INTERNATIONAL TOP 10: BLOOD RED SUMMER IGNITED

              June has brought us the end of the league and European campaign, but it's not the end of football.
             Even in a non-World Cup/ non-Euros summer, there's still been a heavy amount of action: The primarily useless Nations League, the Copa America and African Cup of Nations are all on their way or underway...and to go along with it, the necessary (or unnecessary) friendly matches.
              While these supposedly needless matches provides nonstop footballing entertainment (or in the case of Argentina v Columbia, a rash of suicides from boredom), they also pile on the miles for some of our favorite players, making this entire process a marathon of sorts.                                    
             And in between hurdles of this international break, we've witnessed Portugal "rise above" with Ronaldo at the helm and capture a friendly title whilst showing off their world class supporting cast (Bernardo Silva, Bruno Fernandes, Semedo etc); we saw Ronald Koeman's vigorous Dutch side battle hard and develop true steel and conviction in toppling England and narrowly losing to Portugal (while Frenkie De Jong, Donny Van De Beek, Matthijs De Ligt, Memphis Depay and VVD showed their pedigree in pursuit of a return to tournament relevancy).
            Also "competing" in the Nations League was Gareth Southgate leading his bullish young England side of speed-merchants and fantastic talents all centered around Raheem Sterling's movement and Harry Kane (making an appearance from injury), as Ross Barkley looked rejuvenated in midfield, youth products Jadon Sancho and Alexander-Arnold were staking claims for starting spots, and goalkeeper Jordan Pickford has made himself the clear England #1 without doubt after his 10 save performance vs the Dutch and broadened his appeal again in a penalty shootout vs Switzerland in which he saved the final penalty and also scored himself to allow victory (Pickford now has 2 penalty shootout victories as an England #1, already more than David Seaman, Paul Robinson, Joe Hart, Robert Greene and David James all combined).
             We saw turmoil in the king's castle when Turkey beat a listless, lukewarm France 2-0 to take an early group lead in Euro 2020 qualifying, ushering in calls for Deschamps' head and a complete re-evaluation of the world champions; we watched on as Belgium made quick work of Scotland and Kazakhstan, Eden Hazard resuming his greatness as he makes his move to the "biggest club in the world".
              In the Copa America, we saw Argentina falter yet again on the big stage: losing a gruesome, bruising affair to Columbia 2-0 (Columbia scoring from their only 2 shots on target), Coutinho leading a Neymar-less Brazil to a 3-0 formality win over Bolivia, and the preparations for the 2019 African Cup of Nations are well underway with Algeria and Morocco looking like favorites in my eyes.
              What we've got is a bunch of fantastic players pushing for titles this summer, raising their transfer stock or arising from the shadows of their club's bench to make bold statements on the international stage, and we've got the 10 performances of the summer campaign (so far) below:


10a
TRENT ALEXANDER-ARNOLD (England)
-7 key passes vs Switzerland 
-80 completed passes
-2 interceptions 

             After his full throttle exploits in the Champions League Final, TAA was rested for the 120 minute epic vs the Dutch, but the Champions League winner took to the pitch for the duration of the 120 minutes vs Switzerland: crafting 7 chances from right back and producing an overall vibrant and world class display, capping it off with a penalty shootout win over the Swiss (always a good omen for your first English shootout: TAA coming next in line until Drmic saw his penalty saved).
             Kyle Walker should feel nervous after his own goal gaffe and TAA producing masterclasses like this in only his first handful of international appearances. 
             Somehow, even with the campaign over, Trent Alexander-Arnold continues to raise his stock.

10b
FLORIAN THAUVIN (FRANCE)

-1 goal
-1 assist
-2 key passes
-3 shots, 1 on target

                 Florian Thauvin saw his chance and took it when he played for France against Andorra, destroying them alongside Kylian Mbappe (the latter setting up a litany of shots from the Marseille man). He not only grabbed a sick, slick and unselfish lay off assist inside the complexity and pressure of the opposition box to a waiting Ben-Yedder, but then he proceeded to go a step further when he pulled off a disgusting bicycle kick goal from a fluffed dropping cross from Mbappe, towering over all and smashing the ball into the corner of the Andorran goal in incredible fashion.
                 Will World Cup winner Florian Thauvin now take over the spot left vacant from the injury absences of Dembele and Fekir? 


