France pair Mbappe and Benzema lead stellar Nations League Ultimate XI
Remember the UEFA Nations League? It's back, in final form! Italy face Spain and Belgium take on France this week as the League A winners face off with a spot in the final up for grabs.
With two heavyweight clashes on offer this, we take a look at a combined XI of the four Nations League semi-finalists. For the purpose of their respective ratings, we look at those in Europe's top five leagues to have made four or more appearances this season, and exclude those who are sidelined or were not called up by their nation.
While he is unlikely to oust Hugo Lloris as France number one this month, Mike Maignan has been showing why he is deemed the long-term successor to the Spurs man for Les Bleus for AC Milan this season. Indeed, the 26-year-old has kept three clean sheets from his opening seven league outings for the Serie A powerhouse, and that has helped him to a WhoScored rating of 6.87.
Cesar Azpilicueta (Spain) - 7.29
The first of three Spain players in this side, Chelsea's Cesar Azpilicueta has been a solid performer for the Blues this season from right wing-back or centre-back. After returning to the national fold for Euro 2020, Luis Enrique has persisted with the 32-year-old and for good reason, too, with Azpilicueta one of the in-form defenders in Europe's top five leagues right now.
Inigo Martinez is unlikely to force his way into the Spain first team, with Aymeric Laporte, Pau Torres and Eric Garcia ahead of the Athletic Club centre-back in the pecking order, but the 30-year-old is a handy option for Enrique in the squad. His WhoScored rating of 7.23 is the best of all centre-backs among the semi-finalists' in Europe's top five leagues this season.
Lucas Hernandez (France) - 7.16
France are the dominant side in this combined XI as Lucas Hernandez partners Martinez at the heart of the defence. Like Martinez, Hernandez is unlikely to start at centre-back under Didier Deschamps this week, with the France head coach preferring the Bayern star at left-back, yet the 25-year-old's four league starts this season have all come at centre-back, and it's here where he has garnered a WhoScored rating of 7.16.
Rounding off the defence is the third and final Spaniard in the XI. Marcos Alonso has been a key man for Thomas Tuchel since he took over the reins at Stamford Bridge in January and has rewarded the Chelsea boss with a series of solid outings down the left. Indeed, Alonso completes the backline with a WhoScored rating of 7.47 having scored one and assisted another in the Premier League this season.
The first Italy representative in the XI is Inter star Nicolo Barella. The 24-year-old has chipped in with five assists in Italy's top tier, more than any other player, and has created at least three more clear-cut goalscoring opportunities (8) than any other Serie A star in 2021/22. Such a feat has seen Barella yield a WhoScored rating of 7.51.
Lorenzo Pellegrini (Italy) - 7.71
Lorenzo Pellegrini has made a storming start to the season and, at the weekend, won his fourth WhoScored man of the match of the campaign. The Roma midfielder has a better WhoScored rating (7.71) than any other player in Serie A, with his return of four goals - only a handful of players have netted more - contributing to that high score.
Joining Pellegrini and Barella in the midfield is Manchester United star Paul Pogba. While his form has tailed off in recent weeks, no player has registered more assists than Pogba (7) in Europe's top five leagues this season. In addition, 17 successful dribbles ranks among the top 10 Premier League players this term and has contributed towards the 28-year-old's WhoScored rating of 7.48.
PSG's 100% start to the Ligue 1 season drew to a close on Sunday as they fell to a 2-0 defeat to Rennes, failing to muster a shot on target in the process. Despite the loss, and a dip in form, Kylian Mbappe features on the frontline in this XI having garnered a WhoScored rating of 7.82 in Ligue 1. Mbappe has scored four times and provided three assists, and completed more dribbles (29) than any other player in France's top tier, to feature in attack for this team.
The stand out performer in this combined XI, Karim Benzema has been exceptional in a Real Madrid shirt this season. The France forward has had a direct hand in more goals (16) than any other player in Europe's top five leagues and his excellent form in the final third has translated to an exceptional WhoScored rating of 8.37 as he leads the charge.
Romelu Lukaku (Belgium) - 7.53
The only Belgium player to make the grade in this XI is Chelsea hitman Romelu Lukaku. The 28-year-old made an excellent start to life back at Stamford Bridge and while he has gone off the boil in front of goal lately, Lukaku has still done enough to warrant a WhoScored rating of 7.53 to partner Mbappe and Benzema on a star-studded frontline.
