ASSISTKINGS QUARTERLY: THE PENULTIMATE FRONTIER

WELCOME MY FRIENDS
TO THE SHOW THAT'S ABOUT TO END
WE'RE SO DELIGHTED TO BRING TO YOUR ATTENTION 
THE STUDS OF THE FINAL CHAMPIONS LEAGUE MATCHES AND THE LEAGUE CULMINATION, 
WHILE OTHERS FALL,
SOME WILL RISE
AND WITH IT COMES 
THE GRAND SURPRISE 
TAKE A LOOK INSIDE
WHILE WE DELVE INTO THE MIND 
OF THE GREATEST CREATORS 
THIS GUY CAN FIND

THE LIST

10.
ALEJANDRO GRIMALDO (Benfica)




-12 assists overall
-CHANCES CREATED 
 -TOTAL: 60
 -PER 90: 1.5 (UCL), 1.1 (EUR), 1.5 (NOS)

    
          Barca manager Ernesto Valverde and Barca president Bartomeu both believed they didn't need this La Masia product anymore, nor were they going to be granting him any 1st team opportunities.
         Rather than wait around for a good portion of his 20s to finally get a decent run of matches (like Denis Suarez, Thiago Alcantara, etc), Grimaldo was smart and chose first team football, heading to Portugal to play for Benfica and my my my has he turned into a player that has made Barcelona fans' mouths water and heads being scratched as we wonder: "with a 30 year old left-back at the top of his game (Jordi Alba), with 50+ matches across an entire season, is it really too much to ask for this lad to start 7 or 8 times?"
         He deserves even more, showing an otherworldly crossing ability from the left, a filthy dead-ball delivery, and a bevy of breathtaking runs all combined with his profound sense of timing and La Masia skill: Ale Grimaldo is someone Barca should've never let go of.
         Besides his abundance of chances conjured and assists, Grimaldo has scored 7 goals (2 in the Champions League group stage, 1 in the Europa league and 4 in LIGA NOS), an extremely high number in any league for a fullback.
         He nearly kept Benfica alive in the Europa league quarterfinals 2nd leg, creating a chance that hit the post in the final minutes as Frankfurt narrowly advanced on away goals.
         Grimaldo has been incredibly impressive in 2019, and his gain is Barca's loss as Valverde's obsession with starting the core veterans stunts the club's future.


9.
RIYAD MAHREZ (City)

-12 assists overall
-UDGC: 2
-CHANCES CREATED:
 -TOTAL: 52
 -PER 90: 3.0 (UCL), 1.6 (EPL)
-assisted 3 City players who hit the post 
(Only played in 1,127 minutes) 
  
          Mahrez made his 1st appearance in the last 7 matches (last starting in the 1st leg vs Spurs) and secured 2 goals for the Citizens to take them over the line in the race for the title.
          His left-footed cross (from a corner) was emphatically met and buried by a barnstorming Aymeric Laporte, breaking the deadlock at 1-1 and sending City on their way to retaining the Premier league title, the first club to achieve this in a decade.
         While featuring in less than 46% of matches across all competitions, the Algerian still produced the goods in nearly every appearance (barring the penalty miss at the end of the first match vs Liverpool and his 1st leg app. Vs Tottenham).
         It's not easy (whatsoever) when you hardly get a sniff of the pitch and to have Guardiola (and all of us) expect you to magically pull goals and assists out of your ass, all while adapting to the pass-happy strategics of Guardiola-ball after playing for years at Leicester (most matches seeing Mahrez completing only 20-30 passes of the ball, but he's now graduated to massaging the rock 60-70 times a match).
         I would consider Mahrez's season an underrated, undervalued success considering he's come from the bench or from the ether (after not playing at all) to finish off the title race while amassing 12 goals, 12 assists, 1 uncredited direct goal contribution and setting up 3 further chances that teammates have hit the post from.
        His match winning goal vs Tottenham  (and his assist vs United) look especially huge now after the final day histrionics. 
        Mahrez needs to stay at the Etihad to continue this upward trajectory, for who knows how prolific he could be given a more prominent role with the weapons in Manchester City's dressing room.


