens, it was Silva who was effectively taken out of the game in midfield.
          That's his only deficiency as a center midfielder, though Guardiola now has the option to reinforce Silva (in his usual pairing alongside Fernandinho's steel) with the guile and craft of the finally fit Kevin De Bruyne, instead of in a midfield two where his lack of athleticism can be exposed  (as we admittedly saw in the World Cup and Klopp took advantage of in the 2-1 match).
         Still, the Spain World Cup and Euros winner has bagged 5 assists since January, has directly created 12 goals, highlighted by his 73 chances created across all competitions.
    Although his last goal was on December 30th, the City #21 attained 9 goals and is consistently troubling goalkeepers time and time again, hitting the post twice in the Champions League this group stage, too.
     Sorry Teji Savanier, we had to pick him.

CAM
MARCO REUS  (DORTMUND)

Goals:17
Assists:7
Uncredited direct goal contributions: 3
Key passes: 40 all comps.
Points won: 32

            6 goals and 2 assists in his last eight matches doesn't begin to highlight the savage displays Marco Reus, Dortmund captain has put on show.
            He has been phenomenal, continuing as one of only two Germans who did their career justice from the last World Cup  (Reus and Kimmich), forming a prolific partnership with young Brit Jadon Sancho, much to the dismay of the entire Bundesliga: combining directly for 5 goals, though creating a litany of much more.
           Other than his 17 goals and 7 assists, Reus has hit the post 4 times in the  Bundesliga and created 5 chances that have come rebounding off of the woodwork in all comps (including one from a set piece against Union Berlin in the DFB Pokal).
          Reus has finally stayed healthy and it's about time a manager came in and took care of this talisman and absolute genius on the pitch. He's been one of the most unlucky players on earth when it comes to missing international tournaments and World Cup success with Germany (former Dortmund teammate Ilkay Gundogan has a parallel career riddled with injuries and missed opportunities).
         Thanks to Lucien Favre's medical staff sparing him for matches at times  (only 19 appearances in the Bundesliga, while still notching 13 goals), he's been able to gradually recover from years of injuries and surgeries yet to fully heal.
        It's about time someone took care of him. If you check out his career stats, even when Reus was suffering injury plagued seasons, he was burying goals and assists nearly every time he took the pitch.
        It's in his DNA...so...let him play but take care of him.


CAM / F
EDEN HAZARD  (CHELSEA)

Assists: 10
Goals: 15
Uncredited direct goal contributions: 4
Key passes: 2.7 EPL, 3.8 EUROPA, 90 total


       How could he not find his way into this list? Eden Hazard has been pulling the dying corpse of Chelsea FC to the brink of the Premier league top four, scoring and ushering 11 out of their last 16 goals, with 2 more in a recent 5-0 victory over Huddersfield that the Belgian will surely hope spells the end of his one man show acrobatics.
       Hazard is in the midst of his greatest season yet and we think it'll only get better: watch closely as he channels his all into absolute magic, whether his teammates are in on the action or not.

F
KYLIAN MBAPPE  (PSG)
Goals: 22
Assists: 12
Uncredited direct goal contributions: 5
Key passes: 51
Dribbles: 45 successful dribbles
(2 shots off the post)

           Mbappe came on in the 70th odd minute in the Coup De France and proceeded to lay on 2 assists in extra time, both from high octane fast breaks, leading PSG to a 3-0 AET victory in the process.
          The World Cup hero has been electrifying, continuously rampaging at defenders and creating for his teammates. He's fully accepted the mantle left over from an injured Neymar.
        And Mbappe may be better with Neymar out of his way: when the controversial, whiny Brazilian is on the pitch, Mbappe hugs to the right wing, devastating left backs with bursts of dribbling and vertical attacking runs. When Neymar isn't on the pitch, Kylian Mbappe is free to roam across the front, providing insurmountable task for anyone trying (or willing) to mark him.
        Since the turn of the year, Mbappe has scored 6 times and provided 4 assists to teammates.
       This has unlocked the creativity and spark from forgotten German attacker Julian Draxler, who's been rampant in his attacking play over the course of the last few matches thanks to this extra space, especially on the left, grabbing 2 goals and 5 assists in the last 7 matches.
        The unselfish nature of Mbappe's play establishes him as an nonstop threat and in the top 3 best players in the world....all ready at the age of 20.

F 
LIONEL MESSI (BARCA)

Goals: 29 goals in 25 apps. 
            (21 in 18 La Liga apps.)
Assists: 14
Uncredited Direct goal contributions: 7
Dribbles: 4.4
Points won: 56
Key passes: 83 total, averaging 3 exactly all comps

    Although battling a current thigh injury and missing part of the El Clasico first leg in the Copa Del Rey, Messi has been in electrifying form scoring 19 times in his last 20 appearances, leading La Liga in both scoring and assisting  (like every season).
     He's been in non stop pursuit of goalscoring situations, for himself or for teammates, it hasn't mattered for him. It is obvious his goal has always been winning, but this season more than ever, it feels as if Messi is on a desperate mission with a cool assassin's grin.
     The biggest asset and issue Barcelona have concerns Lionel Messi in both the glory of his madness and the gap he leaves when he isn't on the pitch. Barca manager Ernesto Valverde is currently gambling with Messi's health, throwing him on for the last 41 minutes of a 1-1 first leg draw against Real Madrid.
      I get it.
      It's El Clasico.
      This is the Copa Del Rey, though.
      This only matters psychologically and it really shouldn't, it's only through Ernesto Valverde's obsessions that the Copa Del Rey  seems to demand importance in the dressing room.
      Though we know full well what the real mission is and Messi couldn't have said it better himself: he began the season, his first as captain, holding a microphone in front of a packed Camp Nou and vowing to deliver the Champions League to Barcelona for the first time since 2015, with the most bitter of calamities and injury / squad mismanagement from hapless Barca managers, coupled with UEFA gifting refereeing decisions and easy draws that handed Real Madrid the UCL trophy over the past 4 seasons.
     Messi must've been disgusted as he watched Real Madrid hoisting the UCL trophy after obliterating Juventus, or marveling in agitation at Liverpool's former Osama Bin Laden of goalkeeping Loris Karius throw the ball into the net twice for the Lost Blankets (only real fans will get that one).
     It's about time Messi is on the pitch, fit and firing and with the necessary support in the latter stages of the Champions League...at least then the vicious media can put the blame on his shoulders if we crash out...at least then futbol fans would be able to see the truth: that is, when everyone off the pitch gets out of his way: managers, board, owners... his father, he is the best in the world and wins every time.
       We will sit back and look forward to seeing Messi recover from this injury and continue his absolute dominance of time and space.
      For we are better as futbol fans because of him....