Bundesliga trio threaten to break Premier League duopoly in European player form rankings

With the 2018/19 campaigns close to completion, it’s commonplace that players lack the same motivation they had earlier in the season. Performances decline as most teams have nothing left to play for, but that also opens up an opportunity for others, who may not be regulars, to flourish and leave an impression on their club, or perhaps another club, for the new season.

It would certainly seem that way based on our top-20 player form rankings from Europe’s top five leagues. Of the top-20 WhoScored rated players over the course of the campaign, only eight feature in our form rankings. It’s unsurprising that those who make the XI all play for clubs that are still battling for places or silverware in the last few matches of the season.

Many will be surprised by Lionel Messi’s omission from the list but the Argentina international does not qualify. Messi skipped Barcelona’s 2-0 defeat to Celta Vigo at the weekend and has not started at least six of their last eight in the league, as they look to keep their star man fresh for their Champions League commitments.

With Messi out of the picture, Eden Hazard is a worthy recipient of top spot, extending his lead from last week’s addition. The Belgium international, who will more than likely face off against Messi next season, with a move to Real Madrid mooted, registered two more assists at the weekend to help Chelsea secure fourth place and Champions League football next season. Hazard has played a direct hand in seven goals in his last six league appearances for Chelsea (four goals, three assists).

Mohamed Salah moves up one place into second after notching his 22nd league goal of the campaign. The Egypt international is two clear of the chasing pack in the Premier League and will be desperate to recover from injury in time to turn out in Liverpool’s last league game, at home to Wolves next weekend.

The closest challenger to the aforementioned Premier League duo is Bayer Leverkusen’s Kevin Volland, who has jumped 30 places and into third off the back of a 6-1 win over Frankfurt on Sunday. Volland set up one of the goals and has now played a direct hand in five goals in his last six league games. Furthermore, Volland’s WhoScored rating has been above an 8.00 in each of Leverkusen’s last three games.

Volland is one of nine Bundesliga representatives in the top-20, and one of three in the top five, with the likes of Joshua Kimmich, Thiago Alcantara, Julian Brandt and Timo Werner also making the cut. Mainz creator Jean-Paul Boetius is an eye-catching name in the list, due to the fact he ranks 541 in the overall rankings across Europe’s top five leagues. Boetius is enjoying a fine end to the season, with five assists and one goal in his last six league appearances, including a perfect WhoScored 10 rating against Freiburg.

Boetius isn’t the only unknown quantity in the top-20, with Nantes striker Kalifa Coulibaly remarkably placing eighth in the list. The 27-year-old’s overall rank is 793 in Europe’s top five leagues but he has scored or assisted in five of his last six league appearances, returning five goals and one assist.

With Messi unable to qualify for the rankings, the most in-form player from La Liga is incredibly from a side battling relegation. Levante have hit form at the perfect moment and are now three points clear of the bottom three, with midfielder Jose Campana playing a major part in that. His goals and assists alone in his last six appearances have been worth an extra three points to Levante, which is currently the difference between survival and relegation.

Campana has broken into the top-20 as a result of his fine recent showings and Napoli striker Dries Mertens and Bournemouth star Ryan Fraser round off the list. Mertens has scored or assisted in five straight league matches, while Fraser has played a direct hand in five goals in his last four outings.

Qualifying Rules

Only ratings from each player’s last six league matches are considered, weighted chronologically, with the most recent match carrying greater importance and so on. To qualify each player must have featured in their side’s last league match and started at least six of the last eight available.