9
DRIES MERTENS (Belgium)

-1 goal & 2 assists 
-1 UDGC  
(shot off post rebounded into goal by Lukaku)
-4 key passes 
 -set up a shot by KDB off the post
Vs Kazakhstan 
-created 7 goals post-World Cup

              Mertens is always an under the radar commodity that hardly ever gets his due (even when deserving of the credit) thanks to his inconsistent displays for his club...but for Belgium, Dries Mertens has become a reliable force, constantly creating opportunities for big Romelu Lukaku with his excellent crossing or his deceptive cutbacks, or twisting defenses into a dizzying psychosis with his combinations in and around the box with Hazard and De Bruyne.
           Always an underrated and very valuable cog in the Belgian attacking front four (Mertens only saw his importance take a dip under the rise of Yannick Carrasco during Euro 2016), the Napoli man is someone capable of pulling off the incredible and going for blood, loading up the stat box in nearly every category as he creates, shoots and finishes these moves off with high volume.
             He's never as reliable as De Bruyne or as extraordinary as Eden Hazard, but when either / or is having an off night and someone needs to pick up the scraps and put teams to the sword, Dries Mertens is pretty much a dream guy to have (a winger who's scored a hat trick and had 20+ goals and 9+ assists in each of the last four seasons).
               Truth be told, Mertens has traditionally been charismatic and brilliant against smaller sides and anonymously weak against the powerhouse nations, the biggest clubs and the best players. This is something his record bears out for all to see, yet we feel Mertens is beyond numbers in his effectiveness for Belgium and we hope, in time, the Napoli winger / forward can light it up against the best to prove his doubters wrong.

8
EDEN HAZARD (Belgium)

-2 assists
-13 key passes (6, then 7)
 -combined with brother Thorgan for 3 shots at goal:
 2 chances created by Thorgan, 1 by Eden

              Hazard has sold his soul to Real Madrid...but at least we can still enjoy him every time he plays for his national team.
             The Belgium captain is making a habit of consistent goal involvement (something he was often criticized for during his pre-Euro 2016 days): Since his iconic performances at the 2018 World Cup, he's snagged 5 goals and 3 assists total and 3 goals, 2 assists in his last four appearances.
              Sure, that sounds and looks like just a bunch of numbers, but what it means is Hazard has taken full responsibility for the outcome of every Belgium match, just as Griezmann has for France and just as we'd always hoped he would. 
              He's turned into the player many were saying was "lost" and "waining" under the duress of world-wide pressure and comparisons to Messi and Ronaldo, even getting the brunt of the blame for Belgium's Euro 2016 collapse vs Wales after he'd assisted in the match, put on blistering performances throughout the tournament and oozed with constant attacking threat (4 assists & 1 goal in Euro 2016).  
              That was before Eden was given the reigns...that Euro 2016 debacle vs Wales was when Marc Wilmots was in charge...but once Hazard was given full control, they've never looked back as a nation: 
             Before Belgium's FA made the smart decision and gave Hazard the captain's armband, he had 7 goals and 12 assists; since he was first captain in July 2015, he's scored 23 goals and set up 16 others, truly an astonishing statistic that points to the hunger and poise he has shown when given full responsibility, even pushing his own little brother Thorgan into the national team spotlight where both have aided each other on the pitch simultaneously for Belgium's greater good, a true anomaly in modern football.
             But for all the 3rd place finishes, the feel-good story of the Brothers Hazard and the "little nation that could", there is still the palpable sense of time running out: a feeling that permeated their every match in the knockout stages of the last World Cup with Kompany, Vertonghen, Alderweireld and Mousa Dembele likely playing in their final World Cup after a decade plus of national team presence for a nation trying to win their first title in this moment of transition.
              And while the Tottenham duo of Vertonghen and Alderweireld could potentially go for one last ride in 2022, time is wasting for Hazard, De Bruyne, Witsel and Mertens: this last World Cup was a true moment for them to capture a title and though they were barely ousted by France, many felt the best team in the tournament had lost in the semifinals that day.
              Now with Eden Hazard scoring at a rate akin to Griezmann's own with France, coupled with his advanced and dangerous creative powers which have been flourishing as of late (13 chances created in 2 matches for Belgium and 2 breathtaking assists, along with his 17 for Chelsea during the season), Hazard and De Bruyne will be creating a litany of goalscoring opportunities for the likes of Lukaku, Batshuaiy, Origi, Mertens and others to finish off. 
             Such an outrageous attack is only more potent when combined with their world class, rock-solid midfield in Youri Tielemans and Axel Witsel, their veteran defensive core and athletically (and most often technically) superior youngsters from the bench, Belgium should be remembered for the juggernaut they are and have been for some time when the history books close on this "Golden Generation", title or no title.
             These next two tournaments (especially Euro 2020), are primed for Belgium to take over. Though with renewed focus across Europe showing the Netherlands, Portugal and England all in an improved status, Germany, France and Spain continuously loading up on premium talent, and smaller nations like Croatia, Switzerland, Denmark and Russia making big World Cup statements, they'll be up against the best of their generation.

