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It would be fair to say that the 2015/16 season has thrown up its share of surprises. Be it the fall of Premier League champions Chelsea or the sudden rise of Leicester City, fans have been left aghast and scratching their heads time and again at weekly results. Across the top leagues in Europe, a select few players have consistently made the headlines and grabbed eyeballs on their way to becoming the talk of the continent and the world. We look at five such players who are probably in the best form of their lives at the moment.
#1 Mesut Ozil - Arsenal
After a couple of less-than-satisfactory seasons with Arsenal since joining in 2013, Mesut Ozil took it up a few notches in the 2015/16 season. The first half of the season saw the German playmaker set the Premier League and Champions League alight with his performances.
The Premier League record for the most assists in a season was set by club legend Thierry Henry back in the 2002/03 season when he grabbed an incredible 20 assists. Ozil had already got 16 even before the turn of the new year. He is now just five short of setting a new record with 17 games to go! To put Ozil’s form in perspective, the next best in Europe is PSG’s Angel Di Maria with only 9 assists in the league.
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Cesc Fabregas couldn’t do it with Chelsea last season and neither could Frank Lampard in 2004/05. Both midfielders fell short (18 assists each). With the Gunners at the top of the table, there is a very good chance Ozil can break the record come May. Considering that he is their primary set-piece taker and a number of goals were scored from corners and free-kicks, it is only a matter of time.
Ozil deservedly took home the Germany Player of the Year award for 2015. Add the fact that he has also scored a few crucial goals (remember the one against Bayern Munich in the 2-0 win), Wenger will be delighted that the 27-year-old has also added goals to his repertoire. In all, Ozil has been involved in 21 goals this season.
#2 Gonzalo Higuain - Napoli
Gonzalo HIguain has always been a special player. While he may not have been the star player at Real Madrid with Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo hogging the limelight more often than the Argentine forward, there was no doubt about his ability.
With Gareth Bale coming in and Real Madrid needing the cash for his record-breaking transfer fee, Higuain was dangled in front of Arsenal and Napoli in the summer of 2013. Eventually, he made the Stadio San Paolo his new home and soon became the main star and received all the accolades that come with it. The first two seasons saw him score 24 goals and 29 goals respectively.
But this season, Serie A has seen the best of Higuain. He has already scored an astounding 20 goals in all competitions this season for Gli Azzurri of which 18 have come in the league! That puts him at the top of the goalscoring charts in Europe in the race for the Golden Shoe. The next best in Italy is Sampdoria’s Eder with 11.
Napoli are currently top of Serie A and in the last 12 seasons, the leaders at the winter break (campioni d'inverno) have gone on to win the Scudetto. If Maurizio Sarri’s men are to claim the league crown from Juventus this season, they will need Higuain in top form in the coming months.
#3 Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang - Borussia Dortmund
“It’s an honour to be his coach,” said Borussia Dortmund maanger Thomas Tuchel back in October 2015. “This is not a phase he’s going through. He’s bursting with confidence and ability. He gives a lot to the team and gets a lot back. I’m happy he’s playing such fantastic stuff and scoring so many goals.”
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s rise has been nothing short of sensational. Initially signed and deployed as a wide forward thanks to the presence of Robert Lewandowski, Aubameyang came into his own when he eventually moved to the centre. Where Lewandowski held up the ball against his opponents to bring his teammates into play, Aubameyang would switch on the afterburners to trouble the defence. After all, he is one of the fastest players in the game.
Last season, a forgetful one for Dortmund, he still finished with 16 goals and 6 assists in the league – enough to get a contract extension till 2020. This season, he has already surpassed that mark in half the time. When the Bundesliga came to a halt for the month-long winter break, Aubameyang finished with 18 goals – a mark yet to be beaten by other players in leagues that have already resumed (except Higuain).
His accomplishments have not gone unnoticed. He was voted the 2015 African Footballer of the Year and also linked with moves to Arsenal – a move he laughed off as nothing but a rumour as he looks to stay.
Aubameyang has forged a successful partnership with Marco Reus and Henrikh Mkhitaryan at the Westfalenstadion. While reeling in Bayern Munich may be out of the question considering their eight-point lead at the top, there is no harm in trying. But he has done his job in restoring Dortmund to the upper echelons of the Budnesliga – where they belong.
#4 Neymar - Barcelona
While one would say the Brazilian forward had his best season in 2014/15, it was more due to the collective prowess of the trio of MSN – Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar. The trio laid waste to every defence they came up against – especially the Champions League where they dispatched each country’s defending champions one after another in convincing fashion on their way to a treble.
Neymar scored 39 goals and made 11 assists in all competitions last season, including 10 goals in the Champions League. He also became the first player to score in both legs of the quarter-final (against PSG), both legs of the semi-final (against Bayern Munich) and the final (against Juventus) of a single Champions League season.
So is he on his way to topping that in this campaign? Yes, he is. But the answer is more to do with his impact than his stats this season.
In the absence of Messi, who was out injured for two whole months, Neymar stepped up alongside Suarez to see the Catalan club through a testing period where they did not lose a single game. The club look all set to top La Liga if they win their game in hand and Neymar’s contributions will not be easily forgotten.
Both Suarez and Neymar have scored 15 goals each in La Liga, but the Brazilian has made 7 assists. No other player has been involved in 22 goals in the league this season (apart from Aubameyang).
With Messi now back fit and firing, Barca will look to seal another treble. And for a change, their fortunes might depend on someone other than the five-time Ballon d’Or winner.
#5 Riyad Mahrez - Leicester City
Exactly two years ago, Leicester City spent approximately £400,000 to sign a little known Algerian winger from France’s second division. Two years on, they wouldn’t sell him even if a club offered them £40m in this transfer window. Riyad Mahrez’s turnaround in fortunes has been nothing short of miarculous under new boss Claudio Ranieri.
The Foxes were even top of the table before Arsenal usurped the top spot in December. Ranieri’s side are currently second – behind the Gunners only on goal difference. Having been set a target of 40 points at the start of the season (the average points needed to survive relegation), Leicester City have exceeded expectations and could be a Champions League team come May.
While Jamie Vardy has grabbed the headlines, especially with his record-breaking goalscoring streak back in November, it is Mahrez who has made them tick. The slippery midfielder has tamed Premier League defences with his mazy runs, deft passing and clever finishing. In all, he has been involved in 20 league goals this season – 13 goals and 7 assists. It led to a number of clubs approaching the Foxes for their star midfielder.
“No-one can buy Vardy or Mahrez in January,” said an adamnt Ranieri last month. Judging by their league position, they would be insane to even consider an offer from any club, especially from their Premier League rivals who have been circling the air.
