The 57 Bundesliga Players of the First Half You Need To Know
The Bundesliga’s break is not great for fans who now have to fill our lives with thoughts of death, God and meaning instead of watching Mainz-Koln, but…for the analyst it is a great time to sit back and grind through numbers to produce top tier content for he consuming hordes that rummage through this website like buffalo daily. Today we have the 57 Bundesliga Players of the First Half You Need to Know. It’s broadly the 57 best as best as I can pick them, but that’s a fraught phrase in soccer as it’s just such a hard sport to evaluate. But that’s what we are doing here, trying to evaluate the sport better than everywhere else. It’s actually incredible how much awful content there is about soccer…probably more and a higher percentage than any other sport out there. Anyway, very important to read the glossary here to understand the different metrics. A few new-ish or twists on them here…an example:
The number is the percentile among all players, the bar is compared to players just who play in similar areas of the pitch. So Julian Ryerson is just above league average overall at receiving and deep receptions, both of which are above average for players who play where he does. He is quite below his peers in progression, around where his peers are at deep completions, progression efficiency, shooting and buildup contributions. He is just 23rd percentile at defending progression and buildup through is area and makes a good amount less defensive actions that average player in his area.
Other images you will see are pass clusters for pass attempts or receptions. This is just a clustering exercise to show common pass types based on beginning and ending and then seeing which of those a player plays more than 1 standard deviation more often than the rest of the league. So, example
Ryerson tends to play more conservatively as you can see from his overrepresented pass clusters (his expected pass completion% is 82%, quite high for a fullback).
We can then see how Ryerseon oten gets the ball, through his overrepresented receptino clusters. It paints a picture of a guy quite isolated out wide ride, receiving long balls from the center and often returning the balls there.
Anyway, those are the basics. Let’s get into it, countring down from 56 (with a double count at 15) to the best player in the Bundesliga.
The team breakdown
Bayern-12
Stuttgart, Leverkusen-9
Leipzig-6
Dortmund-5
Freiburg, Mainz-3
Frankfurt, Heidenheim, Wolfsburg-2
Bremen, Gladbach, Hoffenheim, Augsburg-1
Köln, Darmstadt, Bochum, Union-0
Position Breakdown
CB-11
Wide Defenders-9
Central Midfielders-9
Strikers-10
Other Attackers-18
Alejandro Grimaldo, LWB, Leverkusen. Wildly overrated acorss the board due to his massive collection of wonder goals in the first half of the year (9 goals off 3.2 xG), he is a great example of the power of the video clip. He’s been a competent guy down the left wing, not much involved progression wise but able to make the left side pretty stable defensively even with all of the Wirtz work in front of him.
55. Michael Gregoritsch, FW, Freiburg
Somehow his style of play is maybe too unfashionable, even for Christian Streich and Freiburg as he has just 6 starts this season but a truly dominant aerial presence that has delivered inside the box (7th in deep reception rate) and production (.55 xG for a league average side).
Moritz Jenz, CB, Wolfsburg
His partner Lacroix gets probably more transfer hype but I like Jenz more. He is better in the air, his side has been tougher for opponents to break into, he is more a touch more efficient on the ball and a touch more defensively active. He has been at 5 different clubs the last 5 years but seems to have found a home in the starting lineup down the stretch at the end of 2023.
Aurelio Buta, WB, Frankfurt
Frankfurt’s team leader in deep completions per 90 has a full complement of offensive tools, but the downside is he’s on a team where another defender is named Tuta so it’s almost impossible to keep them apart in the mind of a stat-peruser.
Franck Honorat, W, Gladbach
An old school paint on boots winger who loves a forward pass and a cross, he’s not going to shoot or defend much (Gladbach’s right side is truly repellent defensively) and isn’t obsessed with efficiency but he is getting balls into the box a lot and quite good at getting the ball up the pitch. 73.5% expected completion percentage shows his pass selection is basically what possible attempt could get us closer to a shot and I will try it. 4.5% lower than anyone else on Gladbach and among outfield players with 100+ passes it is 9th in the league.
