ASSISTKINGS QUARTERLY: THE CUP FLOWETH OVER

Another week of action has gone by with a litany of goals to cover, and assists all over the place. We've seen too much creation  coming from fullbacks this week, as names like Andrew Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold, Cesar Azipilcueta join ASSISTKINGS QUARTERLY champions like Jordi Alba, Joshua Kimmich among other high octane fullbacks.
      Let us begin!

TELL US YOUR 10 BEST CREATORS IN A COMMENT BELOW AND WHILE YOU'RE AT IT, JOIN THE OTHER FEW WHO'VE FOLLOWED US IF YOU WANT MORE NONSTOP FOOTBALL ACTION


Key: UDGC= Uncredited Direct Goal Contribution

ASSISTHAPPENINGS:
- Liverpool right back Trent Alexander-Arnold, at only the tender age of 19, hit his first ever hat trick of assists, nailing a delightful trio of crosses to Sadio Mane and Virgil Van Dijk for some sick goals (including Mane's cheeky and utterly brilliant back-heel goal).

- When Barcelona's sometime midfielder / part time right back Sergi Roberto played Ivan Rakitic in on Thibaut Courtois' goal with a fabulously weighted through ball (that also nutmegged Madrid left back Sergio Regullon on its way in), Rakitic scored the match winner in the 1-0 El Clasico Barcelona victory.
 It was Roberto's 6th assist in his last 8 El Clasico matches.


BESTEST OF THE RESTEST:


HENRIKH MHIKTARYAN  (Arsenal)
-3 assists and a goal in his last 3 matches,  including setting up Aubemayang in the box late in the North London derby vs Tottenham. The Gabon striker earned a penalty from the ingenious pass from his Armenian teammate, but saw his soft penalty saved by Hugo Lloris.

ANGEL DI MARIA  (PSG)
- 4 key passes including a chance created that hit the post

OUSMANE DEMBELE (Barca)
-7 assists total
-UDGC: 2
-3 created goals (2 assists, 1 UDGC) in his last 3 appearances

The French World Cup winner has returned to the field after weeks out injured and since his arrival, He's continued to take off.
       In his first ever El Clasico start, the Copa Del Rey semifinals 2nd leg, Dembele destroyed Real Madrid with an otherworldly floated cutback that was released just in front of the stretched boot of Carvajal. He meant it for Suarez and without hesitation, Luis Suarez buried the brilliant chance into the back of the net to open the scoring. 
        Then, in the 2nd half, Dembele went on a searing run into the Madrid box, unattended and was found with a perfectly executed through ball by right back Nelson Semedo. Dembele let the ball roll and hit a first time on the ground cross on the turn, sending it in front of the Madrid goal for a streaking Luis Suarez.  This time, Casmeiro's diving foot poked the ball into the net a second before Suarez would've, giving Dembele an Uncredited but completely direct goal contribution (this is the best example of why and how UDGCs must be considered in the list for best creative players, we're talking an inch, a toe just barely scraping an assist away from Dembele, while we all watching know damn well who created the goal.
       Dembele is close, but just missed out on the top 10.
10
NABIL FEKIR (Lyon)

-8 assists (2 assists and an earned penalty last match)
-54 key passes (33 in Ligue 1, 12 in the UCL, 9 in dom. cups)
-UDGC: 4

     In a match that saw the debut of Nabil's younger brother Yassin, Lyon dominated Toulouse in a 5-1 fashion show of attacking prowess (a 6th goal was erroneously canceled due to "offsides" by Bertrand Traore) and Fekir was at the heart of it, creating 3 goals.
     With an earned and scored penalty and 2 brilliant assists, both quick, expert lightning fast crosses, Fekir was at the peak of his powers yet again, rampaging and dominant. 
     Fekir has seen limited time on the pitch this season, with a few pesky injuries (and the yellow card suspension that banned him from the 1st leg vs Barcelona) keeping his minutes considerably lower than normal, at just under 2,000, He's missed nearly 500-1,000 minutes on the pitch, making his feat of 8 assists and 54 key passes loom larger, as well as his 0.4 assists per game in the UCL and his 0.6 goals per game in the same competition, coupled with his 0.4 assists and 0.5 goals per game in Ligue 1, go far in establishing how clinical and productive Fekir is in the final third. 
      