8.
ALEXANDRE LACAZETTE 
(Arsenal)

-12 assists overall
-UDGC: 9
-Laca and Aubamayang have now combined for 11 goals this campaign and 3 shots off of the post, inc. 1 vs Valencia

        Lacazette has powered Arsenal to their first European final since 2006 in a season where Arsenal miss out on the top four completely, making this Europa league final absolutely critical for the London club's future. 
         The Frenchman (who was completely left out of the squad for the 2018 World Cup and Euro 2016) buried 19 goals and now adds 12 assists to his docket, exploding for Arsenal at the perfect times and combining righteously with Auba for an outrageous amount of goals, 11 directly. He's also been directly involved in 9 other goals, earning penalties with his skill and agility, engineering chaos for opponents that turns into own goals, etc...Laca has been orchestrating the ball into the net for the Gunners better than many players have for the club since Ozil was at the peak of his abilities. 
        He's been scoring towering headers, showing slick finishing after brutal combination play, or even picking up scraps and loose balls and scoring them with panache, yet you feel as though he has much more to offer than his natural finishing.
        Laca has begun to address his long-lost love of dishing assists, the man is forever unselfish, finding his teammates' biting runs more plentiful in this Arsenal team than he ever had at Lyon.
         He's assisted 6 different players in the squad (Guendouzi, Xhaka, Ramsey, Ozil x2 and Mhikitaryan), with six direct assists to his main man Prince-Emerick Aubamayang.
        The tandem haven't just been out of this world together, they've been individually brilliant while driving Arsenal on.
        And now Laca is getting Barcelona mentions...but neither he, the club, nor Aubamayang are going to want to close up shop on this partnership after an extremely fruitful season and a half.

7
RYAN FRASER (Bournemouth)

-15 assists overall
(2nd, behind Hazard with 14 EPL assists)
-CHANCES CREATED
 -TOTAL: 93
 -PER 90: 2.6
-UDGC: 2

          Fraser finished his remarkable year at Bournemouth by snagging another 3 key passes, nearly overtaking Hazard at the top of the EPL assists chart.
          The Scotsman's had a life-affirming campaign and though he finished the Premier League season (in an entertaining 5-3 defeat to Crystal Palace) without a victory or an assist, his contributions to Eddie Howe's Cherries have been innumerable.  
           He was at fault for Crystal Palace's second goal, losing his man and Zaha, Batshuayi, Wan-Bissaka and co. had their way with Bournemouth. 
           Fraser began the resurgence in the 2nd half, setting up Jordan Ibe for a thrash at goal and crossing in from set pieces for Chris Mepham to nod down for a Joshua King tap-in, starting the comeback that was not to be, though in the process grabbing another uncredited direct goal contribution. 
           His influence had grown, the Scot teeing up Adam Smith's blazing run from box to box (as they chased the 3-1 deficit) only for the through ball by Fraser to be so perfectly weighted it made Smith's assist an easier ball (than it should've been) to Jordan Ibe at the top of the box, the former Liverpool youth product smashing into the bottom corner to make it 3-2.
          Once again, Fraser showing absolute command and influence in the "Never Say Die" ethos of Howe's men.
           Stats will never illuminate the work ethic, the tireless danger Fraser surrounds his opponents in and the frenetic distribution they have to deal with for as long as he's on the pitch. There isn't a weapon in Eddie Howe's club quite like Fraser, nor as prolific either (his assists and goals being significant to the Cherries' respectable 14th place finish on the EPL table). 
           He earns dangerous free kicks with his deceptive pace and control, he tracks back on the wings as if he's a wingback, and he loves to muscle through robust defenders and midfielders, burning out opponents left and right.
            In his final match of the season, he definitely makes our list, and this summer should see the Scotland talisman finally appear on transfer lists that would pay the man what he's worth.
           And perhaps he joins a club that could use a scrappy winger with pace, gritty panache and supersonic deliveries out wide.

