Manchester United and Liverpool face each other in yet another premier league fixture on Saturday as things get intense in England’s top flight. Liverpool travels to Manchester with a hope to secure a double over their fierce rivals but things are a bit different this time. This United side under Ole Gunnar Solksjaer has been a rampant force and are yet to lose a game in the Premier League in Solksjaer’s reign.
Liverpool faces a daunting task of facing a rejuvenated Manchester United at Old Trafford. This tie is crucial for Jurgen Klopp owing to the fact that Manchester City are the current league leader and in order to regain their position at the top, Liverpool have to beat the red devils.
With that being said, the 2 sides are filled with loads of talent and we can’t help but sort a combined XI from these 2 high flying football teams.
Goalkeeper
David De Gea marginally pips Alisson Becker for the number 1 position. Many might argue for the Spaniard to be the best in the world let alone the Premier League. David De Gea has been the star performer for Manchester United for all these years and many claim him to be their best player in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era.
De Gea in goal is a sight every United fan craves for and it’s no secret that Manchester United know what prized asset they have. Over the years many top clubs have come calling for the Spanish number 1, including the likes of Real Madrid but Manchester United have been resilient.
This season has been no different for David De Gea as the magnificent Dave continues to give impressive performances on a weekly basis. Some might argue with Alisson being the far superior one in terms of clean sheets with 14 to his name compared to De Gea’s mere 6 but it’s the type of performances, the sensational saves by De Gea that have really helped him in grabbing the gloves here in this combined 11.
Left back
Luke Shaw is having the best season of his career with United. The English left-back has been one of the star performers for Manchester United this season and it seems the former Southampton player is finally fulfilling his potential.
Shaw gets the nod ahead of Andrew Robertson. Robertson has been impressive for the Reds but on current form, Shaw is the man to go for. Manchester United fans are loving the form Shaw is in and it remains to be seen where the English left-back goes on from here.
Right Back
Manchester United will surely bring reinforcements for the right-back position simply because they don’t have a candidate who naturally fulfills that role. Liverpool, on the other hand, has a talented youngster at their helms who naturally fits the position of right back.
Trent Alexander-Arnold has been brilliant for The Reds and is the obvious candidate for the position of right back.
Centre Backs
When talking about centrebacks, the first name which pops up is of Virgil Van Dijk. The towering Dutchman has been one of the best players for Liverpool and rightly deserves his place in this combined XI. What does set Van Dijk apart from his fellow peers is his ability to be involved in the game with his accurate passing, ability to score an unstoppable header and most importantly being at right place at the right time.
Van Dijk is deservingly named amongst the top centrebacks in the world and Klopp relies on the big Dutchman with his hopes of securing the Premier League title.
Van Dijk is accompanied by Victor Lindelof, the Manchester United centre-back who has arguably been the best defender for the Red Devils this season.
The Swedish has been rock solid this term and has been a regular starter for Manchester United in all competitions. Lindelof did have a hard time at first at the club when he moved from Benfica but now that the Swede is set at his new club, the world is witnessing the best of Lindelof.
Midfielders
The center of the park comprises of 3 exuberant midfielders. Ander Herrera and Paul Pogba have been the star performers under Solksjaer and the duo have proved to major factors in United’s sensational run under their Norwegian manager.
Herrera has proved to be an inspiring figure in the center of the park and the Spaniard is accompanied by the in-form Paul Pogba. The Frenchman is in a rich vein of form having scored 11 goals so far this season. The United duo is accompanied by the Brazilian Fabinho who has been one of the best signings for Liverpool in recent times. Fabinho adds stability to the Liverpool side and the gets nod ahead of the Serbian, Nemanja Matic.
Fabinho has been excellent for the Reds and the Brazilian has carried his impressive form exhibited in his Monaco days to now at Liverpool. Liverpool have been leading the charts and Robinho seems like the missing link Jurgen Klopp desperately needed to end Liverpool’s trophy drought.
Forwards
Up front, we have a trio of speedsters who are capable of running a riot with their speed and goalscoring ability. Liverpool and Manchester United, 2 premier league giants blessed with a plethora of attacking prowess. Sorting frontline attack from this group of talented players is a mighty task but somehow the choice has been made on the current form and overall impact in the season.
On the right side, we have Mohamed Salah, probably the most obvious choice in this lineup. Salah is often considered as one of the best players on the planet and the majestic Egyptian has carried his sensational form in 2018 to 2019. The Egyptian rules the goalscoring charts with 17 goals to his name.
In the centre, we have the wonder kid, Marcus Rashford. The England international is enjoying the spell of his life under new manager Ole Gunnar Solsjaer having scored a number of crucial goals under the Norwegian.