9

CHRISTIAN ERIKSEN (Tottenham)

-12 assists overall
- 9 assists in the EPL
- 2.7 key passes per 90 in UCL,1.8 in EPL

In the North London derby, many would say Eriksen was anonymous.
     Yet it was Eriksen's free kick that supplied the penalty to (the offside) Harry Kane with an over the top ball Arsenal center back Shkrodan Mustafi couldn't deal with (Mustafi was deputizing at right back, a safer option for Unai Emery). Just as he folded for the Ederson assist to Aguero earlier this campaign, Mustafi couldn't handle the ball over the top and over his shoulder from the Danish World Cup hero.
     Eriksen played another unreal cross from a free kick in the 92nd minute that a number of Tottenham players should've pounced upon, but it narrowly missed any relevant body parts on its way out of bounds, untouched, but for the Tottenham attacking midfielder, his contributions remain solid and vital as Spurs find their feet (with Harry Kane) before the 2nd leg against Borussia Dortmund.
       Christian Eriksen will remain as instrumental and central to Pochettino's squads' success as anyone, maybe 2nd only to Harry Kane.

8
JOSHUA KIMMICH (Bayern)

-13 assists 
-10 in the Bundesliga
-UDGC: 6 (including 2 this last match)

      Kimmich was involved in 2 goals in the 5-1 demolition for Bayern this weekend: he was fouled for a Lewandowski penalty against Monchengladbach, the 9th goal he's been directly involved in with the Poland  captain  on the season. He followed this up later with another Uncredited Goal Contribution when he set up Lewandowski's shot that spilled to Serge Gnabry who made no mistake in burying it for the 4th goal in the route of Thorgan Hazard, Christoph Kramer and Florian Neuhaus's club.
    While not directly involved in an official assist, the goals Kimmich contributed saves his skin and keeps him narrowly on our list, mostly thanks to the eye test.
    If you watch the matches, you can tell that Bayern are so easily influenced in attack and in set pieces from the feet, brain and sack of Joshua Kimmich, the mustachio'd one.


7
ANDREW ROBERTSON (Liverpool)


-10 assists (8 in the Premier League)
-UDGC: 3
-46 key passes total 
(all comps: UCL & EPL)
          The 24 year old Scottish left back has been in venomous form as of late, pulling off 2 assists in the 5-0 midweek obliteration of Watford. 
         Robertson was actually a centimeter of a goalkeeper's finger away from notching his first career hat trick of assists: as he saw a gigantic chance for Sadio Mane go to the side as the Watford keeper's fingernail scratched the ball away to prevent another tap-in by the Senegalese powerhouse forward. 
       In the Watford match, Liverpool's fullbacks were as controlling as Ryan Adams and as rampant as Harvey Weinstein after a Vicodin and Viagra binge: right back Trent Alexander-Arnold notched his own 3 assist match and Robertson with 2 as we saw both fullbacks create all 5 goals).
         Robertson has been outrageous lately: delivering whipped-in crosses, dangerous on the ground cutbacks and, going the other way in defense, utilizes his speed and advanced anticipation skills to cover his own marauding runs, ala Jordi Alba. 
        While Liverpool's free-flowing goalscoring antics have dwindled as of late (to the tune of yet another 0-0 match against Everton) with 3 goalless draws in their last 5 matches (although denying any club a goal in their last 5, as well) and does it feel weird to say that I expected it? 
      Yes...I expected this Merseyside derby to end 0-0, just like the 1st leg against Bayern, as well as the Manchester United match, or how about the first time City and Liverpool met this season? Or how about the first 90 minutes of the initial derby of the season, that was until Van Dijk floated a crazy ball that hit the post and came back to Origi for the late, lucky winner.
        Another 0-0.....
        It may be that the most creative and best placed to complete assists (in this Liverpool squad) are the fullbacks.
      It's great to see a club that doesn't want to allow a single goal to any team that they face, it's fantastic, especially since Klopp's Liverpool had a rambunctious and flamboyant tag that took clear until these dominant defensive displays in 2018/19 to shake off, as well as the purchases of goalkeeper Alisson and last January's titanic Van Dijk transfer.....
       All of which made Liverpool go from one of the worst defensive sides in club football, to perhaps the best overall.
       But with this squad, Liverpool cannot be posting three near consecutive 0-0 draws in the business end of the season, they just can't be doing that. 
       The midfield and front three need to begin to help the fullbacks out, as one could feel that with the intensity and extremism of the Premier League and Champions League, as well as the domestic cup competitions (both of which Liverpool should consider themselves lucky to have been knocked out of), the fullbacks could begin to tire if overused. 
       Klopp has made some strides in his attempt at a preemptive curbing of this issue: completely resting left back Andrew Robertson for the domestic cup competitions, although he has now competed in 26 Premier League fixtures this season, as well as 7 in the Champions League (it must be noted Robertson had a 9 day rest only one time between matches the last two months).
       But with 5 assists in his last 10 matches, the Scot has been lightning hot for Liverpool down the left flank, combining with Divock Origi in recent matches, and being directly responsible for 3 of the 6 fullback created Liverpool goals from their last 8 overall (dating clear back to the last match Liverpool scored goals, the 3-0 over Bournemouth on February 9th). 
     As long as Klopp takes care of his aces on the wings, whilst hunting for both European and domestic honors, Liverpool should go as far as Andrew Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold's motors can take them.