Leon Goretzka, CM, Bayern
Midfielders who get into the box with the regularity he does somehow, especially those who are solid in possession, tend to get underrated over and over. Gundogan has been one of the best players in the world for several years but was treated like a rotation option for a while, Goretzka reliably gets you a goal every 4 games and a G + A roughly every 180 minutes. That’s gold, Jerry, gold.
Thomas Müller, attacker, Bayern
Maybe the single most likable soccer player ever, Müller remains as good as ever on the pitch (1 npXG + xA over 7.6 90s) and off it.
Roland Sallai, attacker, Freiburg
Talented end of spear type attacker who makes action happen when on the ball but can get a bit lost in the progression game. His return to health alongside another emerging player higher up this list will make Freiburg’s European fight much more entertaining in the second half of the season.
Amine Adli, attacker, Leverkusen
Doesn’t have the output, receiving, or action creation yet of a Hoffman or Wirtz but is nearly Wirtz-esque in his ability to outperform his expected passing numbers from the types of passes he plays. Even trusted to start above Hoffman late in the year. Absolutely non-existent against the ball.
Mats Hummels, CB, Dortmund
Still passing well and contributing a good bet on set pieces, Hummels can still win an aerial duel. But Dortmund’s defensive work overall is so poor (6th most deep completions allowed, more xG allowed than Freiburg and Augsburg) putting a center back any higher in this would violate the sacred principles of the Saturdays Bundesliga 50.
Tim Kleindienst, FW, Heidenheim
A great story so far, Heidenheim are mid-table but do have relegation-level metrics in the highest and smallest stadium in the Bundesliga. Kleindienst has brawled and battled his way to above .4 npxG on a team that doesn’t play well with the ball at all.
Omar Traore, FB, Heidenheim
The average Heidenheim player is in the 20th percentile in creating threat with their passes, which makes Traore’s near league average danger passing really standout. He plays deep and passes extremely aggressively, inefficiently yes, but successfully enough and is extremely active against the ball. The 25 year old had never even played in the 2nd Bundesliga before this season.
Andrej Kramaric, attacker, Hoffenheim
The old war horse still has it despite slipping a bit as he moves toward his mid-30s. A beautiful linker of play and creator of threat, he leads the Hoffenheim mid-table squad in xg + xa despite the hype of Max Beier and the addition of Wout Weghorst. He is top 30 league-wide on buildups per 90 on a team where only 1 other player is inside the top 100 (Finn Ole Becker).
Donyell Malen, W, Dortmund
A lot of hype, a lot of controversy and questionable motivations have dogged both Adeyemi and Malen, two of the supposed new attackers here to save Dortmund after Haaland and after Jude. It hasn’t quite worked out that way, Malen has been frustrating to watch a times but his immense talent is still there despite a slight drop in the xG production (.71 down to .6). He’s a winger but plays extremely advanced and offers very little against the ball, but is still an offensive threat.
Joshua Kimmich, CM, Bayern
Kimmich’s passing levels have slipped over the years, with Bayern playing a more transition focused attack and with the attackers taking on such a huge creation role (Musiala, Sane) he no longer occupies such a key role in the Bayern universe. Kimmich’s passing efficiencies have plummeted but his volume of progression and receiving are still solid and his contribution to shot buildup play is still really strong.
Alphonso Davies, FB, Bayern
I’ve seen him play for Canada enough and seen enough of his amazing highlights that in my mind he is an extremely direct and aggressive player, but the data doesn’t really back that up.
His 83% expected pass completion rate is much higher than other fullbacks like Joakim Maehle (80%), Benjamin Henrichs (76%), David Raum (78%), Jeremie Frimpong (71%), Noah Weisshaupt (77%). His is more in line with a Julian Ryerson or Grimaldo. Not necessarily a bad thing, was just surprising even to a fellow North American. He hasn’t been too efficient either, the Real Madrid talk about him is always there but I am not sure he’s truly a difference making player on the highest level.
