ASSISTKINGS QUARTERLY (LONG TIME GONE): UCL SEMIS & CRUNCH TIME CHAMELEONS

WELCOME MY FRIENDS
TO THE SHOW THAT NEVER ENDS
THE UCL SEMIS 1ST LEGS WERE HOT AND HEAVY AND WE COVERED IT ALL, ALONG WITH THE PENULTIMATE FIXTURES OF THE LEAGUE SEASON...
WE'VE GOT ALL THE BEST GEMS AND CREATIVE SURGEONS OF THE GAME RIGHT  HERE... RIGHT NOW
JOIN US AND TELL US YOUR 10


10
MEMPHIS DEPAY (Lyon)

-15 assists overall
-CHANCES CREATED
 -TOTAL: 141 (7 vs Lille)
 -PER 90: 3.8 (LIGUE 1), 3.8 (UCL)

          The brilliant Dutchman was a roaring superstar for most of 2018/19 before running into their own bad form and Barcelona in the Champions League. Even now Lyon have been puttering out of the final UCL spot in grand fashion, losing to Nantes, Dijon in Ligue 1 and Rennes in the Coup De France all in a row in a disastrous start to April with Depay making little or no contribution.
         Finally, Memphis (the one name'd Prince of Dutch football) has taken his head out of his arse and produced in a big way again, completing 7 chances vs Lille and performing with flair and beauty in combination with Nabil Fekir, assisting a few of his 5 shots on target, though it wasn't the World Cup winner who'd score for Lyon. 
        It had to come from Depay, as he grabbed his assist after a fast break dish to Martin Terrier to stab home. And while Depay and Fekir shined brightly, Lyon eventually settled for a 2-2 draw against Pepe and co. with their grasp on 3rd place in Ligue 1 (and the final UCL qualifiying spot) slipping to only 1 point over Saint Etienne. 
         Depay needs to continue to produce the goods, but the finishing from Lyon must be better. For all of their attacking qualities and boundlessly entertaining talent (I love to watch them, they're a perennial DVR favorite on my FUBO), they never score as many goals as they should.
         Depay barely makes the list, thanks to his superb attacking exhibition vs a top French club in Lille and his continued, mountainous production that sends him to 2nd overall in total chances created on the season.

9
ANDREW ROBERTSON (Liverpool)



-13 assists overall
-CHANCES CREATED
 -TOTAL: 58
 -PER 90: 0.8 (UCL), 1.4 (EPL)
UDGC: 3

      In the 2018/19 season alone, Robertson has completed 126 crosses (16% accuracy), created 14 big chances, 211 recoveries, dove in with accuracy for 78 tackles, he's created three chances that players have hit the post from, has contributed directly to 3 uncredited goals and has now tied the record of 11 Premier League assists in a single season alongside his fullback mate on the right (and AssistKings Quarterly list-mate) Trent Alexander-Arnold, as well as grabbing 2 in the Champions League.
      Against Barcelona, Robertson was creating nonstop danger for Pique and Lenglet to deal with, and although they did (21 clearances between the two, with 12 being from Robertson crosses alone), and though he didn't end the match with a victory or an assist, he wasn't bad either, putting in a fantastic shift that would've proven more decisive had Firmino started or had Sadio Mane produced.
       No more excuses for Liverpool's shady performance at the Camp Nou, but after more exhausting, exciting and frenetic histrionics at St. James Park vs Newcastle (Origi and Shaqiri combining to stay alive after Mo Salah went down with a nasty, hideous head injury, while Firmino was of course needing to be rested for the 2nd leg on Tuesday against Barcelona) the title was about to slip away, but unlike 2014, they pulled themselves together to finish Newcastle off.
       Win or lose on the final day against Wolverhampton at Anfield, Liverpool have had one of their greatest campaigns as a club, at least in the last 25 years. 
       Perhaps Robert Plant should be in attendance to cheer on his Black Country Wolves? 