7
LUIS SUAREZ  (Uruguay)

-1 goal, 1 assist vs Ecuador 
-2 key passes 
-15 goals and 6 assists in tournament play for Uruguay 

               Suarez set Uruguay on their way to a fantasy beginning in their Copa America push, hoping to win the title again just like in 2011, and just like that campaign, Luis Suarez is setting the table, pulling the strings and finalizing the goals in the final third for his country, showing the best version of himself with a goal and an assist.
                And though this is his first Copa America since 2011 (suspended for 2015 Copa America due to Chiellini bite in 2014 World Cup and injured for the 2016 Centenario edition), Luis Suarez delivers the goods as he always has in tournaments for his country: providing the looping cross to Nicolas Lodeiro, who then proceeded to flip the ball over two Ecuadorian defenders like they were kids making Rice-a-Roni and smacked a perfect hit on the half volley into the net, starting the Uruguayan rout off early and giving Suarez yet another international tournament assist for Uruguay. 
              It wasn't long before Suarez teed up Nandez in the area for a blast at goal that was narrowly saved in the bottom corner, the Barca striker taking Ecuador to the cleaners with his hold-up play and passing in the final third.
              And then he got his goal: poaching after a loose Caceres header in the box, Suarez only needed to step into the ball with his momentum carrying it into the net, Uruguay now on their way after Ecuador defender Mina was unlucky to be sent off for a reckless elbow on MLS star Lodeiro; the call was extremely harsh considering we all watched Messi (among others) getting elbowed violently by the Columbian players numerous times with hardly any punishment only days ago.
              Don't let the haircut fool you: Suarez is looking leaner and meaner, but he's hardly in better shape than he was at Barcelona. But his form with Uruguay is a far cry from the injury ravaged and bloated figure he cut in the final stretches of the Champions League and La Liga season, offering more mobility and an overall improved first touch that isn't seeing him squander possession nearly as often.
              Suarez now has a goal and an assist in every single tournament he has played in for Uruguay, barring his 2 match adventure at the 2014 World Cup where he scored 2 goals, bit Chiellini and was sent home without the time to grab an assist, and before he knew it, Suarez was telling Brendan Rodgers to go "fuck himself" and was off to Barcelona.
              How far can Suarez and Cavani take Uruguay?
              Well you'd be foolish to dismiss them, it would be bruising to play them and they now possess a squad so well rounded and deep that longtime manager "the Jerry Sloan of South America" Oscar Tabarez should expect his unit to take on and vanquish all comers.
             Indeed, this may be the greatest modern Uruguayan team of all time and a 2nd Copa America under Tabarez, Cavani, Godin and Suarez (along with their 4th place World Cup finish in 2010) should etch this team in stone.
              
6
CRISTIANO RONALDO (Portugal)

- 3 goals vs Switzerland 

             Yes, Cristiano you had a hat trick.
             Yes, Cristiano you won another "international title" if you can call it that.
              Yes, you can tweet about how great you are.
              Yes, you were also served a court summons for rape in the United States.
               So tweet all you want, score all you may.... but you're still an alleged rapist.
               While every futbol media outlet wants to ignore that stone cold truth, I won't.

5
ANTOINE GRIEZMANN  (France)

-1 goal 
-2 assists 
-1 UDGC 
-8 key passes
 (4 key passes v Andorra,
 3 vs Bolivia, 1 vs Turkey)