Phillip Tietz, FW, Augsburg
I suspect the gap between bottom half of Bundesliga and 2 Bundesliga is almost exponentially smaller than the gap between the Premier League and Championship. The undifferentiated mass can sometimes be a hard watch. Demirovic was personally one of my favorites for a while until I looked at the passing numbers, where Tietz dominates his Bosnian counterpart. As always, I don’t really know what I am seeing until I double check the numbers. Never trust people who watch a game, watch compilations or watch clips and report back with grades/evaluations. The game is way too complex to judge.
Brajan Gruda, attacker, Mainz
The 19 year old leaps off the page with how he passes the ball and creates threat (18th in buildups per 90. 7th in deep completions) on a team that has struggled badly to score goals. He’s not a goal or in-box threat for receiving yet, but can get you further up the pitch and into the box to someone else.
Edimilson Fernandes, CB, Mainz
Sepp van den Berg, CB, Mainz
The Liverpool loanee, 22 year old van den Berg, has been the most dominant aerial defender in the league (77/111 wins). He has made several high-visibility blunders (which generally leads a player to get underrated) and doesn’t pass that well yet but has been a key cog for the solid Mainz defense. Fernandes has been his partner and plays the ball distribution role very well.
Mainz have allowed the 2nd worst progression efficiency in the league, the 2nd least dead ball production and the 3rd lowest Danger Zone% against. The defense here is pretty magnificent, 5th lowest xG against.
Jonas Wind, FW, Wolfsburg
Multi-talented forward: he can get his team up the pitch and be a top-level goal threat. On a mediocre Wolfsburg team without many attacking threats he is running hot to .83 G+A per 90. His most important role is probably as a receiver (aerially strong) only 3 Wolfsburg players are in the top 75 in receiving. He is better at open play receiving, any team making a move for him must be aware he isn’t an elite space finder in the box. If he does find space, he is pretty good at turning that into shots but the middling end product (.34 npxG) means he doesn’t seem a candidate for a transfer to a team with a functioning progression game that just needs goal threat from it’s forward.
Hugo Larsson, CM, Eintracht Frankfurt
Amadou Haidara, CM, Leipzig
33. Xaver Schlager, CM, Leipzig
Haidara a more attacking player while Schlager provides the receiving outlet but it looks like Leipzig have kind of found a duo in the midfield. Both are efficient with the ball, progress it well, buildup, and defend well. After a slow start with the ball this year, Leipzig have more potential in the second half to build a solid base.
The center of the field for the Leipzig defense has been sharp, opponents can’t keep possession, build transitions, or gain yardage.
One noticeable difference in Haidara and Schalger’s play styles vs the other midfield options in Kampl and Seiwald is they tend to attempt more aggressive passes. 84.5% expected completion percentage for Haidara (Schlager just a bit higher) vs Seiwald’s CB-esque 89% and Kampl’s 88%. For a team with fullbacks who love to bang risky passes at generally mediocre success rates you probably don’t want overly conservative central midfielders, that feels like a recipe for short possessions.
Dan-Axel Zagadou, CB, Stuttgart
31. Waldemar Anton, CB, Stuttgart
Defense-first center backs on a team full of great ball-playing has given Stuttgart a solid spine. Opponents really struggle to progress and create in and around the Stuttgart box.
Niclas Füllkrug, FW, Dortmund
Füllkrug has shown more of a deft touch than many expected, receiving short passes and laying off teammates a lot more (twice the xGA than his average at Bremen). He has been a good receiver in a solid Dortmund system, no game-breaker but just a good, solid, professional forward.