8
LIONEL MESSI (Barca)

-19 assists overall
-CHANCES CREATED
 -TOTAL: 129
 -PER 90: 2.7 (UCL), 2.8 (LA LIGA)
-UDGC: 8

          Though Lionel Messi didn't play on the weekend (as he was rested in preparations for the 2nd leg at Anfield) and has now been relegated to 2nd place on the overall assists charts for the first time since he attained the lead, the Barca captain was of course outrageous nonetheless against Liverpool only days ago, scoring an abominable free kick on Alisson from at least 35 yards out that was the greatest Champions League free kick (overtaking Ronald Koeman's 1992 stunner that won Barca's first final), then athletically chesting down a wild Suarez shot off of the bar (that was created by his through ball for Sergi Roberto) and tapping it in with finesse and sophisticated control. All three players involved receive an uncredited direct goal contribution (aka UDGC), Messi and Suarez's 8th of the season and Roberto's 3rd. 
          Messi was also engineering chances, though his teammates didn't take them: he produced a spell-binding cutback to Ousmane Dembele in the final seconds for what was an easy finish (the pass so deceiving it conned VVD, Matip and Alisson) only for Dembele to smack the ball straight at Alisson who was praying on his knees at that moment. 

          He also cut in on to his left from the right wing, skipping through challenges before setting Arturo Vidal up with a magnificent opportunity to take aim and fire through Alisson from just outside of the 6 yard box and to the left, completely in space. Messi looked on after he fed Vidal, jogging into the box for a rebound until he saw the Chilean stupidly, but unselfishly pass the ball back into the path of three or four Liverpool defenders waiting for Suarez and devilishly hoping Vidal wouldn't shoot on goal. 
           The Barcelona captain was furious with Vidal after the move, shouting at the breathless and whiped out Last Mohican as he laid on the pitch staring upwards at the sky.
         Though it's only reasonable (per our Metric, at the bottom of the article) that players who've appeared and contributed in such vast numbers would have to be included above and beyond players who've been rested or injured, as long as the overall tally is close  (for example: hypothetical, if Messi had 33 assists and was rested this week, he'd still be #1 due to the 2nd best player only nabbing 1 assist on the day and only notching 20 total, Dusan Tadic). 
       Instead Tadic now passes Messi with 20 to Messi's 19, if only momentarily.
       Then again, every time Messi plays he can score 3 goals, assist 3 goals, do both at the same time, etc upon etc....this cat is electric, so Messi resting perhaps has taken away potential assists. 
         Even still, the greatest player of all time proved it once again, shaming his haters and damning them to the creepy corners of Twitter and Reddit.
          Guarantee he has more for the 2nd leg and I cannot wait.

7
TRENT
 ALEXANDER-ARNOLD
(Liverpool)

-13 assists overall
-10 assists in his last 13 matches
 (inc. 2 multi-assist matches)
-tied Andrew Robertson on 11 assists in the EPL, tying both for the all time Premier League record for Assists by a defender
-CHANCES CREATED
 -TOTAL: 69
 -PER 90: 1.7 (UCL), 2.3 (EPL)
-UDGC: 2

        In a wild 2-3 win at St. James Park to keep their title hopes alive, Liverpool's Trent Alexander-Arnold grabbed 2 assists and a clearance off of the line. Judging by that, you'd say he was absolutely instrumental in the victory, though his goal line clearance could've seen him sent off. 
       Luckily his clearance didn't completely save a goal, as the rebound from TAA's hand was redirected into the path of a Newcastle striker who tucked the ball into the net. It was high class refereeing from Andre Mariner not to punish the 19 year old too harshly. 
        After all, it gave us time to watch him snag his 2nd multi-assist match of the season, tying him with fullbacking teammate Andrew Robertson for 11 EPL assists on the campaign (while both also have 2 UCL assists). 
       The first assist was almost too easy, a precise enough corner straight to an unguarded VVD to make no mistake, ramming home his 6th goal of the season, all but 1 assisted by the fullbacks.
         The next came when he and Mo Salah combined yet again for a fantastic Liverpool goal: a smashed in cross pinpointed straight at Salah in the middle of the box with perfect pace and timing for the Egyptian King to cup his left foot out and guide the cross into the corner of the net with a soft, graceful touch...you couldn't really even call it a shot.
       It was this wing play that allowed Salah center-right space inside the box against every other opponent.
       But against Barcelona, it was missing due to TAA being on the bench.
        