                Griezmann has scored 4 goals, grabbed 2 assists and 3 UDGC since his heroics at the 2018 World Cup, proving he's not going to stop his match-deciding ways for France.
            In fact, it's become quite evident how much of a leader Griezmann is for France: always grafting and racing back for a lunging tackle or robbing possession in the final third...rarely does it occur that you don't see him working his ass off (even against Turkey).
            He's only one Hugo Lloris DUI away from getting the captain's armband.
             And though his tally of 29 goals and 19 assists doesn't quite capture his success in such a short period of time with the national team (Messi and Ronaldo have amassed nearly triple the numbers but have been on the international scene since 2004/2005, Griezmann only being a full senior international in the lead-up to the 2014 World Cup).
             But now after 3 successful tournaments for France (10 goals and 6 assists), reaching the 2016 Euro and 2018 World Cup finals and claiming a World Cup trophy, Griezmann is on cloud nine with France, scoring or assisting most matches and providing the decisive moments (for example: while being roundly criticized and truly not in his best form and still producing 4 goals and 2 assists in the WC, he did even more we all forget: he created the own goal vs Croatia in the final, earned a penalty vs Australia, set up Pogba's WC final goal that the United man buried on the rebound, and Griezmann also cracked the post vs Argentina...all of this being pure evidence of his unceasing work ethic and fantastic rate of production even while playing below par).
            He contributes in all areas and though his detractors may claim he hasn't given enough on the international scene, Antoine Griezmann has proven that you can make a massive impact in such little time.
            Welcome to Barcelona, Anto.

4
FRENKIE DE JONG (Ajax)

-completed 174 passes out of 178 in 204 minutes total over 2 matches for a 95.5% completion rate.
-completed 10 tackles from 17 attempts
-2 key passes 
-was dribbled past 7x

              My how fun it'll be to see Frenkie De Jong playing alongside Lionel Messi; Frenkie De Jong put on an illustrious pair of glittering performances that words cannot do justice. 
             Just watch...
      

3
PHILIPPE COUTINHO  (Brazil)

-2 goals
-4 key passes 
-7/10 tackles completed 

           As much as this author has destroyed this Barcelona player in recent months, he deserves his due after a rampant performance against Bolivia, finding Brazil's first 2 goals after 50+ boring minutes and produced the most created chances of any player on the pitch (4), but most impressively Coutinho pulled off 7 tackles from a crazy 10 attempts. 
          There isn't always the biggest correlation between tackles completed and goals scored, chances created etc, though when assisting your side in robbing the other team of possession in dangerous areas, the litany of attacking threat the defense must deal with wears them down to the point even tiny Coutinho is scoring headers.
           Hopefully this is a statement of intent from the Barca man, showing his worth and taking on the responsibility of scoring that titanic penalty that, had he missed, could've spelt "doom" for Brazil's Copa America.
            If he missed that penalty, Brazil draw and Coutinho played poorly, could you imagine?
            The anti-Coutinho parade would rage to an absolute fever pitch.
            He had to score that penalty and only seconds later, when gifted such a ridiculous off the ground chip by Bobby Firmino, the only option was to bury it from a yard out, doubling his and Brazil's account.
             In a tournament where Coutinho's individual stats will be paramount to Brazil's success in the Copa America, this is a situation where he should succeed.                Not only does Neymar's absence grant Coutinho the base of operations and complete freedom he so craves, his game is based on his being "the man", something that even being at Barcelona (around Lionel Messi) didn't change, no matter how many penalties Messi earned and proceeded to hand to Coutinho, or however many key passes Messi set up to the Brazilian, nothing seemed to be enough for his ego.
            However this situation is perfect.
            But Coutinho needs to understand one thing very clearly: Brazil won't be successful according to how many goals he scores, but they will win the title if Coutinho can post 4-5 assists.
            If the former Liverpool man will realize he must combine with his teammates to then receive the ball in better positions for himself to score, then Brazil will be in heaven; and if he can then return the ball when the pressure comes his way, defenders rushing in without any ghost of Neymar to chase, Brazil could be special.
           This is why you only see a flurry of shots every 25 minutes from the Brazilian when he's playing poorly: he simply doesn't combine enough or exchange passes with the talented pieces to the puzzle around him, ignoring the growth of familiarity through possession on the pitch. 
            If Coutinho can turn provider, as he has in the last two Brazil matches, they should retain their spot as favorites regardless of not having Neymar or Uruguay's 4-0 assault on Ecuador.
            It will prove exceedingly difficult for any team to breach Alisson's goal, so if Coutinho can supply a few goals to a player like Gabriel Jesus (who's potential "sky high confidence" would only serve to push Brazil's chances even higher), Brazil could be untouchable, while still flawed.
            Imagine that.