6.
LIONEL MESSI (Barca)

-19 assists overall
-UDGC: 10
-CHANCES CREATED
 -TOTAL: 135
 -PER 90: 2.9 (UCL) , 3.2 (LA LIGA) 
-assisted 7 players who've hit the post  
(Roberto, Coutinho, Alba, Suarez  (×3), Rakitic)


       Lionel Messi has had a hard week... seven days filled with a host of dread, uncertainty and darkness like he's never faced in his entire time at Barcelona...
      ...this stuff happens to Argentina, not to Barcelona...but now it has through absolutely no fault of the player's own.
      Not only did the Argentine see his club crash out of the Champions League in embarrassing fashion for the second straight season, his underrated creative endeavors have gone completely unnoticed thanks to his teammates' willingness to fluff their lines.
       Messi was imperious for the first 50 minutes at Anfield, creating 3 one-on-one chances for Suarez, Alba and Coutinho whilst dribbling under, around and through the entire Liverpool squad.
       The first was only 20 minutes into the match (after Liverpool had broken through) and Barca were starting to find their feet in the contest, with Messi previously blasting a high shot for Alisson to save. 
       But while charging up the pitch leading a counter attack, Messi drew in four defenders before sliding a precision pass into the feet of the Brazilian, only for the much-maligned Coutinho to snap a low, uncontested shot straight within comfortable saving distance for Alisson, spoiling and ruining a sure-fire goal, a potential place for Barca in the final, and of course the Brazilian's own Barcelona career.
        The second key pass from Leo was only moments before halftime when Barcelona looked the best they did the entire match, territorially dominating and bursting forth on the counter. 
        This time, Messi sped through and launched a through ball for the flying Jordi Alba to latch on to, which he did, however the difficulty in collecting the through ball forced him slightly off balance, narrowing the angle of his shot in the process as he touched the ball into the smothering body of the Brazilian keeper.
         The final chance was in the 50th minute when Messi carved through the right wing, waited for the run (passing up his own shot at goal) and led Suarez to open space with a ridiculously nasty through ball...but just like Higuain in the 2014 World Cup final and 2015 & 2016 Copa America finals, Messi's Uruguayan friend plummeted the shot straight into the chest-area for Alisson to nearly catch, such was the lack of power on the shot.  
        We can excuse Suarez though, as it was revealed he was playing through a torn knee ligament that (just this last weekend) required surgery.
         Then, as quickly as those chances came, they were gone. 
         Based on Messi's creativity alone, Barca could've snagged a goal or two, effectively killing the tie in the 1st half.
         But just like the tremendous chance he set up for Dembele in the final seconds of the 1st leg, when the Catalan "giants" needed a goal, it had to be Messi or else the goal was rarely ever coming.
         How hard was it then for Messi to return to the pitch (only days after the debacle at Anfield) and try to forget about the disease of his manager or the vocal / mis-directed / unproductive malaise of the local fans, or the long faces of teammates who let him down????
         To make things evidently worse, the (somehow NOT Under-Fire) manager of Barcelona Ernesto Valverde chose the worst XI, throwing out the core veterans and starters to be eaten alive and ripped apart by every single fan who wasn't too busy taking a cute selfie to boo them.
        And this was the atmosphere Messi had to deal with while he led his team against Getafe, the most meaningless march on to a pitch of his career.
       Typical Messi, he had a huge part in the creation of both goals (enough to give himself a UDGC) taking him to 2nd behind the likes of Hakim Ziyech, Mo Salah and Joshua Kimmich for uncredited direct goal contributions. Messi's looping free kick cross from deep on the right wing spooked the Getafe keeper into the chaos that resulted in Arturo Vidal ramming the ball home, a goal the Chilean deserved after his intensified hard work the last eight months. 
        The rest was typical Barca-bore-ball of the Valverde era that Messi was ashamed of, wanting no part of the Sergi Roberto created goal that the Argentine didn't find a toe to, the ball rolling in as an own goal to magnify the "garbage" aspect of the Getafe match.
         This isn't even close to the way Leo wanted to end 2018/19, but we can hope the Barca captain isn't finished setting us on fire, with the Copa Del Rey final on the horizon.