6
JADON SANCHO (Dortmund)

Sancho was criticized in the press by Dortmund and Germany legend Matthias Sammer

-12 assists 
-10 in the Bundesliga
-UDGC: 4

           While carving out only a single chance against Augsburg in the 2-1 defeat and a lone shot on goal to go with it, Sancho and Dortmund suffered a hangover in the Bundesliga, one that their eternal rivals (Bayern Munich) took full advantage of, now tying Lucien Favre's Dortmund on 54 points a piece, although Dortmund keep the goal difference tie and are still in 1st place, Bayern are right on their heels thanks to this hiccuping performance.
            Sancho wasn't the only one, but he had a randomly dull match for his usual high flying standards. But, we know the Englishman will be back to his best with the 2nd leg against Tottenham coming up shortly.

5
JULIAN BRANDT (Leverkeusen)

-10 assists 
-7 in the Bundesliga
 (really 8, but thank you Kevin Volland and Leon Bailey for that)
-UDGC: 4

         If it weren't for an overly selfish Leon Bailey trying to steal a goal from Julian Brandt's brilliant dinked finish (that was going to be a goal itself) Brandt would've ended up being officially credited with at least one of his 7 created chances on the day against Freiburg in Bundesliga action on Saturday.
         Instead, in an act of complete bizarre surreality, Kevin Volland followed the ball into the net at the far post, trying to steal a goal from Brandt, but the ball was comically deflected from the forward's diving feet up and onto the knee or torso of Leverkeusen winger Leon Bailey, now making the Brandt goal / or at the least Brandt assist to Volland now becoming an officially credited Kevin Volland assist to Leon Bailey....shows you how accurate stats are sometimes, eh?
          As funny as it was, the young blonde German (Brandt) wasn't laughing.
         We gotta feel for Julian Brandt, a player who created a host of chances on the day against Freiburg, including teeing up Croatian Tin Jedvaj at the top of the box for a blast, only to see his shot whisker slightly, such was his luck.
         But we were watching and he was everywhere, like a freak, probing and cutting opponents apart with long balls, through balls and deft layoffs after skilled, perfectly executed runs (while having a raw youthfulness), with the 2-0 scoreline looking extremely kind to the Black Forest dwelling Freiburg.


4
DAVID SILVA (Man City)

-9 assists 
-UDGC: 5
-85 total chances created 
(all comps, inc. domestic cup comps)
-Assisted 7 chances that hit the post this season: 
(including this last match, to Aguero, and 2x for Sane earlier this season) 

   Manchester City patron of beautiful football and assists, David Silva enthralled those who stuck it out for the full 90 minutes of action as the Citizens battled Eddie Howe's competitive Bournemouth squad, with the ever fantastic Scottish winger Ryan Fraser.
    Silva was at the heart of it all, combining psychedelically with Kevin De Bruyne on more than a few key openings for themselves or Aguero, only to see his Belgian teammate hobble off the field for the third time this season with yet another injury to the crafty all-world creator.
      So, David Silva intensified his play, getting on the ball far more and running into the box with hellish abandon, making up for his fallen teammate.
      Silva nearly scored in the match, but what he pulled off officially was incredible. After the ball was pingponging around in the box, Silva stepped on to it, killing its chaos and then shuffling it to the waiting Riyad Mahrez who squeezed the shot through Artur Boruc and the Bournemouth goal for what would be the only goal of the match.
      The Spaniard also dished the ball to Sergio Aguero in space and the Argentine sent a divine lofted effort over the top of the Polish keeper, barely hitting the lip of the post; on replays, it shows Boruc getting the slightest of finger tips to Aguero's shot.
      It was another all-action-Jackson display from the #21, and with his all-around displays, he must make this list.