2
MEMPHIS DEPAY  (Netherlands)

-2 assists 
-1 UDGC (created Walker own goal)
(Took 10 shots vs England, 6 on target)
-nearly created own goal vs Portugal 
-shot off the post

            Depay has been so good this season under Ronald Koeman: becoming the unquestionable talisman for the Netherlands national team and excelling in this role with the added responsibility, portraying the part of leader, example for all and harbinger of big time, match-deciding goals, all while maturing into a special player that's already brought us viewers and fans one of the coolest transformations in modern football.
            Whatever Koeman is doing to arm the Dutchman with such confidence and swagger must be replicated by whomever chooses to sign the Lyon winger in the summer; this is the version of Depay that Manchester United thought they'd purchased, this is the Depay that has exceeded expectations beyond any doubt: putting Germany, France and now England to the sword.
            Memphis created all 3 goals in the extra time win over England, laying on 2 brutal assists and (in between) displayed to potential suitors (like Jurgen Klopp) that he can press with the best of them when he robbed the ball off of Ross Barkley in the beginning of the extra sessions, blasting a shot at goal that Jordan Pickford had to parry away, only for Pickford to have palmed it right into the path of Quincy Promes closing in on the ball and battling with Kyle Walker for position. Promes only slightly beat Walker to the ball and his shot was touched into the net by a Walker block, creating the own goal that would eventually kill off the tie. Later on, Promes was fed by Depay and this time the Sevilla wide man put his name on the score sheet and the Dutch into the final of the Nations League. 
             Depay is somehow still under the radar, which means some lucky club (ala Arsenal, Leverkeusen, Napoli, Liverpool, Tottenham, Atletico Madrid etc) is going to get him for a cut-rate price.
           In a summer of potentially bloated prices for attacking midfielders like Hakim Ziyech, Donny Van De Beek, Thomas Lemar, Nabil Fekir, Leroy Sane (among others who are rumored to be on the move), Memphis Depay could prove to be an extremely astute signing.


1
 BERNARDO SILVA (Portugal)

-2 assists 
 (4 key passes vs Swiss
  5 key passes vs Neth)
-10 dribbles 
-6 dribbles vs Swiss, 4 dribbles vs Netherlands

          This guy just keeps on getting better. 
          There was a reason this man made our two man midfield in our Best XI list alongside Frenkie De Jong:
he does it all.
            Sure, he may be stationed on the right wing, but he's an acting midfielder: cutting inside on to his left foot and being able to whip in crosses, sweep in through balls or turn and twist the defensive shape, doing this all from a cordoned off space perfect for him to collect the ball and pick out passes without the intense pressing and nonstop grind of being located deep in central midfield.
            Pep Guardiola knows what he's doing by locating the shorter and wispy Bernardo outside of the bruising quagmire of midfield (where most of his injury woes have come from), indicating this is part of a greater philosophy: midfield-esque players in nearly every area of the pitch (Laporte at the back, Ederson at goalkeeper etc). 
            And Portugal seem to be doing the same thing, sticking Bernardo on his favored right wing hub and giving him the creative keys to the car finally (Bernardo has deserved to lead Portugal since before Euro 2016). 
           It's paying huge dividends as Silva put in an uncanny display, capping off one hell of a last few seasons that ranks him as one of the top 5 best midfielders in our time. 
           He set up two goals over the Nations League semifinals vs Switzerland and the final itself vs the Netherlands, both passes being cutbacks sliced through the traffic of reaching feet, across and away from the defenders' momentum, and into open space for Ronaldo and Guedes to slot home.
            It was Bernardo and Bruno Fernandes combining at will on the right wing that lit up the Swiss and the Netherlands: Silva set up a handful of rasping shots from Bruno (Fernandes blasted 6 shots, 3 on target vs the Dutch) and providing tremendous width and authority out on that right wing, setting up perfect alley ways for the galloping runs of Nelson Semedo, a player who's hungry for minutes amid the announcement of the 25 year old handing in a transfer request at Barcelona and his exclusion from the 2018 World Cup squad for Portugal.
            With these young gems and burgeoning talent in their ranks, Ronaldo scoring at will at 34, and a #10 that can conduct the orchestra and do the hard work Ronaldo shirks, the future of the Portuguese team is not only brighter than it was after winning Euro 2016, it's likely we'll see Portugal go toe to toe with the squads of Belgium and France when they battle for Euro 2020 next summer.

HONORABLE MENTIONS:
-Charles Aranguiz (Chile): 2 assists, 7 key passes
-Raheem Sterling (England): 2 shots off the post
-Kylian Mbappe (France): 1 goal, 1 assist
-Hakim Ziyech (Morocco): 2 goals
-James Rodriguez (Columbia): 1 assist 

by Lonn Phillips Sullivan