6
RYAN FRASER (Bournemouth)

-15 assists overall
(4 in his last 5 appearances and 14 in the EPL, 2nd Eden Hazard)
-CHANCES CREATED
 -TOTAL: 90
 -PER 90: 2.6 (EPL)
-UDGC: 1

       The maniacal Scottish talisman did it again, curling a strong corner to the head of underrated Dutchman Nathan Ake to ruin Spurs day even more than Pochettino's men had made the occasion catastrophic themselves, with 2 ridiculous red cards from substitute Juan Foyth and, of all people, Son Heung-Min.
       But this was all about Ryan Fraser going off: the winger created 9 chances on the day, posting his own shot on target and conjuring the match winning goal in the final minutes, with only Joshua Kimmich of Bayern completing as many key passes on the day in European action.
       First things first, the Scot was causing Spurs a variety of issues: he deceived Eric Dier into a booking on only 12 minutes, suckering him into a foul with tenacious play and narrowly missing the resulting free kick; he was also responsible for getting Son Heung-Min sent off of the pitch after his violent conduct on Fraser and Lerma: Not only does Fraser win the ball off of Son in the Cherries' own penalty box, he then earns a foul and an incensed Son kicks out at Fraser and then attacks Jefferson Lerma before being sent off minutes before halftime.
        After, we saw the Scot launching in exacting cross after cross, including 4 in 1 minute before half, every ball into dangerous areas asking every question possible of the Spurs defenders, forcing outrageous blocks, Lloris saves and great efforts on goal until finally in the first seconds of stoppage time (with the score level at 0-0 and Bournemouth full value for 3 points), Fraser made it happen with yet another delectable corner. 
       He bent and curled the ball into the teeth of the Spurs 6 yard box, creating chaos and desperation that Nathan Ake took full advantage of, pulling in front of his markers and nodding it into the net.
       Fraser is a freak....who will sign him for a bargain and immediately improve their club?


5
JOSHUA KIMMICH (Bayern)

-16 assists overall
-CHANCES CREATED
 -TOTAL: 111
 -PER 90: 2.4 (BUN)
 (9 vs Hannover, his 2nd match this season with 9 key passes)
-UDGC: 10
-assisted Robert Lewandowski who hit the post in the DFB Pokal, and Goretzka vs Hannover his 4th & 5th chances created that came off of the posts

       Kimmich was masterful for the 2nd time this season vs Hannover, a team he loves to play against as he's contributed 4 goals and scored 1 against them in 2 apps. this season, while creating 18 chances (9 in both apps.) across the two matches.
       However, just putting up numbers means nothing when you actually watch the show the young German put on. 
       Oh my Messi, Joshua Kimmich was creating nonstop: within the first 15 minutes, he'd already engineered two perfect chances from which Bayern Munich should've scored from, including a brilliant move where he almost ran out of real estate chasing a long ball to the byline, stopping the ball dead just in front of the line before he could catch up to it, then running back into play as he poked it past Hannover left back Albornoz and through his legs with absolute finesse, then meeting the ball on the other side to crack a perfect cross, watching his hard work marginally kept from the back of the net.
      But he kept at it, and on the cusp of the 28th minute, Kimmich had just crossed to Thomas Muller while falling on his ass, a brilliant piece of play that Muller forced a save from, but it was the resulting play only seconds later that gave Kimmich his 16th assist of the campaign:
      Thiago Alcantara took a quick corner kick and after a few deflections and a wayward ball, Kimmich came on to it and ran into space, then hesitated before whipping in a radical cross for the trailing run by Lewandowski, the Pole bashing it into the net with a header, making that the 11th goal Kimmich has directly assisted to Robert Lewandowski this campaign and the 13th goal they've combined for in total.
       Kimmich didn't stop there, angling in frenetic passes on the ground that were barely kicked away, rifling in accurate crossing that was nearly impossible to deal with. 
       One of the best pieces of play in the match was Kimmich sliding and slipping through Hannover players into the box before hesitating, seeing the gap peel apart in the 6 yard box and laying off a ridiculous ball on the floor to a waiting and wide open Leon Goretzka. Sadly, Goretzka's shot pounded the crossbar and gave Kimmich the 5th chance he's  set up that's hit the post this season.
      Hell, Kimmich even earned a foul that sent Hannover's Jonathas off with a red card in the 58th minute (Hannover winger / forward Jonathas had a hilarious second half: subbed on at halftime, scores a goal in the 51st to make it 2-1, then his handball gives Bayern an easy penalty and gives him a yellow, followed quickly by a second yellow for a foul on the rampant Kimmich, all in 12 or so minutes).
     It was pure luck that Hannover didn't allow 4 or 5 assists to Joshua Kimmich today, though his production and contribution is always a part of nearly 3/4 of the goals Bayern score.
       Joshua Kimmich is one of the 10 smartest players in the world, and will see his stock and price continue to boil over. 
       Giving him the captain's armband may be the only realistic way Bayern Munich will be able to hold on to their superstar, as everyone from Lionel Messi to Pep Guardiola continue to demand his services at their clubs.