5.
DAVID SILVA (City)

-12 assists overall
-CHANCES CREATED
 -TOTAL: 105
 -PER 90: 2.7 (EPL) , 2.4 (UCL)
-UDGC: 6
-assisted 5 players who've struck the post in 2018/19

          The Spaniard returns to our list after nearly a month and a half out and nearly 10 consecutive matches without an assist. 
          Well, he turned up in a huge way: crafting the exquisite response to Brighton taking a 1-0 lead: Silva slipped Aguero through (only 30 seconds after going down a goal) with the Argentine squaring himself and throttling it to the side of the Brighton keeper, putting to rest any doubt that this would be the day City finally would seal the title.
          Silva crept into the box next to Aguero and held firm right when Laporte launched a ball into the box aimed straight for him. The Spanish World Cup winner then did a breathtaking flick that sent the ball into Aguero's path, right as defenders flew to stop Silva, leaving Kun in open space thanks to his long-time teammate's one touch magic, a chance Aguero was never missing.
          And to finish Brighton off, Silva and Mahrez combined in the middle of the pitch just outside of the box, with Mahrez holding on to possession while spinning out of a challenge before letting it roll back to the former Valencia man. 
        Again, Silva sliced a response to Mahrez who was immediately in space, but Mahrez invited two defenders on, cut it back and dribbled through one of them before firing a filthy shot into the upper 90 of Brighton's net, giving City a 3-1 lead that would prove to be the decider, after Mahrez's assist to Laporte had broken the deadlock.
          David Silva simply never received the proper credit for the outrageous 2018/19 he's had: garnering 105 chances, 12 assists, teeing up 5 teammates who struck the bar or post and helping with 6 other goals through uncredited direct goal contributions.
         It may not be his greatest season, but it's damn close.

4.
TRENT ALEXANDER-ARNOLD 
(Liverpool)

-15 assists overall
-UDGC: 5
 (1 vs Barcelona, 1 vs Wolverhampton)
-CHANCES CREATED
 -TOTAL: 74
 -PER 90: 2.1 (UCL) , 1.7 (EPL)
-assisted Van Dijk (x2 inc. this weekend), Sadio Mane and Mo Salah who hit the post

          What a week for the incredible 20 year old: first, he's on the bench as Liverpool lose 3-0 at Camp Nou, then he proceeds to demand his place in the team back (from Joe Gomez) with a fantastic display against Newcastle, sending in 2 absolute gem assists and escaping a red card: one a corner to VVD,  the other a floated cross for Salah to thrash home with the guiding light of his left toe.
           Then, in a match that will go down as the greatest moment in Anfield history, TAA returned to the XI just as Liverpool looked adrift and out of the Champions League.
           Instead, he not only created the first Gini Wijnaldum goal with a whipped in cross that was slightly deflected (it was heading for Gini anyway), he then produced the acting job of the season, even besting Salah's dives: with the score tied on aggregate and extra time approaching, he pretended to offer the corner kick to Xherdan Shaqiri. Suddenly, in a rapid moment of outrageous footballing IQ, Trent saw the scattered, confused and tired Barca defense relax completely as if they were asleep and just as he realized this, he rushed back and pounded a low, on the ground cross straight in front of the goal-mouth to a wide open Divock Origi who reacted quickly and beat everyone to the ball, throttling the net and sending Barcelona out of the tournament 4-3 on aggregate and Klopp's Liverpool to their second consecutive UCL final.
         Oh wait? There's more?
         In Liverpool's final EPL match of the campaign, Alexander-Arnold continued his dominance vs Wolverhampton, notching his EPL record-breaking 12th assist when he found Sadio Mane for the first of his 2 goals in the match, both coming from TAA.
         Hell, he also teed up Robertson (his fullback partner) for a laser guided blast at goal that was barely saved. 
         Though it wasn't enough to top City in the EPL, Alexander-Arnold has made a name for himself as the best right back in the game currently playing and who could argue?
           He's 20 and so far he'll be starting in his 2nd straight Champions League final, he's now set the record for most assists by a defender in Premier League history, he's the youngest player ever to grab 3 assists in a single EPL match and he was responsible for the 2 goals that broke through Barcelona and laid them to waste in the greatest (non-Istanbul) European night in club history.
           I predict the youngster will grab another assist and lead Liverpool to European glory in the final itself.
           This kid is written in the stars.
3.
HAKIM ZIYECH  (Ajax)

