Champions League: The Top 10 Finishers By The Numbers

4. Kevin De Bruyne, Manchester City

There was some chatter that I received from folks commenting about my previous column (hint, hint) regarding City players statistics being inflated because of the system employed by Pep Guardiola.

It is a fact that Pep’s system of possession, passing, crosses, angles, triangles, and squares leading to many scoring chances presents a unique opportunity for his players to rack up offensive numbers. It’s a good opening statement.

Here’s my argument.

Guardiola’s tactics are so detailed, refined, intricate, intense, and precise that it takes extraordinary players with very specific skills to implement them. Just think Liam Neeson’s speech in Taken as a reference. Not every player has those skills. If they did, then every team would score as many goals as Manchester City.

My star witness is Kevin De Bruyne.

He has demonstrated the ability to do everything offensively on the pitch. He is incredibly dangerous as a playmaker. De Bruyne leads the Premier League in assists with 16. The City attacking midfielder also has nine goals in the league as well with an open play goal conversion rate of -3.76. He is lethal with the ball passing or shooting.

The Belgian star has a npxG+xA/90 of 0.82 along with an xGChain90 of 1.19, which is third in the Premier League in that category. He is absolutely key to the City attack. No one can replace him in that role with the same effect. The latest evidence of that was Sunday’s City performance without him in the Manchester derby.

I rest my case.