Player Focus: The Race to Become the Eredivisie's Assist King
When looking back on the illustrious playing career of Ruud Gullit you're reminded what a selfless footballer he was (on the pitch at least). His 22 assists throughout 1983-84 remains the record for the most in a single Eredivisie season, one wonders if it will ever be surpassed. In its own right being crowned "king of assists" is a prestigious, serious business in some quarters – the green jersey to the leading scorer's yellow – and with three games remaining, before settling down for a four week break, the race for this season's title is starting to take shape.
The current leader is somewhat of a surprise based on last year's performance, and is someone Gullit can relate to. "He's one of those players that gives me hope that the future of Dutch football isn't so dark," Bert van Marwijk (ex-Netherlands manager) recently told Voetbal International regarding 21-year-old Davy Klaassen. It’s an opinion many others share and, after truly announcing himself last season, Klaassen continues to blossom, demonstrating strong leadership and technical brilliance.
A good playmaker either dictates or creates. A great playmaker does both and despite enjoying a pivotal role in Ajax's historic four-peat campaign Klaassen felt it could have been better. His return of three assists in 26 matches (1 key pass per game) in his eyes wasn't good enough. It’s fair to say, after the first 13 of this season, he's made amends: creator of seven goals (averaging 2.1 key passes per game). Having confidence and trust from his manager – no longer in anyone's shadow (filling the void left by Siem de Jong) – has made a world of difference. His continuous demanding of the ball (42.1 passes per game) in addition to being more decisive in the last phase of attack has only ensured a bright future.
It will be a tall order for Klaassen, who's operating in the role Gullit made his own, to better the return of a player that came oh-so-close to the record three years ago. Luciano Narsingh – who managed 20 assists whilst donning Heerenveen’s colours in 2011-12 – seems to be back in the groove again after a long absence.
A serious knee injury at the backend of 2012 curtailed what was a promising start to life in Eindhoven, with six goals and five assist in his first 18 games, and he even featured in Louis van Gaal's opening four games at the helm of the Oranje. He may never be the same again but is showing glimpses of why PSV outlaid €4.1m for his services, registering five assists in 12 games (from 1.9 key passes per game). His directness, and slightly old-school nature, compliments the guile of Memphis Depay (on the other side), who prefers to cut inside and weave his magic.
Narsingh unsurprisingly is PSV's leading creator but in the grand scheme of things he's trailing Tommy Oar (six in 10 games), with the Australian international another that loves to get chalk on his boot and deliver cross after cross (3.5 per game). Similarly to Klaassen, he’s heavily involved in FC Utrecht's play in the final third, producing 0.4 through balls per game, which only PSV's left-back Jetro Willems (0.5) can better.
Oar’s average of 3.7 key passes per game, meanwhile, is the best in the league by a distance, which is remarkable as Oar is only averaging 18.1 passes per game. Once dubbed as 'the new Harry Kewell', a moniker he was uncomfortable with, Oar equalled his best assist return before even reaching December, and has been one of the brighter sparks in what has been a topsy-turvy few months for Rob Alflen's side.
It's the same at Ajax, who are also enjoying the exploits of a mercurial winger. To say Anwar El Ghazi, one of Dutch football's rising stars, is on the brink of a breakout season is an understatement. El Ghazi fits the profile of a contemporary-cum-classical winger, his greatest strength – noted on his WhoScored.com profile – is dribbling (1.9 per game), which comfortably places him in the league's top 10, with FC Twente wide-man Jesús Manuel Corona (3.4 per game) ranking first.
Like Memphis, both former students at Sparta Rotterdam's academy, he is an individual with complete and utter confidence in himself but not at the expense of wanting to learn and bettering what he already possesses. Modelling his playing style on Cristiano Ronaldo isn't fanciful when considering Real Madrid's 'number seven' and world footballer of the year continues to rewrite the rulebook when it comes to modern wing play. It's not a case of imitation being the sincerest form of flattery but rather adopting him as a reference. In that regard there's no one better.
As mentioned previously, gone are the days of the winger's sole purpose being to hug the touchline, with wide-men today needing to be versatile, often required to act as inside forwards. El Ghazi's skill and speed, used to outwit opposition defenders, is the cornerstone behind his initial success, by frequently getting into one-on-one situations he's able to create goalscoring opportunities. Not just a provider (1.2 key passes each game), however, he’s also a receiver, with five goals across nine starts too.
Of course Dušan Tadić's successor – with the forward collecting his second title in four seasons prior to joining Southampton – might not come from the quartet profiled. Following closely are a group on four, which includes Hakim Ziyech, who nearly reached double figures in 2013-14 (9), and since joining Twente in the summer he's taken over the playmaking duties Tadić performed so brilliantly. Only time will tell if this season's recipient will come anywhere near to matching (or superseding) Gullit's total.
Who do you think will be this season's assist king in the Eredivisie? Let us know in the comments below