-19 overall assists
-UDGC: 10
-CHANCES CREATED
 -TOTAL: 159
 -PER 90: 3.9 (ERED), 2.2 (UCL)
-assisted 3 players who've hit the post 
- Has hit the post 10 times 
(6 assists and 3 goals in his last 9 apps.)

      Ziyech scored, hit the post and played extremely well against Spurs, but he will forever rue missing that late chance that ricocheted off the inside of the Spurs (with Lloris stranded), set up by Donny Van De Beek.
       This miss would become huge as a dynamic Andre Onana save from Vertonghen (and Vertonghen's rebound shot off of the bar), or the Cameroon keeper's time-wasting yellow card couldn't keep Ajax in the final.
        Ziyech didn't create as many chances as he should've though, opting for shots on goal rather than cutting through Spurs with incision.
         You can fault the Moroccan for his "hero-ball", but the opportunities were there and they were numerous with Ziyech's aim leaving him wanting.
           Hakim Ziyech found yet another assist in the Dutch leagues this midweek, ripping a pass to Tagliafico for the finish, giving the former Eredivisie Player of the Year his 19th assist in all competitions.
           While Ajax crashed out of the semifinals in the most devastating fashion possible, Hakim shined brightly in all phases of the game and still the genius keeps his place atop the UDGC (10) and chances created charts.
            Next? 
            Barcelona?
            Bayern?
            Liverpool?

2.
EDEN HAZARD  (Chelsea)

-16 assists overall
(15 in EPL, 1 in EUROPA)
-UDGC: 4
-CHANCES CREATED
 -TOTAL: 138
 -PER 90: 4.3 (EUROPA), 3.0 (EPL)

            The Belgian's rare usage in the Europa League has been bizarre, yet it has kept the World Cup star fresh after a long 2018/19, and it paid huge dividends for Chelsea, even as Hazard has one foot outside the door (his move to Madrid is imminent).
           Hazard snuck his 16th assist vs Eintracht Frankfurt (and first official assist in any competition outside of the Premier League) to bring Chelsea to the cusp of a European title on his way out of the club.
              It was complete and utter professionalism from Eden Hazard when he ruthlessly (and calmly) stepped up to the penalty spot, knowing he could now cement his legacy as a Stamford Bridge legend (and earn complete immunity from being lambasted for his move to Real Madrid in the summer) and then he dispatched the winning penalty with exacting confidence. 
           You really have to wonder what the limit is for this cat, because I don't think we've even seen his best yet.
           Eden Hazard delivered Chelsea's most dysfunctional setup (and manager) into a top four spot in the most competitive top 6 battle of any league in Europe, he's now played a big role in taking them to a European final vs Arsenal, their biggest enemies and a club who need that automatic Champions League qualification. 
             Sure, his goals have been incredible, his finishing expert, precise and disastrous for any defender to even attempt to block or defend, but his creativity is what sets this guy apart from any other "world class" pretender
 (say.... Coutinho). 
            Instead of wasting time and waiting for others to do the work for him, Hazard has remained incredibly direct and has left the ponderous part of his earlier years completely to the wayside.                          It was so calculating and smooth how the Belgium captain nonchalantly gained the attention and movement of the entire Frankfurt back line (already nursing their psychological wounds after  allowing 6 goals in the first half against Leverkeusen) and then spun in a ball for a simple Reuben Loftus-Cheek run into the left channel of the box, supplied by a rolled in ball for him to collect, carry and then cut inside and blast into the net, reclaiming the lead vs Frankfurt on aggregate, that was (of course) until Luka Jovic thrashed an equalizer into the net 21 minutes later, forcing extra time and the resulting penalty shootout.
            With one more match for Chelsea's season to go, Hazard could yet retain his #1 spot from a week ago with another stunning, all-encompassing display.

