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In football, assists are almost as important as goals. Half-way past the ongoing campaign, most of Europe's top-five leagues have seen a lot of goals and assists.
Thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic and its consequences, 'Expect the unexpected' has been the season's theme this season.
In the Premier League, defending champions Liverpool have visibly struggled and currently find themselves in fourth place - ten points adrift of league-leaders Manchester City. Plagued by injuries to key players, goal-shy Liverpool's title defence is almost in tatters, and even a top-four finish could be a challenging proposition for them.
La Liga has also thrown up a few surprises as well; the usual suspects - Barcelona and Real Madrid - have struggled to cope with leaders Atletico Madrid. The Rojiblancos currently hold a 5-point lead over defending champions Madrid and also have two games in hand.
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In Italy, AC Milan have their sight on the Serie A title, as they hold the top spot in the table, holding off the likes of Inter Milan and Juventus. The Bianconeri, powered by Cristiano Ronaldo's goals, have had an indifferent campaign and find themselves in third place, seven points off the league summit.
Ligue 1 defending champions - Paris Saint-Germain - have also failed to assert their dominance in the league; they are third in the division, albeit just three points shy of unexpected league-leaders Lille.
However, Bayern Munich are the only defending champions in Europe's top-five divisions who are topping their league table. They are currently seven points clear of second-placed RB Leipzig and look set to win the title yet again this season.
Ten players with the most assists in Europe's top-five leagues this season
Most of the usual suspects prop up in the list of top assists across Europe's top-five leagues. However, as is usually the case, there are a few unexpected names too.
On that note, here is a look at ten players from Europe's top-five leagues who have assisted the most goals so far this season, as on 10th February 2021:
All stats courtesy Transfermarkt.
#10 Angel Di Maria (Paris Saint-Germain) - 9 assists
Angel Di Maria has been Paris Saint-Germain (PSG)'s creative lynchpin and leading assist provider this season.
In Ligue 1, the 32-year-old has registered four goals and nine assists in 19 matches.
With 14 matches remaining in the league season, PSG will hope Angel Di Maria can continue to conjure goal-scoring opportunities, as they look to recoup the top spot in the league.
#9 Hakan Calhanoglu (AC Milan) - 9 assists
AC Milan have taken the Serie A by the scruff of the neck this season; fending off their closest challengers Inter Milan and Juventus, the Rossoneri have a slender two-point lead atop the league summit.
Hakan Calhanoglu has been the driving force behind AC Milan's unexpected title surge this campaign.
Milan have scored 45 goals in the league - the second-most in the division - with Hakan Calhanoglu assisting nine of them.
The 26-year-old, who has played 18 league games, has scored a solitary goal to accompany his impressive tally of assists for Milan.
#8 Kingsley Coman (Bayern Munich) - 9 assists
Kingsley Coman has been a crucial cog in the well-oiled Bayern Munich machine. The 24-year-old winger has made 16 Bundesliga appearances for the Bavarian giants this season, scoring three goals and assisting nine.
Impressively, Coman has already provided more assists in the league this season than he provided across all competitions (7) over the entirety of last season.
Thanks to Coman's exploits and Robert Lewandowski's goals, Bayern Munich have scored a staggering 58 goals in 20 Bundesliga matches, and hold a 7-point lead with 14 games remaining.
#7 Jadon Sancho (Borussia Dortmund) - 9 assists
Despite enduring a long goal drought - failing to score in Borussia Dortmund's first 13 Bundesliga matches this season - Jadon Sancho seems to have rediscovered his mojo, assisting a plethora of goals and assisting a few as well.
In 18 league appearances this season, the 20-year-old may have only scored three goals, but has already registered nine assists.
Apart from his goal contributions, Sancho has also dazzled in other aspects of his game; he ranks first in attempted take-ons, successful take-ons, passes into the box and carries into the box in the Bundesliga this season.
Thanks to Sancho's performances, Borussia Dortmund find themselves sixth in the Bundesliga standings, four points adrift of the UEFA Champions League spots.
#6 Joshua Kimmich (Bayern Munich) - 10 assists
Widely regarded as one of the most versatile midfielders in the world at the moment, Joshua Kimmich was a key player in Bayern Munich's treble-winning campaign last season; he has been just as phenomenal this season too, despite missing a few games because of injury.
The 26-year-old has played only 14 Bundesliga matches this season, scoring twice while assisting on ten occasions to bolster Bayern Munich's march to another Bundesliga title.
#5 Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United) - 10 assists
If one player were to be singled out for Manchester United's drastically improved performances, it would have to be Bruno Fernandes.
The 26-year-old has been simply unparalleled in terms of impact since his arrival at Old Trafford early last year. Fernandes has been involved in 30 goals in 30 matches for Manchester United across competitions this season.
In the Premier League this campaign, Fernandes has scored 13 goals and made 10 assists in 23 league matches, helping Manchester United to second in the league table, five points shy of leaders Manchester City.
#4 Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City) - 10 assists
It's almost impossible to talk about creative players who provide the most assists and not include Kevin De Bruyne in the list.
The 29-year-old equalled Thierry Henry's record for the most assists (20) in a single Premier League season last campaign; he has seemingly carried on in the same vein this season too.
Despite missing Manchester City's last four league matches due to injury, Kevin De Bruyne has registered ten league assists this season, to go with three goals in 17 league appearances.
City hold a comfortable lead atop the league table. But they will hope Kevin De Bruyne makes a quick recovery and returns to action to fuel their title charge.
#3 Thomas Muller (Bayern Munich) - 11 assists
Thomas Muller has perfectly complemented Robert Lewandowski's goal-scoring abilities, thanks to his exemplary chance-creating prowess.
Last season, Muller registered an impressive 26 assists across all competitions for Bayern Munich. The 31-year-old has seemingly brought much of the same this season as well.
In the ongoing Bundesliga campaign, Muller has made 20 appearances, scoring ten goals and assisting 11 more, as Bayern Munich look to continue their near decade-long dominance in the competition.
#2 Harry Kane (Tottenham Hotspur) - 11 assists
It's rather remarkable that Harry Kane has already been involved in more goals for Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League this season than he did all of last season.
Last campaign, Harry Kane scored 18 goals but registered a mere two league assists. But this season, he has added another dimension to his game.
Apart from his lethal goal-scoring prowess, which hasn't diminished, Kane has evolved into an effective chance-creator for his team, helping Tottenham Hotspur reap massive dividends.
In 20 Premier League appearances this season, the 27-year-old has scored 13 goals and assisted 11. Astonishingly, Kane has been involved in 24 of 36 goals that Tottenham Hotspur have scored in the league this campaign.
#1 Jack Grealish (Aston Villa) - 12 assists
Widely considered to be one of the most creative players in Europe's top leagues at the moment, Jack Grealish seems to be going from strength to strength, making Aston Villa a force to be reckoned with, in the process.
The 25-year-old has been in sublime form this season, registering six goals and 12 assists in the Premier League. Thanks to his exploits, Aston Villa occupy a creditable ninth place in the league table after narrowly avoiding relegation last season.
While Grealish is touted to eventually leave the club and move to a bigger one, Aston Villa and their fans will hope to reap the most dividends of Grealish while he is still at the club.
