Man Utd and Liverpool stars make World Cup qualifying best XI
With the European World Cup group stages of qualifying done and dusted, and the playoffs next up, it's time to take a look at the best rated XI of those to make six or more appearances for their respective nations. The Netherlands, England, Portugal and Denmark are all represented as stars from Manchester United, Manchester City, Liverpool, Tottenham, Barcelona and Bayern Munich all make the cut.
Benjamin Buchel (Liechtenstein) - 7.31
Liechtenstein finished bottom of their group, picking up just one point and conceding 34 goals in the process, yet they would have shipped far more were it not for the shotstopping exploits of Benjamin Buchel. The 32-year-old made at least 15 more saves (71) than any other goalkeeper, including 29 alone in the final international break of the year. Granted, he couldn't help Liechtenstein to a single win, yet Buchel was good value for his WhoScored rating of 7.31.
Joao Cancelo (Portugal) - 7.56
Aleksandar Mitrovic's late goal condemned Portugal to a playoff spot and while Cristiano Ronaldo was A Selecao's top scorer with six goals to his name, Joao Cancelo was the stand out performer for Fernando Santos' side as noted by his WhoScored rating of 7.56. The Manchester City star was superb in possession, with a return of 2.6 dribbles per game the best of all defenders, while two assists came from 1.4 key passes per game. In addition, Cancelo made 2.3 interceptions per game to feature at right-back.
Harry Maguire (England) - 7.67
The top scoring centre-back features at the heart of the defence as Harry Magure netted four goals from his six qualifying appearances. England conceded just two goals in the six games Maguire featured in, while a 91.8% pass success rate was also a commendable return. He may not have been at his best for Manchester United this season, but the 28-year-old did enough to garner a WhoScored rating of 7.67 in qualifying.
Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool) - 7.46
It's an all-Premier League centre-back partnership in the best XI as Virgil van Dijk joins Maguire at the back. The Netherlands booked their place at the 2022 World Cup with a 2-0 win over Norway on Tuesday night with Van Dijk superb in a defence that conceded just eight goals across 10 games. Of the 76 players to contest 30 or more aerial duels, the Liverpool star had a better aerial success rate (85.7%) than any other player to help make the team with a WhoScored rating of 7.46.
Joakim Maehle (Denmark) - 7.34
Rounding off the backline is the top scoring defender in qualifying. Joakim Maehle netted five of Denmark's 30 goals across their 10 matches as the Atalanta star followed up his impressive Euro 2020 showing with another superb series of performances for the Danish Dynamite. The 24-year-old provided a solid threat from deep as he returned 1.1 key passes and 1.1 dribbles per game, and that aided Maehle in securing a WhoScored rating of 7.34.
Steven Berghuis (Netherlands) - 7.90
The second of three Netherlands representatives, Steven Berghuis may have managed just two goals and two assists for the Oranje in qualifying, but the latter return should have certainly been higher. Indeed, the Ajax attacker ranked first for clear-cut chances created (7) and fourth for key passes (28) in the group stages as Berghuis makes the cut with a WhoScored rating of 7.90.
Dusan Tadic played a key role in securing Serbia's spot at Qatar 2022 and the Ajax man makes the best rated XI from qualifying having earned a WhoScored rating of 7.86. Tadic ranked second for key passes (34), while no player made more assists than the Serb creator (6). Four of those six assists were for Aleksandar Mitrovic to score, that the best assist-to-goalscorer combination in qualifying, to nail down a spot in the middle of the park.
Enis Bardhi (North Macedonia) - 7.82
A key player in North Macedonia's second-placed finish in Group J, Enis Bardhi joins Tadic in central midfield in this XI. A standout display from the Levante midfielder came in their 5-0 thrashing of Armenia, where he bagged a hat-trick, while he was unfortunate to end the campaign with just two assists having averaged 2.3 key passes per game. Bardhi put in a solid shift for North Macedonia over the duration of qualifying to make the team with a WhoScored rating of 7.82.
Memphis Depay (Netherlands) - 8.67
The third and final Dutch player in the side is the best rated player in European qualifying. Memphis Depay earned an exceptional WhoScored rating of 8.67 across his 10 games as no player registered more assists than the Barcelona sensation (6). No player scored more goals than Depay (12), while 58 shots and 45 key passes both ranked first. A total of 19 players earned a perfect WhoScored 10 rating in a match in qualifying, with the 27-year-old doing so in four of his 10 outings.
Back-to-back hat-tricks to see out the November international break helped push Harry Kane's average qualifying WhoScored rating to 8.18 as the England captain earned a perfect WhoScored 10 rating in two of his eight games. Like Depay, Kane also netted 12 goals and provided an additional two assists to feature on the frontline.
Robert Lewandowski (Poland) - 8.09
Partnering Kane in attack is Poland hitman Robert Lewandowski. Of the 30 goals Poland scored in World Cup qualifying, Lewandowski had a direct hand in 12, with his eight goals the third most. Four assists was the fifth best return in the campaign as the 33-year-old successfully transferred his club form to the international stage, returning a WhoScored rating of 8.09 in the process.