And finally, on the left wing, we have the Senegalese forward, Sadio Mane. Mane along with Salah has been terrorizing the premier league defenses and with 12 goals to his name, the former Southampton man is in the hunt for being the top scorer of the season.
0 votes
title: “Manchester United Vs Liverpool Combined Xi” ShowToc: true date: “2023-01-03” author: “Mathew Law”
These two are the most successful teams in English football and any time they come up against each other, it sure is a battle. On Sunday, as the teams lock heads again in the league, it’s not going to be any different.
There will be all to play for in terms of prestige and also points. Liverpool will want to win the tie to firmly establish them at the top, while United will want to win to help them keep up in the top four race.
Whatever happens, this match promises to be one of the most exciting games in the season.
As for a combined eleven that puts players from both squads, this is probably going to be the toughest combined eleven. United are currently on a roll and their players are now showing their true potential under Ole Gunnar.
On the other hand, Liverpool has been in great form for a great part of this season and their top performers are certainly performing.
The combined eleven will lineup in a 4-3-3 formation and here’s how the team will look like:
Goalkeeper
There is no doubt that this is going to be probably the toughest choice to make as things stand. At the beginning of the season, it was quite a straight forward choice with Alisson impressing and giving Liverpool stability at the back.
But since the appointment of Ole Gunnar, De Gea has really got back his mojo and is surely a contender for the starting spot. If we are going to go with form and overall ability then, the man who’ll be keeping goal for this team is going to be David De Gea.
The Spaniard is by far the superior talent between the two ‘keepers and is even considered as one of the best keepers in the world today. He has it all, he can use the ball well with his feet, has exception reflexes and his handling is top notch.
No disrespect to Alisson, but De Gea pips him in goal for this one. Against any other keeper, he’d be in.
Defence
Coming to the defence of this team, you are also spoiled for choice due to the quality that’s all around. Though this won’t be the toughest to pick, it certainly won’t be easy.
Starting with the right back position, this is between Ashley Young and Alexander-Arnold. While both have been having great seasons this particular season, Young just pips Alexander-Arnold due to his superior experience. We’ve seen it time and again that Alexander-Arnold while being full of potential is still raw and has been caught out a number of times in the past.
The left-back position is the one that will be highly contested as Luke Shaw and Andrew Robertson have been playing quite exceptionally. Both are quick to cover the ground ahead of them without leaving too space for opponents to exploit. But the choice has to be made and Andy Robertson just takes this spot because of the consistency he has shown this season.
The two centre half positions will be occupied by, of course, Virgil Van Dijk and the now exceptional Victor Lindelof. Before Ole Gunnar’s appointment, the two positions would have been occupied by Liverpool players but Lindelof has really shone for United under Solsjkaer.
Midfield
Now starts the hard parts of this combined eleven. If you have watched both teams this season, you’ll realize how hard it is to pick this midfield with the likes of Pogba, Henderson, Matic, Herrera, Wijnaldum, Keita, Milner and even Fabinho contesting for starting for a place.
Starting with the defensive midfield role, the one that will be charged with protecting the back four and passing the ball from deep. The role goes to none other than Fabinho. It initially took him time to settle in the league but he has started to show his talent. So much so that he has even played centre-back and right back as well as his defensive midfield role.
The other two positions will be occupied by Paul Pogba and Georginio Wijnaldum. These two have lots of energy and can get up and down the pitch with ease. And with Wijnaldum in that midfield, it will allow for Paul Pogba to attack as he has been doing so well under Ole Gunnar. They can also provide goals and assists from deep and the forward line won’t be short of service.
Forwards
With two tridents that are performing quite well, it’s so hard to leave out any player from this lineup. Of course, the first player will be Mohamed Salah who will alternate between being the striker and the right winger.
The left side of the forward line will be a close contested call between Sadio Mane and Anthony Martial but Mane just about takes up the role. Mane has been showing tremendous work-rate and also chips in with goals here and there.
The striker’s role is quite hard as well between Rashford and Firmino, but Marcus Rashford takes up that role. He’s hardworking, can play in the wings if need be and is also proving a deadly finisher of late. He has also added wicked free kicks to his armoury and that makes him a definite starter.
No defence will wish to come up against this forward line as they have it all, creativity, finishing, trickery and work rate. They would be a handful for any team to play against.
Here’s how the team will look like:
De Gea; Young, Lindelof, Van Dijk, Robertson; Fabinho, Pogba, Wijnaldum; Salah, Rashford, Mane
0 votes