4
JORDI ALBA (Barca)

-15 assists overall
-CHANCES CREATED
 -TOTAL: 81
-UDGC: 4

          Alba was rested on the weekend vs Celta Vigo in preparation for the 2nd leg at Anfield against Liverpool, where Barcelona will try their damnedest to avoid a 3 goal lead / 2nd leg collapse for a second straight season.
          Though this performance in the UCL semis was absolutely dominant from Jordi Alba: 4 chances created and a smattering of half chances and probing passes into the box was the tip of the iceberg in what may have been his greatest Barcelona match. 
          His assist (his Champions League leading 5th) was divine. Not only was it the 1st goal in the biggest and most intense match of the season, it relieved the mounting pressure on Barcelona as Liverpool had started well. 
        His bent pass to an angled Suarez run (beyond the near post and in between VVD and Matip) was a case of near orgasmic timing and was the result of smart hesitation play on the wings that has always seen the best out of the unorthodox crossing and passing abilities of Alba in the final third.
         He doesn't simply race down the wings and whip in crosses, Alba sizes up the entire back line and his movement's effect on its shape, identifies the runs and makes impossibly quick decisions and even faster releases from his left boot.
        He speeds down the wing and then freezes the defense with his halted run just as Messi, Suarez etc. are finally catching up and then bang, he puts in exacting passes. He puts more quality balls into the box than Jeffrey Dahmer's apartment. 
        And given the fact that Barcelona don't even possess a backup left back, I thought Jordi would slow down a tad over the final months of the campaign..... how wrong can I be?
        If all vehicles' engines were built around the basis of Jordi Alba's, we would never need petrol.

3
DUSAN TADIC (Ajax)

-19 assists overall
-CHANCES CREATED
 -TOTAL: 138
 -PER 90: 2.9 (UCL) , 2.8 (ERED)
-UDGC: 5
       
            Although Dusan Tadic was mostly confined to uncomfortable areas on the pitch in the 1st leg in London (even while Ajax tick-tack-toe'd around Tottenham's press) Tadic's calm and precision passing was part and parcel of their play.
         It was actually Tadic's 3rd key pass of the match that was nearly the most deadly: the Serbian played a few passes back and forth before receiving possession (in the false 9 role he favors) and slid the ball on to left forward David Neres to throttle home. 
         Neres barely hit the inside of the post from the pass, Spurs keeper Hugo Lloris completely stranded and only a spectator as the brilliant chance from Tadic went begging. 
         Tadic is the key man for Ajax, hovering in the center of the opposition box and recycling the ball (he's almost a forward-lying Busquets), combining to devastating effect with Ziyech, Van De Beek, Neres, De Jong etc...it's what makes Ajax so damn good: they don't care who scores or how, they're all about putting the ball in the net and winning.
         Make no mistake this isn't a club that'll just be happy to face their little brother club, Barcelona, in the Champions League Final in Madrid (if both sides make it), they'll be looking to win the entire thing. 
         That should've been apparent to anyone after their two outstanding performances against Bayern Munich. 
          In the KNVB Beker final on Sunday, Ajax took the lead from a brilliantly taken corner kick routine that went from De Jong rolling the ball to Ziyech who feinted his own cross before laying it into Tadic's path at the left tip of the box, completely scattering the Willem II defense in the process and opening a gap for Daley Blind's run. 
        The Serbian crossed it in from his left hip and the former United center back spun as he headed through the fingertips of the Willem II keeper and into the net, giving Tadic his 20th assist in all competitions and putting him out in front in the European assists table.
         Someone has finally overtaken Lionel Messi in the overall assists tally, and it just had to be Dusan Tadic, right???
         To add to his outrageous season, Tadic has 28 goals in all competitions in this, his maiden campaign at Ajax. Dusan put away 28 goals in his four seasons in the Premier League combined...