3
MEMPHIS DEPAY (Lyon)

-14 assists total 
(2 goals and an assist in his last 2 apps.)
-113 chances created (82 in Ligue 1, 23 in the UCL, 8 in domestic cup comps.)
-3 assists in 2 apps. vs Man City in the UCL

     We need to admit we were wrong. We thought Lionel Messi and Eden Hazard were in a stalemate race for the key passes title, with both now at 101. 
      Though their respective leagues contain more defensive clout and speed of play than Ligue 1, Lyon's Memphis Depay now has an outrageous 113 chances created this season, eclipsing the Belgian and Argentine. 
       He has been back to his best since a recent dip in form, nabbing 2 goals and an assist in his last 2 appearances, taking 8 shots last match and completing 3 goal bound opportunities for teammates. 
        Lyon had even more chances than the 5-1 scoreline over Toulouse indicates, with Memphis, Fekir and Traore going ham on their Ligue 1 rivals. 
        Depay will be at the heart of everything good for this Lyon team, including if they upset Barcelona.

2
EDEN HAZARD (Chelsea)

-11 assists 
(all in the EPL / #1 in assists in EPL)
-101 total key passes created 
(1 vs Tottenham, 3 vs Fulham)

       The Belgian captain produced an absolute world class moment against Fulham on Sunday when he notched his Premier League leading 11th assist.
      He received the ball at his usual base of attacking operations: the left wing and top left corner of the opponent's box. Hazard then proceeded to studder and hold the ball, inviting 4 Fulham defenders upon him; the Belgium World Cup star was threatening to do anything: shoot, dribble through or around Fulham, but before they, or we could even think, Hazard rolled a pinpoint lay-off to the top of the box for Italian midfielder Jorginho to pass home into the upper 90 of the Fulham net, a riotous screamer of a goal and one the under-fire and much-maligned Jorginho definitely needed.
          Hazard proves again what a selfless joy of a player he is, responsible for Jorginho being able to sleep at night for the first time in months.

1

Messi and Barcelona have now made the Bernabeu their second home ground.

LIONEL MESSI (Barca)
-15 assists 
 (11 in La Liga, 1 in Supercopa, 1 in UCL, 2 in Copa Del Rey)
-101 chances created total 
 (tied with Eden Hazard for 2nd in Europe's top 5 leagues, behind Memphis Depay)

        Messi wasn't at his non-stop creative best in the duo of matches vs Madrid at the Bernabeu (Copa Del Rey 2nd leg on Wednesday, followed by the La Liga showdown on Saturday), but he still conjured 3 total chances created and more than a few extra openings that weren't taken advantage of.
     The Argentine was nearly in decoy-mode, drawing pressure towards him and letting go of the ball before the fouls came rushing in, trusting Ousmane Dembele and Luis Suarez implicitly, to which the other part of the front three responded in kind.
     Dembele created 2 goals and Suarez grabbed two of them (one of them was tap-in that was harshly turned into an own goal by Casmeiro's foot getting the deflection before Suarez could tap it in), including earning his own penalty and forcing a Panenka finish down the throat of the enraged and screaming Sergio Ramos.
        It was the perfect way to pace Messi's recovery from the calf injury, while still getting the positivity of having his presence on the pitch (and all that does to the opponent).
       Messi completed 5 dribbles and took 5 shots, only putting one on target, but was still influential as he scythed the Madrid midfield and back four on a mazey run into their box before completing a possible no-look pass to set up Ousmane Dembele in perfect space with a dynamic attempt on goal. Dembele, usually displaying finishing of the highest order, squandered that chance as he made a throbbing connection comfortable for Courtois as the shot went straight down the barrel.
       Then, later on he sent a scooped pass through the cracked spine of Real Madrid to Ousmane Dembele who chested it down to his feet in stride, an absolutely poetic pass from Lionel Messi. This otherworldly ball from Messi freed Dembele up to strike on goal, although Messi and Suarez both winced when his shot narrowly snuck past the far post, with Suarez slightly open only yards behind where the shot went.
       Even when on autopilot, or when he's slightly off his game or he's in the background, Lionel Messi will always be the greatest of all time. As I say this, I'm openly checking for any player of any league to have 15 combined assists on the season thus far, and there isn't anyone who is as prolific, as creative, continuously unselfish and trusting in his teammates and truthfully, as unlucky as Lionel Messi: for all his records, all the performances and the highlight reel stuff, when you watch his legacy, some of the coolest things the G.O.A.T has ever done were the things that he didn't pull off.