Matthijs de Ligt, CB, Bayern
Unreal abilities to generate attacks from center back. de Ligt is 16th in the league in buildup contributions per 90, the next highest CB is 56th in Tapsoba from Leverkusen. To see him and Kim Min-Jae together could be one of the great center back combos ever. But de Ligt has started just 3 games due to a combo of Tuchel weirdness and injuries so he can’t go way up the list like he should be. No worries about his defensive activity or aerial prowess either, this is one of the world’s best center backs basically sitting on the bench for a half year.
Hiroki Ito, FB, Stuttgart
27. Maximilian Mittelstädt, FB, Stuttgart
Ito and Mittelstädt have been both fantastic down the left (Führich is certainly the straw that stirs the drink here, both left backs benefit from being in his orbit). Ito plays more conservatively with the ball as you can see from their common pass attempt clusters, but is much more efficient. Mittelstädt brings more defensive steel and a bit more forward running without the ball.
26. Jonas Hoffman, attacker, Leverkusen
Julian Brandt, attacker, Dortmund
Brandt adds crucial receiving (16th in the league, only Füllkrug joins him as Dortmund players inside the top 40) and attacking urgency (6th in league in buildups per 90, Reyna is 5th and no other Dortmund player inside the top 35). He doesn’t defend much and isn’t an enormous goal scoring threat which keeps him from truly elite territory. He has often cut a sort of one-man attack figure for Dortmund this year, particularly early in the seaosn. The man needs help and that help is coming up in the Young Guns section.
The Young Guns
Seven young prospects (23 and under) who have emerged onto my consciousness this fall and stand out in enormous ways in the data.
Noah Weisshaupt, WB/attacker, Freiburg
An elite carrier who has injected a ton of life into an unathletic Freiburg attack, providing verge and urgency every time he touches the ball. Weisshaupt has sort of emerged as the best player on the Freiburg attack with Grifo’s long run of brilliance showing significant signs of slowdown. The average Freiburg player is roughly at the 40th percentile in possession retention and danger creation through their passes, Weisshaupt leads the team in both categories (70th in possession retention and 80th in danger creation).
A progression machine from out wide, basically controlling a wing and one of the most fun to watch players in the league I probably have pushed him a bit too high but want to stake my claim here. Just turned 22 from the admirable Freiburg academy (a Russian novel approach to a TikTok style of professional soccer life), put Weisshaupt on your radar.
Justin Njinmah, attacker, Werder Bremen
Njinmah has elite 1 xg + xa in 361 minutes this year (12 sub apps, 2 starts) for a team where no other player has even half of that production. Coupling that with these wildly impressive open play passing/efficiency/buildup metrics and the 23 year old ex-Dortmund guy looks like a big time prospect to watch. Extremely aggressive passer, lowest expected completion % of any player in the league with 50+ passes, but they are coming off a lot.
Gio Reyna, attacker, Dortmund
Truly outrageous numbers from Reyna so far this year in many ways. First off, the fact he has played 235 minutes is a pretty big worry. Dortmund, in the midst of a mess of a season, haven’t seen fit to play him at all. They don’t trust him for some reason.
But, then look at these numbers.
Elite of the elite in buildup, deep completions, progression efficiency, and progression for attacking players. Very good receiver, shooting above average, defensive actions above average, just absolutely zero in this statistical profile outside of the minutes to suggest he is anything but a world beating attacker who can dominate games at a high level.
This type of player always sucks me in, sometimes I have seemed to miss a bit: Hudson-Odoi the biggest example, Chukweuze hasn’t exploded like I thought. But often they really have gone off: Vinicius Junior, Neto/Jota, and Kulusevski were picked out relatively early from pstatistical profiles like this.
Aleksandar Pavlovic, CM, Bayern
Surging into the Bayern lineup for the final 2 games of the first half, the 19 year old paired elite progression and efficiency numbers with a nose for a defensive action. He is just barely over the 300 minute mark, but like with Reyna and Njinmah he has put up such elite numbers that he can leap toward the top of young players to watch going forward. Pavlovic’s possession retention and progression numbers topped Kimmich, Laimer, Goretzka and Guerreiro by a serious margin. Has played quite conservatively with the ball, but it’s worked really well.