2
HAKIM ZIYECH (Ajax)

-18 assists overall
-CHANCES CREATED
-TOTAL: 150
-PER 90: 4.1 (ERED), 2.0 (UCL)
-UDGC: 10
      
           Ajax won their 3rd straight away match in the Champions League knockout stages as the sensational Hakim Ziyech led them through with a fantastic 0-1 result in London, a mature and dominating performance that saw the Dutch club passing around, through, under and over Pochettino's wonder-press.
           To send them through with the win, the Moroccan and Donny Van De Beek combined for a carbon copy move as the goal Van De Beek guided through Juventus in Turin to bury that tie: 
Ziyech hovering around the outside of the box, slapping a shot / pass on the ground through the traffic of opposition feet belonging to world class players who were powerless to do anything but turn, watch and learn from the Moroccan's abject greatness.
          The Eredivsie is the weakest league in defense than any other top tier, 1st division league in European football (only considering leagues in England, Spain, France, Germany, Italy and The Netherlands as "top" leagues), but that has stunningly meant nothing when Ajax has come up against the biggest clubs in the world. 
          They defiantly and viciously raged through Real Madrid as if they were a caustic, vagabond knighthood from the 1300s; laughed off Juventus and Cristiano Ronaldo like they were the song Doctor Wu by Steely Dan, taking none of the angry crowds of Turin or the "greatest player in the world" chest-pounding seriously whatsoever. 
          And Hakim Ziyech is hugely part of that defiant identity, flying into 8-10 attempted tackles a match against these "bigger sides", completing 4 a game the last 4 matches in the Champions League knockout rounds before grabbing 6 in London vs Spurs. 
         Ziyech is averaging 2.5 completed  tackles a match in the UCL and taking possession from the opposition 25 times out of 45 overall attempts in the tournament, serving up an outrageous bevy of attacking play that generates  from this type of hunger and desire to win back possession in the final third, as well as in midfield.
         There's a complete and utter reason his tackling and securing of possession in the opposition half is translating directly to his being 1st in total chances created in Europe, 2nd in total assists and 1st in uncredited direct goal contributions and the same could be said for his Serbian counterpart, Dusan Tadic.
        This is exactly what the Ajax and Barcelona ethos of Michels and Cruyff are based upon: possession and attacking threat joined together and supported by intense pressing and quickly winning possession, precisely the tactical nous Erik ten Hag inserted that gave Ajax so many opportunities on the ball against these big sides (Bayern, Real Madrid, Juventus and now Tottenham in the 1st leg) in the Champions League in 2018/19. 
         What's the common theme, if any?
         They've used their youthful energy, outrageous quality in passing and lust for the ball in the final third to target and press the daylights out of aging, withering "superstars" like Mats Hummels, Luka Modric, Giorgio Chiellini and now Alderweireld, who was not ony found out, but exposed by showing a lack of fight, spirit and desire when in comparison to these outrageous Ajax youngsters. 
         Ziyech is a leader in this revolution and though vastly underrated, he would work perfectly at a club like Barcelona that showed their age vs Liverpool, while also displaying new hunger and fight with Lionel Messi leading the charge in the more physical elements of the game (a shocker for most mainstream viewers), yet it was more Arturo Vidal who's shown brightest in these moments: attempting a plethora of tackles and pulling off most of them in a violent, combative and vicious match at the Camp Nou that showed both sides at a peak of competitive greatness that was a joy to behold, every second passing by on baited, nervous breath.
        Would Hakim Ziyech be abe to join Barcelona if the Catalans can offload Coutinho and then loan Todibo to the Dutch giants, as well as securing De Ligt's services to join his teammate, Frenkie De Jong at Camp Nou? 
         It makes sense if it's feasible, and it would save Lionel Messi many a mile to track back, extending his shelf life on the pitch and thus giving Barcelona more titles and chances to win them. 
         Someone as good as this kid is a no brainer. 
         And if I were Jurgen Klopp, I would beat Barca to the punch while they focus on De Ligt and get on the phone with former Ajax / Barcelona / Netherlands international superstar and current Ajax sporting director Marc Overmars and get a quick quote on the Moroccan's services.
         I've been touting these Ajax stars all season, some of them for years (Ziyech being one) yet what they have accomplished in totality has shocked me beyond reason. I can't find any way they get through all of those ties on paper, but now, who the hell would be stupid enough to raise their hand and say "Sure, I'll play 'em!"
         This could be the final of Lionel Messi's career if he gets through Liverpool and faces these Ajax superstars....and the final we would all deserve (after the awful antics that marred Manchester City's comeback and place in the competition).


