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With the conclusion of the year 2021, we also saw football leagues in Europe complete their first innings of the 2021-22 campaign. The January transfer window is now open. Various clubs around the continent will use their observations from the first half to strengthen their squads for the second.
Halfway through the season, many players around Europe have emerged as brilliant playmakers, having excelled at their trade. They have constantly pitched in when their gaffer has needed them or when their teammates have wanted that extra bit of magic on the pitch.
What could be more crucial in football than goals? Goals win you games and that is one department you cannot afford to lack in. However, we are all well aware that just the presence of a clinical finisher in front of the goal is not enough.
You need to feed them with quality deliveries throughout the game and create as many chances as you can for them. So far this season, we have seen many players who have shown a vision to really threaten the opposition goalie. Today we take a look at those who have done it over and over again.
Here are the five players with the highest number of big chances created in Europe this season.
#5 Mohamed Salah - 11 big chances created
At this point it seems almost impossible to stop Mohamed Salah from being ranked on a list that concerns the attacking aspect of football. The Liverpool forward has been in exceptional form this season in all competitions. He is the Premier League's top scorer with 16 goals, the second being his team-mate Diogo Jota with 10.
But so often we have been greeted with the sight of Salah running the show for Liverpool all by himself in the last six months. The Egypt international is also assisting his teammates at every opportunity as a playmaker from wider areas. That has seen him create 11 big chances in the Premier League this season.
Both Nicolo Barella from Inter Milan and Trent Alexander-Arnold from Liverpool have created the same, 11 big chances so far this season. However, Mo Salah is having a truly exceptional season. His record-making hat-trick at Old Trafford and 34 goal contributions in just 26 games are proof of that. He is also the top playmaker in the Premier League with nine assists so far.
The Egyptian has been so good in the final-third, wriggling in and out of narrow spaces between defenders that he hasn't shied away from shooting himself. If in those situations he could have been a bit more giving and helped the ball towards a teammate, this number could have gone higher.
But the form the Reds winger is in, you can't blame him. Liverpool will really miss him while he's away at AFCON to represent Egypt in January.
#4 Dimitri Payet - 12 big chances created
There is no denying that Dimitri Payet has spread his charm whenever he has taken to the field. At 34-years-old, the market values him at just €5m but that does not bother the Olympique Marseille captain who continues to rise to the occasion.
He has always been a controversial figure and the spectators haven't always adored him for his antics. However, Payet continues to derive his kick from that chaos.
Under Jorge Sampaoli, the attacking midfielder has been thriving in the free-flowing and offensive mindset system. Due to the same, he has been able to weave his magic and create 12 big chances in Ligue 1 so far this season.
He loves to take opposition defenders on in one vs one situations and plays pinpoint passes of varying range with utmost ease. But Payet is not just a facilitator at Marseille. He has been utilized in multiple roles, playing everywhere in the attacking front three and behind the striker.
Even with that versatality, the Frenchman has managed to score seven goals and provide an equal number of assists in the French top-flight.
#3 Kylian Mbappe - 12 big chances created
Paris Saint-Germain are not short of big names on their books this season. They added Lionel Messi, Georginio Wijnaldum, Gianluigi Donnarruma and Sergio Ramos to their squad last summer. Many thought this would put Kylian Mbappe off. Half the season has elapsed and the French sensation has yet again emerged supreme.
The 23-year-old has put in a string of decisive performances throughout the season. He, alongside Dimitri Payet has created the most big chances (12) in Ligue 1. Mbappe is the front-runner for the Ligue 1 Player of the Year award, having bagged nine goals and eight assists in 17 appearances.
The Frenchman has continued to trouble defenders by running at them and beyond with his frightening pace. With Messi playing alongside, Mbappe has shown some great link-up play and crisp and quick give-and-go football.
The French forward continues to be linked with a move to his dream destination Real Madrid, but has made it clear he won't move in January.
#2 Filip Kostic - 13 big chances created
Filip Kostic may be a less renowned name when compared to other household ones mentioned in the list so far, but his numbers are surely more impressive. One look at the Serbian's numbers since he joined Eintracht Frankfurt and it is clear that he derives joy from facilitating goals and attacking openings.
In the 2018-19 campaign, his first in Frankfurt, he provided 13 assists in all competitions. That tally went up to 21 assists the following season. Last season, he only played in the Bundesliga and registered 17 assists. In the 2021-22 season so far, he has nine to his name and he's looking to clock up more.
Hence, it comes as no surprise that Kostic has managed to create the second highest number of big chances in Europe so far this season. The majority of Frankfurt's attacks flourish from the left-wing where the Serbian deputizes.
He has slinged in a league-leading 105 crosses from open play in the Bundesliga this season and has created 13 big chances. Inter Milan and Tottenham Hotspur have both been linked with the winger, who is also capable of playing as a wing-back.
#1 Thomas Muller - 14 big chances created
One of the most intelligent footballers on the planet, the man who has defined the 'Raumdeuter' role, Thomas Muller, is at it again this season. The Germany international had 24 assists to his name in the 2021 calendar year, the most of any player.
Creating chances is nothing new for him and he's leading the charts with 14 big chances created so far, the most in Europe. He excelled at creating space and playing between the defensive lines masterfully with his remarkable movement in the final third.
In 2021, the Bayern Munich forward created 106 chances from open play, the most in Europe. The 32-year old is often referred to as the 'assist king' and has lived up to his reputation this season as well. Muller has eight goals and 17 assists in 27 apperances in all competitions.
His elite partnership with Robert Lewandowski has scarred most rivals and suffocated their defense time and again.