Jamie Leweling, W, Stuttgart
He’s been moved around the pitch a bit and hasn’t always started but he’s been a fantastic secondary piece for this Stuttgart attack, taking a huge leap from his forgettable seasons at Fürth and Union the past two years. At 22 he seems to be coming into his own, and his role with two strikers taking care of the shooting fits him very well as that’s his weakness.
The best attacking passers according to one of my numbers so far in terms of creating threat are #3 Coman, #2 Musiala and #1 Jamie Leweling…I don’t know if I buy it totally but it’s quite interesting. Tons of progression, his touches lead to buildup, he is above average in efficiency, and dribbles and passes into the box at an absurd rate. He’s not just playing easy passes, his pass difficulty is 6th toughest in the league.
Mohamed Simakan, CB, Leipzig
Castello Lukeba, CB, Leipzig
Leipzig have allowed the 2nd fewest deep completions and 2nd fewest Fields Gained in the league. Their defensive box is one of the strongest in the league and Simakan and Lukeba couple that with excellent and safe ball distribution. Simakan not an attack-starting passer so the entire package isn’t there yet but what is is quite good.
All greens for Simakan! A bit behind Lukeba in progression totals and efficiency but maybe a more all-around defender (has been used out wide as well, suggesting flexibility).
Xavi Simons, W, Leipzig
The 20 year old isn’t a huge goal scoring threat yet and is not a defensive presence at all but for receiving forward progression, carrying and moving the ball into the box while creating at an efficient clip he’s a very electric player, pleasing to the eye.
Always be extra suspicious of eye pleasing players who have 4-5 nice goals/assist in a short span. Those ar the guys who can get overrated for a long time. Soccer is a game where it’s easy to deceive observers and the grunt work of defending and progression and work to build play up is almost impossible to follow or see in a highlight video…why it’s so important to analyze each game as much as you can. Each attack is roughly equally as important and each attack that reaches a certain point could become a goal with a proper carry, pass or break, why the most frustrating analyses I see always just look at goals as if they were special parts of the game. Goals often have just so much luck in them.
Noussair Mazraoui, FB, Bayern
When I think Rolls Royce fullback, I think a player like Mazraoui. Will keep things tidy defensively but maybe has a hint of being bullied in a big game but offensively you have just zero worries about. Classy in every way.
Angelo Stiller, CM, Stuttgart
Stiller is the beating heart of the Stuttgart attack, staying deep and receiving and progressing the ball very solidly, but not obscenely but he does it incredibly efficiently (92nd percentile). A key piece to this impressive Stuttgart CL-level team. He and Xhaka and Palacios have many similarities, they all play pretty conservatively but yet still get involved in shot buildups at an above average rate.
Deniz Undav, FW, Stuttgart
Coming off the bench for a Stuttgart team whose fans expected a tumble down the table when Guirassy went down, Undav delivered at an incredible level (1.1 xg + xa) and won a starting spot along with Guirassy when the Guinean returned. He is coming off a .65 npXG (.72 npG) season for Brighton last year, which was higher than all qualified players outside of Haaland and Callum Wilson. Higher than Salah, Kane, Nunez, Rashford, Jesus, etc. Fantastic, hard-working player who Stuttgart apparently just had to pay 700k for this season and can buy for a low double digit figure.
Jonathan Tah, CB, Leverkusen
The steel in a Leverkusen defense that doesn’t use a lot of steel. They have a below average defensive action rate and opponents are close to average in their long possession rate. Fellow CBs Kossounou and Tapsoba can be a bit shaky aerially (57% and 55% the last couple years), Tah has won 84% of his this year and is near 70% in his career. Near the top of the league in progression efficiency unsurprisingly. What I love most about this Leverkusen squad is the veterans. They got Xhaka, Grimaldo, Hoffman in the market and Tah is closing in on 28. 5 of their top 7 players by minutes are “veterans” which goes against what Dortmund, Leipzig, etc tend to do which is see the Bundesliga as a place to qualify for CL and then sell on young guys. Leverkusen are competing and trying to win the league.