1
EDEN HAZARD (Chelsea)

-15 assists overall (all in EPL)
-CHANCES CREATED
 -TOTAL: 131
 -PER 90: 3.0 (EPL), 4.5 (EUROPA)
-assisted Higuain who's shot was cleared off of the line vs Burnley, and Pedro who hit the post vs Slavia Prague, had 6 key passes vs Watford
-UDGC: 4


          While keeping Sarri's sunken ship / corpse afloat in the Premier League top four, qualifying Chelsea thanks to Tottenham's slip-up, Eden Hazard has also begun to finally be utilized in the Europa League this campaign, and he's been devastating to these lesser sides, finally exposing the weaknesses of clubs in a lower caste system than the one the talent that Chelsea holds.
       On one hand you have Hazard being out of control, unstoppable and untouchable in the 1st half against Slavia Prague, creating the Pedro own goal that came from the Spaniard's shot hitting the post and dishing many opportunities, to suddenly being substituted after 65 minutes in the match and we all watch on as Prague nearly came back and stole the tie, only losing 4-3 on the night (5-3 on aggregate).
      Then, Hazard went ham against Watford, a great club with excellent players like Barca product Gerard Deolofeu, Jose Holebas and Troy Deeney, and while all 3 either had shots miss wide, shots saved brilliantly, or even hit the post (all respectively), the show was the Belgian's on Sunday, creating 6 chances total and dishing 2 assists in 2 minutes in a blitzkrieg opening to the second half that saw Chelsea take the reigns and push on to a 3-0 victory.
        Hazard was everywhere, setting up Jorginho for a fantastic chance in buckets of space in the box, only to see the Italian float an awful shot into outer space, an easy catch for Ben Foster. Then, we saw him setting up Pedro again and again, the Spaniard curling inside and lashing a shot just wide over the bar. 
      Hazard grabbed his 2 assists from two corner kick routines: the first a short corner worked out between him and Pedro and then curled to the back post for Loftus-Cheek to bang home, then in the next set piece of the match,  an impatient Hazard smashed a corner in before Chelsea were completely set, finding the run of David Luiz to nod home from extremely close range and giving Scott Foster no chance. 
       In the 59th, Hazard was putting Mariappa on his ass with dragbacks in the box, before setting up Pedro in space, only for Foster to make an eye popping save.
        It was obvious Hazard was hoping to grab his first hat trick of assists at Chelsea and It's simply great fun to watch Eden Hazard in this form. Other than the god Lionel Messi, the only other active player who makes my jaw drop routinely is Eden Hazard.

       Despite hearing rumors of Hazard being a marked Real Madrid man (something that disgusts as well as bores me), he has still rampaged at the awful London club, flying in the face of incredible waves of criticism earlier in his career (especially after the 2014 World Cup, the Champions League exits to PSG and Atletico, the wilderness seasons and the whispers of him and Fabregas plotting to oust certain carousels of managers out of the club), the intense amount of attention and defending (not to mention hideous fouling) he's had to endure, the lack of ever having a real striker to play off of at Chelsea (luckily for him, this is never a problem when he plays for Belgium, where they sport Romelu Lukaku and Michi Bashuayi...two players that...oh my god...oh wait...and another guy named Kevin De Bruyne...hmm?? Is this right...they ALL played for Chelsea at one point when Hazard was there or was just about to be??? What the hell is going on over there? Is Putin running this club???).

