10 best footballers in the world by assists this season

#3 Eden Hazard (Chelsea)

Hazard - Chelsea's creator-in-chief - unsurprisingly makes this list

Chelsea's struggles under manager Maurizio Sarri have been temporary but following an encouraging start to life in England, they feel drawn out and an ominous sign for the Italian.

Eden Hazard's success in the final third is a major reason for that, as the Belgian started the campaign in fine form but has seen a dip in goal contribution statistics - albeit not for a want of trying.

The 28-year-old is the Blues' best player and their team is built around him, so much so that when they struggle or he's isolated, there are no reliable secondary options to pick up the creative workload.

With 12 goals and 10 assists created in 2,020 minutes this term, he's only been involved in five goals during the nine league matches since a match-winning display against Brighton on December 16. Only Liverpool's Mohamed Salah (13) and the aforementioned Fraser (17) have created more big chances than him in the league this season.