Salah and Kane back to their best in player form rankings, while Messi marches on

After yet another goal at the weekend there is no prizes for guessing Europe’s most destructive player right now, in fact, that Lionel Messi only had a hand in one goal last time out was something of an underperformance by his standards.

Still, the Argentine found the net for the third game running to take his league tally to sixteen and has had a played a direct role in 13 goals in the last six league appearances for which he is judged here.

There is, however, a significant change in terms of Messi’s closest challenger this week, with Valencia’s Dani Parejo soaring onto the leaderboard and into second, at the expense of Nimes’ midfielder Teji Savanier, who had a good run but drops to 13th. Parejo, by comparison, jumps 28 places into the silver medal position having stolen the show against Huesca.

The midfielder bagged only his third league goal of the season on Sunday, but his all round display was immense, firing off three shots, creating four chances and completing six dribbles, while chipping in with three tackles from a defensive standpoint.

There’s a new man in third too, with Mohamed Salah on the podium having scored one and registered the assist for Virgil van Dijk’s goal at Wolves to take his respective tallies to 11 and five for the season. The Dutchman, meanwhile, also climbs onto the leaderboard into 12th as a consequence of his first Premier League goal for the Reds.

Joshua Kimmich retains his place in fourth after a seventh assist of the season in victory at Frankfurt, while Antoine Griezmann is another non mover in sixth after scoring the only goal of the game against Espanyol.

Sandwich between the aforementioned pair, however, is Hoffenheim midfield maestro Kerem Demirbay, who rises ten places to fifth and is making up for lost time having suffered numerous injuries since the start of last season. The German international is certainly back to his best now, picking up the WhoScored.com man of the match award for the third game running and fourth in his last six league appearances with a goal against Mainz.

Premier League pair Robert Snodgrass (eighth) and Eden Hazard (ninth) both drop places, but there is a place on the leaderboard for Harry Kane (14th) following his brace at Everton, and compatriot Jadon Sancho, who continues to light up the Bundesliga. The teenager is in at eleven having opened the scoring in the top of the table clash with Gladbach on Friday and has now had a direct hand in 13 goals this season.

Wahbi Khazri (seventh) and Serge Gnabry (tenth) have climbed up from last season’s leaderboard, while Newcastle’s Fabian Schar (17th), Juventus forward Mario Mandzukic (18th) and Eibar defender Cote (20th) all make the cut for the first time.

QUALIFYING RULES

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