1.
DUSAN TADIC  (Ajax)

-21 assists overall
-UDGC: 5
-CHANCES CREATED
 -TOTAL: 147
 -PER 90: 3.1 (UCL) , 2.7 (ERED)
-assisted 3 chances that hit the post in the UCL
- Has scored 34 goals this season

         Tadic was illustrious as Ajax ascended to a 2-0 (in Amsterdam), 3-0 aggregate lead over Spurs, Pochettino's men looking dead and bloated, perhaps even buried at that scoreline.
         This was based upon the work of Dusan Tadic hooking up (yet again) with his Moroccan counterpart to take that "commanding" 3 goal lead: Ziyech being fed simply (after the Serb drew defenders in) with a little pass at the top of the box and the former Twente man dispatched it past Lloris emphatically.
          Well, we all know what happened next....however Ajax were the team of the tournament. 
          No matter how damn good and deserving Liverpool are, or the palpable  destiny of Pochettino's Spurs, Ajax were unreal and stamped out the best of the best before being weirdly trumped by a Kane-less Spurs, allowing Lucas Moura a hat trick and Dele Alli nearly a hat trick of assists...
          A hard, harsh and bizarre ending to the Ajax story (that nearly had a Leicester-esque finale) especially with  the nature of a specimen like Frenkie De Jong leaving to Barcelona.
          But forget all of that nonsense for a moment and look at the gravity of what they achieved, especially Tadic: he finished the Champions League with 6 goals and 4 assists, 3 assists and 3 goals in UCL qualifying while dishing three passes to teammates who hit the post (Neres x2, Van De Beek) in the tournament.
           The 30 year old was outrageous in 2018/19, contributing directly to 66 goals in all competitions as Ajax soared to within a second of their first final since 1996. 
           It was a season he'll never forget, and nor shall we.

BEST OF THE REST

CHRISTIAN ERIKSEN (Spurs)


-17 assists overall 
-CHANCES CREATED
 -TOTAL: 104
 -PER 90: 2.7 (UCL), 2.4 (EPL)
-assisted Lucas and Alderweireld in hitting the post 

           Eriksen ripped an outrageous free kick from outside of the box to put Spurs into the top four, showing immense class and panache to continue grinding (even while going now 7 matches without an assist).
          His creativity was hampered vs Ajax (and again on the weekend), yet Eriksen still produced 4 chances total and put in a quality corner that Eric Dier scored from during the ensuing chaos.
         Even when the Danish captain is at his worst, he still engineers goals to push Spurs above and beyond.
         And while many refuse to point out his influence against his former club as the reason Tottenham are in their first ever Champions League final, he could still be seen pushing Spurs on with probing passes and a litany of crosses or long balls into the forehead and chest of Fernando Llorente, a wrinkle which turned the 2nd half around in Spurs' favor.
       It was also his calm at the top of the box that initially fed the ball through to Alli, who then set up Lucas Moura with a perfect pass for the historic last second winner.
        Eriksen hasn't been at the peak of his powers as he was a few weeks back, yet his influence on Spurs' most successful season of all time is palpable.

