The Top Flight
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Champions League: The Top 10 Finishers By The Numbers

By Keith Lisenbee

WOLVERHAMPTON, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 15: Harry Kane of Tottenham in action during the Premier League match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Tottenham Hotspur at Molineux on December 15, 2019 in Wolverhampton, United Kingdom. (Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)
WOLVERHAMPTON, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 15: Harry Kane of Tottenham in action during the Premier League match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Tottenham Hotspur at Molineux on December 15, 2019 in Wolverhampton, United Kingdom. (Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images) /
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10. Marcel Sabitzer, RB Leipzig

The 25-year-old Austrian forward has eight goals and five assists in the Bundesliga. He is on his way to having his best overall season for Leipzig. Sabitzer also has added two goals and two assists in Champions League play so far. His goal conversion rate is -2.13 in open play.

His non-penalty expected goals plus assists per 90 minutes (npxG+xA) is a modest 0.47 (for a forward) while his total expected goals of every possession he is involved in per 90 minutes (xGBuildUp90) is a strong 0.70.

This suggests that (a) Sabitzer is not a strong playmaker at the back end of the offensive buildup, but a solid influence at the front end and (b), he is a strong finisher scoring goals and making key passes.

9. Timo Werner, RB Leipzig

Sabitzer’s front line teammate has 21 goals currently in league play, which puts him second in the Bundesliga. The 24-year-old German has also put the ball in the back of net four times in the Champions League, including the goal that put the Red Bull up in their Round of 16 leg versus Spurs.

His goal conversion rate is -2.15 with an npxG of 15.85. Werner’s npxG+xA/90 and xChain90 are 1.01 and 1.13, respectively. His npxG+xA/90 in the Champions League is a solid 0.73, per FBref.com.

He is a clinically proficient striker and playmaker for a club that will likely be advancing into the UCL quarter-finals. The big question coming up is whether he will be staying in Leipzig as he has been linked with multiple big league clubs in Germany and in England. His Transfermarkt value sits at an all-time high of $82.5 million.

8. Harry Kane, Tottenham

Honestly, I worry about Harry.

For the second season in a row, he has missed significant time due to injury. He has not played a competitive match since January 1, due to a thigh muscle rupture and there is no set return date.

Kane is getting the reputation of being injury-prone, which is unfair a label to give for someone who has played 416 matches for club and country in his professional career. He is only 26.

Before his injury, Kane punched in six goals in the Champions League. The loss of both him and Son from the line-up has been a nuclear waste plus tire dumpster fire rolling down a hill in San Francisco.

As a result, Jose Mourinho has turned from ‘Happy Jose’ back to ‘Conspiracy Theory Jose’. He is still a rock star, but now his songs now sound more like The Smiths’ greatest hits rather than Taylor Swift.

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