Exequiel Palacios, CM, Leverkusen
12. Granit Xhaka, CM, Leverkusen
The two major ball-handlers on the team with the most Fields Gained in the league but also the two midfielders who have to cover a ton of ground defensively with 2 wide attacking players in Grimaldo and Frimpong who are attack first and three creative attackers in front of them as well. Leverkusen’s defense I believe is what will sink their title challenge and could be exposed a bit in Europa League late on (as it was vs Stuttgart) but these two have done a great job holding off transitions this year (fewest transition opportunities in the league). That allows the entire team to control the ball in opponent half without too much danger to their own box.
Kingsley Coman, W, Bayern
Jamal Musiala, AM, Bayern
Two crucial cogs in the Bayern final third machine that is so devastating. they don’t bring the shot danger that Kane, Sane, and Müller do but the connective work and creative work they do is world-class and means it is generally a 4-headed attacking monster that is incredibly hard to stop. Both are above 90th percentile passing the ball, the top 2 attackers with reasonable volume in the league. Coman a more aggressive passer, Musiala pretty safe and controlled (often shuttling the ball to Leroy Sane, who will come later on this list) but both very good at what they do.
Jeremie Frimpong, WB/attacker, Leverkusen
Frimpong nominally plays wing-back but gets so far forward it’s basically a winger. His offensive touches are closer to goal than: Jonas Hoffman, Chris Führich, Jamal Musiala, Xavi Simons, and Lucas Höler. He not only has the 9th most deep completions per 90 but is 13th in deep receptions received, just preposterous danger around the box providing the width to let Hoffman cut inside and Xhaka/Palacios not have to box crash constantly, which has allowed Leverkusen’s broadly uninspiring defense limit opponents to 2nd fewest transition opportunities in the league.
Let’s look back at my scouting report of the player when he was at Celtic in 2020. He was 19 and I called him an “offensive weapon like a Kolarov, Mukiele or Robertson” and that he “should have Premier League level teams salivating and readying bids for the 19-year old, who has years of development left to do and is already at a level that provides something rare and valuable.” Now he’s a key weapon on one of the 8 best teams in Europe…you should read Saturdays Substack, PL teams. He went to Leverkusen for a measly 11 million in January 2021.
Kim Min-jae, CB, Bayern
Aerially dominant CB with great passing skills on a team that has allowed the worst shot quality, fewest shots per deep completion, and least dead ball production against in the league.
Chris Führich, W, Stuttgart
A monster season for the guy who has long been a progression machine, he previously was around .4 xg + xA and has jumped to .63 this year. The question was always whether it was Führich or Borna Sosa driving the quality of the left side. Now, with no Sosa and both Ito and Mittelstädt flourishing behind Führich, we can tilt the credit massively toward the German national team member. The previously mentioned Leweling has crazy good passing stats but Führich is not far behind him. The system with the two shot monsters up top, those two on the sides, Stiller in the middle is absolutely an elite attack.
Führich does almost everything extremely well, always he’s been this progressive force but has added all the buildup + final ball stuff this year. Very different play style from Leweling on the right, Leweling expected pass completion % is 72.6%, Führich is 78.6%, a much safer passing style in general.
Victor Boniface, FW, Leverkusen
An extremely strong aerial forward (50% aerial wins) who has been able to get preposterously far forward (average touch is 35 yards from goal, only Openda is under 38 yards along with Boniface).