PABLO SARABIA (Sevilla)

-14 overall assists
-CHANCES CREATED
 -TOTAL: 87 
(only 5 chances created since 4/13)
 -PER 90: 2.2 (LA LIGA), 2.0

JOSHUA KIMMICH (Bayern) 

-16 assists overall
-CHANCES CREATED
 -TOTAL: 111
 -PER 90: 2.4 (UCL), 2.3 (BUND)
- 0 chances created vs Leipzig

TEJI SAVANIER (Nimes)

-13 assists overall
(shot that hit the post on the weekend)


SANTI CAZORLA (Villareal)

-11 assists overall
 (10 in La Liga, 1 in Europa League)


DELLE  ALLI (Spurs)

-9 assists overall 
-2 vs Ajax, assisted Son who hit the post
(Has only appeared in 58% of matches for Spurs)

HOUSSEM AOUAR (Lyon)

-9 assists overall
-UDGC: 1 
-CHANCES CREATED
 -TOTAL: 55
 -PER 90: 1.4 (UCL), 1.3 (LIGUE 1)

         The French-born Algerian has had a stop-start season, much like his club Lyon: playing inconsistently in the final third and performing way below par.
          Yet here he is with his ASSISTKINGS QUARTERLY debut...thanks to his recent barrage of world class assistance.
         The most negative feature of the Ligue 1 club is their knack for never scoring as many goals as they should, with 5 draws in the Champions League group stage alone somehow allowing them to advance (2-2 vs City, 2-2 and 3-3 vs Hoffenheim, 1-1 and 2-2 vs Shaktar) thank to their match day 1 victory at the Etihad.
         After that match, Pep Guardiola bypassed nearly every player or manager coming his way and went straight for only one man: Houssem Aouar, even walking past Nabil Fekir, Tanguay N'Dombele and going to the Algerian-Frenchman to congratulate him on a hell of a match.
         The conversation lasted longer than 2 minutes, the manager beaming with admiration. 
         And he had a lot to admire: 
         Aouar is a freak. 
         Grabbing his second brace of assists in the last four matches, his creativity is heating up at the perfect time for his club, as Lyon just barely hang on to the final Champions League qualifying spot in Ligue 1 with two matches left.
         With 9 assists, 7 goals and two more Ligue 1 matches left to go, we hope Aouar, his teammate Depay (who we hate leaving off of the list, yet he produced nothing much for Lyon on the weekend), Fekir and NDombele put on a show these last two matches and absolutely destroy our final lists of the season.

JORDI ALBA (Barca)

-15 assists overall
-CHANCES CREATED
 -TOTAL: 83
 -PER 90: 2.1 (UCL) , 1.5 (LA LIGA)

           Alba's last few matches has seen the best left back in the world sucking on fumes, while his brain may be lacking the necessary oxygen when he revealed to the media "he's absolutely delighted by Valverde's presence", and "since he's been here, I've been given life."
     With only two chances carved out in the last three matches, a bad error for the 1st Liverpool goal (I get it, he was being tasked with playing three different positions at once, it's impossible, it's not all on him) and that type of managerial analysis doesn't get you anywhere near our list.
      Let's hope Alba finishes the season strong with a huge performance vs Valencia in the Copa Del Rey final before disavowing Ernesto Valverde. 

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): 157

2. DUSAN TADIC (Ajax): 147

3. MEMPHIS DEPAY (Lyon): 141

4. EDEN HAZARD (Chelsea): 138

5. LIONEL MESSI (Barca): 135

6. WILLIAN (Chelsea): 133

MOST UDGC (all comps)

1a. LIONEL MESSI (Barca): 10 

1b.HAKIM ZIYECH (Ajax): 10
1c.MOHAMED SALAH (Liverpool): 10

1d.JOSHUA KIMMICH (Mun): 10
2a.ROBERT LEWANDOWSKI(Mun):9
2b.ALEXANDRE LACAZETTE (AR):9

3a. LUIS SUAREZ (Barca): 8 

3b. BERNARDO SILVA (City): 8
4a. RAHEEM STERLING (City): 7

4b. SERGE GNABRY (Mun): 7

4c. JULIAN BRANDT (Bayer): 7

5. LEROY SANE (City): 6 

MOST ASSISTS (all comps):
1. DUSAN TADIC (Ajax):        21
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