BEST OF THE REST


CHRISTIAN ERIKSEN (Tottenham)

-17 assists overall
(0 in his last 5 matches)
-CHANCES CREATED
 -TOTAL: 100
 -PER 90: 2.5 (UCL), 2.1 (EPL)
      Eriksen missed our list for the first time in a while, failing to nab an assist in 5 matches, while also contributing little as his side loses match after match.        In the 1-0 victory over Brighton a few matches back, Eriksen bashed one of his 7 shots into the net in the 88th minute to guide Spurs to a crucial victory in the top four race. Not only that, he'd assisted Toby Alderweireld who hit the post from one of his crosses earlier in the same match. 
     Without Kane, Eriksen has been seen as a jack-of-all-trades: launching long balls to the wings from deep midfield, scrapping for possession, shooting from outside of the box, going on dangerous runs in behind, all coupled with his usual bevy of Ajax trained technique and vision. 
      But since he had 5 straight assists in 5 consecutive matches, he's gone starving as the injuries (and now insane red cards) continue to mount and the legs begin to wear down for an already extremely depleted Spurs side.

TEJI SAVANIER (Nimes)

-13 assists overall 
-CHANCES CREATED
 -TOTAL: 80
 -PER 90: 2.6
-according to Whoscored.com, Savanier has completed 44 key passes directly from set pieces this season, 10 of which have been assists. He's first in both categories over such greats as Kylian Mbappe, Memphis Depay, Nabil Fekir, Neymar, Cavani, Draxler, Nicolas Pepe, Dimitri Payet, Forian Thauvin, Dani Alves and Angel Di Maria.


RAHEEM STERLING 
(Man City)

-14 assists overall
-CHANCES CREATED
 -TOTAL: 99
 -PER 90: 2.2 (EPL), 2.7 (UCL)

     Sterling was vicious against United in the Manchester derby,  setting up Leroy Sane once again for the 11th goal the pair have combined for on the season thus far  (Sterling assisting 6 of them) to put Solsjkaer's men to the sword and lay down the mat in transcendental form. 
     He has picked himself up after the absolute heart ache and scandal of the VAR system that killed off his last-second goal (which would've given him his first ever UCL hat trick) for a wrongful Aguero offside (the Van De Beek goal vs Spurs was more questionable than the Sterling goal) and of course the outrageous handball clapper by Llorente.
     But Raheem continued on, sending in 4 chances in the 1-0 victory over Burnley to continue his exploits. 
     Still not enough to beat Depay out of 10th.

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 DIRECT GOAL CONTRIBUTIONS (UDGC):
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 

MOST CHANCES CREATED 
(all comps)
1. HAKIM ZIYECH (Ajax): 150
2. MEMPHIS DEPAY (Lyon): 141

3. DUSAN TADIC (Ajax): 138
4. WILLIAN (Chelsea): 130(DNP vs Watford)
5. EDEN HAZARD: 131
6. LIONEL MESSI (Barca): 129
 (DNP vs Celta Vigo)

MOST UDGC (all comps)
1a.HAKIM ZIYECH (Ajax): 10
1b.MOHAMED SALAH (Liverpool): 10

1c.JOSHUA KIMMICH (Mun): 10
2.ROBERT LEWANDOWSKI(Mun):9
3a. LIONEL MESSI (Barca): 8 

3b. LUIS SUAREZ (Barca): 8 
4a. RAHEEM STERLING (City): 7

4b. SERGE GNABRY (Mun): 7

4c. BERNARDO SILVA (City): 7
4d. JULIAN BRANDT (Bayer): 7

5. LEROY SANE (City): 6 

MOST ASSISTS (all comps):
1. DUSAN TADIC (Ajax):        20
2a. LIONEL MESSI (Barca):      19

2b.HAKIM ZIYECH (Ajax):         19
3a.LEROY SANE (City):          17
3b.CHRISTIAN ERIKSEN (Spurs):17
4a.KYLIAN MBAPPE (PSG):         15
4b.JOSHUA KIMMICH (Bayern):  15
4c.JADON SANCHO (Dortmund):15
4d. MEMPHIS DEPAY (Lyon):        15
5. RYAN FRASER (Bournemouth): 14