The top receiver of deep passes in the league (400+ minutes), 4th in overall receiving and running at nearly 1.1 npXG + xA per 90 the statistical profile is unmatched. This is a guy who is coming off a .32/.17 xG/xA season in Belgium, his production has doubled. The statistical hints were in the prodigious shot numbers he put up (4.6 per 90 over 22 90s in Norway mainly) and not the shot quality. The system is perfect for a shot-hungry striker who likes to stay forward and that’s worked out beautifully for Leverkusen and Boniface. Now with Patrik Schick back we will see how the system works with a different striker during AFCON.
Lois Openda, FW, Leipzig
Another extremely advanced player, it’s maybe interesting to compare him with Boniface. Both first year players but Openda came with a much better pedigree (.77 and .7 xG + xA at Lens and and Vitesse last two years) but is a bit short of Boniface in just raw production (.85 vs 1.05 this year).
But Leverkusen have the most deep completions in the league while Leipzig are a good bit back, Leverkusen have almost 40% more deep completions on the year and neither are really involved in the progression game. Openda’s numbers on top of such a less potent buildup behind him probably wind up looking more impressive overall. That, combined with the track record, slides him slightly ahead of Boniface for me. Unless you desperately need aerials from your forward, which would put Boniface back on top. Can’t really go wrong with either but that’s my piece and I have said it.
Harry Kane, FW, Bayern
Kane has great numbers but actually quite interestingly has not been a huge receiving hub at Bayern. Partially that is down to Coman and Sane being enormous progression inhalers. That is probably good overall for Bayern and has led for Kane to focus on the box to an extrent he hasn’t in a long time: .87 npxg is double what it was at Spurs these last two years. There is one player with more than that in the top 5 leagues…37 year old Cristhian Stuani at Girona.
The interplay between Coman, Musiala, Sane and Kane is devastating and has allowed Bayern’s sort of unexepected more defensive strategy and lack of intense pressing to really work out well.
Sehrou Guirassy, FW, Stuttgart
While Deniz Undav has done brilliantly replacing Guirassy when injured and basically forcing his way into a 2 striker system, Guirassy’s entire game play is more than his elite .79 npxG. He’s always been a productive striker (.57 career npxG across Stuttgart, Amines, Rennes and Köln) but has seen his xA leap to .3 this year as his most elite skill has probably been completing passes to others in the danger zone.
His flexibility is probably the biggest key to the 2-striker system working. He can drop deep, Kane-esque and get involved in buildup midfield, which works way better with another forward in front.
Stuttgart have the 2nd most xG in the Bundesliga, and quite a gap over Leverkusen in 3rd. They actually have the 2nd most xG/game of any team in the top 5 leagues. 2nd most xG/shot as well, just behind Bayern.
Florian Wirtz, AM, Leverkusen
#1 in Fields Gained receiving in the Bundesliga. #1 in buildup contributions per 90 in the Bundesliga. #1 in deep completions in the Bundesliga. #6 in deep receptions in the Bundesliga. #15 in Fields Gained progression in the Bundesliga, the highest ranked of any attacking player by a good bit (next: Coman #23, Reyna #48, Sane #51).
And even the Leverkusen left side is the strongest defensively for the team.
The .57 npxg + xa is fine but it’s the consistent game-changing ability to find space and create threat anywhere in the final third that puts Wirtz right up at the top. I think he passes Nkunku for most impressive soccer player I’ve ever seen in person, joining my overall most impressive list with LeBron James, college-era Darren McFadden and 18 year old Mike Trout.
Leroy Sane, W, Bayern
Sane has a similar profile to Wirtz in many ways
-Wirtz was first in receiving, Sane is 3rd. Wirtz first in buildups, Sane 3rd, Wirtz 1st in deep completions and Sane 2nd. The progression gap is a bit stronger in favor or Wirtz but Sane’s kicker is the goal production, his xg + xa is absurdly well over 1, behind just Kane among 600+ minute players in the big 5 leagues. There is nothing attacking that Sane hasn’t done in the opening half of the season.
Hope you enjoyed it and please let me know where you’d quibble.