Picking a Combined Liverpool vs. Arsenal XI
When Liverpool and Arsenal meet at Anfield, no one knows quite what to expect. Well, except goals.
There hasn't been a 0-0 in the Premier League on Merseyside between the teams in 19 years, when Nicolas Anelka, Dennis Bergkamp, Michael Owen and Karl-Heinz Riedle all failed to find the net.
The Gunners shipped four without reply just before Christmas in 2000, only to win with 10 men a year later at the same ground.
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Peter Crouch hit a hat-trick in March 2007, Andrei Arshavin went one better in April 2009, effectively ending Liverpool's title push in the process, and the Reds smashed five inside an hour three years ago.
Last season, Liverpool triumphed 3-1. Can Jurgen Klopp and his players pull off a repeat result on Sunday, or will Arsene Wenger's visitors get back to winning ways after a disappointing 1-0 defeat at Stoke City?
We will find out soon enough. But before then, Bleacher Report has thrown together the two talented squads and picked a combined XI in a 4-3-3/4-2-3-1 formation.
Please note: Only players available for the Premier League fixture were considered for selection.
Goalkeeper: Petr Cech
Considering he's 35, there are some who are ready to suggest Petr Cech's days as Arsenal's first-choice goalkeeper are nearing an end.
"I'm not sure that Petr Cech will be No. 1 at Arsenal come the end of season," Tony Cascarino wrote in The Times (h/t Uche Amako of the Daily Express).
Well, age is just a number, and Cech is still Arsenal's No. 1. The Gunners have more pressing issues than fazing out a goalkeeper who has a more impressive medal collection than B.A. Baracus from the A-Team.
Right-Back: Hector Bellerin
Wenger has used Hector Bellerin as a wing-back on both flanks this season. However, in this combined team, the Spaniard slots into the right side of four-man defensive line.
While a move further up the field may have seemed ideal for the attack-minded Bellerin, the Barcelona youth product told the Arsenal Weekly Podcast in July (h/t Mattias Karen of ESPN.co.uk): "I've been through a few injuries, and changing the system hasn't favoured me in the last few games."
The speedy Spaniard—who once challenged sprint king Usain Bolt to a race—is still only 22.
Liverpool, however, are likely to field a teenager at right-back on Sunday. Trent Alexander-Arnold has started in place of the injured Nathaniel Clyne—and the 18-year-old stand-in's performances suggest his team-mate faces a serious fight to get his place back.
Centre-Back: Laurent Koscielny
Having sat out his side's opening two games through suspension, Laurent Koscielny is available to play for Arsenal at Anfield.
According to Charles Watts of Football.London, his return cannot come soon enough: "If you ever wanted to see how important the Frenchman is to Arsene Wenger's side, you just have to glance at the last two performances in the Premier League."
The Frenchman—who had to serve a three-game ban following his dismissal against Everton on the final day of the last Premier League season—is the fulcrum of Arsenal's defence, no matter how they line them up.
Centre-Back: Joel Matip
Joel Matip enjoyed a solid debut season in English football. The good news for Liverpool fans is the defender believes he can still get better.
"You always need a little bit of time to adapt to a new league," he told James Pearce of the Liverpool Echo. "You need some time to know your team-mates and understand them without saying something. I'm not 35, so I hope I still can improve."
Per Squawka, Matip didn't record a single defensive error in the Premier League last season. To think he didn't cost Liverpool a penny, at least in terms of a transfer fee.
Left-Back: Nacho Monreal
Sorry, Arsene, but you have yet to convince us Nacho Monreal is suited to playing in central defence.
The Gunners' change of shape towards the end of last season saw the Spaniard shifted to centre-back. He did an admirable job in an unfamiliar role, including helping them beat Chelsea in the FA Cup final.
However, what appeared at the time to be a temporary switch is still a regular occurrence. Wenger has used Monreal at the heart of his defence for the opening two Premier League games despite having bona fide centre-backs available again.
Monreal still looks better suited to playing at left-back—and that's where we've picked him (ahead of the unproven Andy Robertson and the defensively naive Alberto Moreno).
Central Midfield: Granit Xhaka
Arsenal and Liverpool provided a plethora of midfield options to choose from; the issue was picking the most suitable trio, particularly as all the candidates have flaws that weaken their cases for selection.
Last season, Granit Xhaka missed out on Bleacher Report's combined Liverpool-Arsenal XI. His inability to stay on the good side of officials (he picked up 12 yellow cards and two reds during his debut campaign in north London) didn't help his case, and he took time to adapt to the Premier League.
In the second half of the season, however, Xhaka demonstrated why Wenger paid £40.5 million for him. With an eye for a raking long pass with his sweet left foot, he helped Arsenal finish the season strongly.
"I'm what we call a 'six' in Germany, a quite aggressive, deep-lying playmaker," the 24-year-old said to Arsenal's official website. Well, Granit's solid enough to see off team-mate Aaron Ramsey to start in our engine room.
Central Midfield: Jordan Henderson
While he hasn't hit the same heights as last season just yet, Jordan Henderson edges out Liverpool colleagues Emre Can (still a work in progress) and Georginio Wijnaldum (still too inconsistent).
Positioned in front of the Reds back four last season, he recorded an 86 per cent pass-completion rate and made 65 tackles, per Squawka, before injury cut short his campaign.
The former Sunderland player doesn't always get the appreciation he deserves even though a host of managers for club and country have consistently picked him.
Who are we to doubt the football wisdom of Brendan Rodgers, Roy Hodgson and Gareth Southgate?
Central Midfield: Mesut Ozil
The Mesut Ozil bashing has gone too far.
How do we know? Because even Joey Barton believes the German doesn't deserve the amount of flak he's received, particularly since the loss to Stoke City.
"He is the easy person to pick on," Barton said on TalkSport (h/t Charles Perrin of the Daily Express). "His skill set is in a different area, creating goals and giving other players opportunities."
Ozil doesn't always look to be busting a gut out on the field. Yet here are the facts through two games of the Premier League season, per Squawka Football on Twitter:
With Philippe Coutinho yet to return from injury/illness/sulking after Liverpool's board blocked a move to Barcelona, the 2014 FIFA World Cup winner lines up as an advanced playmaker in our midfield three.
Right Wing: Sadio Mane
Has Sadio Mane become more important to Liverpool than Coutinho? Former Red Jamie Carragher believes so.
"I'd make an argument for that, especially with the way Jurgen Klopp likes to play. I think [Mane's] massively important," Carragher said on Sky Sports' Monday Night Football. "You see the goals that he's got and his goals record for a wide player is phenomenal since he's come to the club."
While he's switched to the left in recent weeks to accommodate new boy Mohamed Salah, Mane worked from the right flank in the 2016/17 season, scoring 13 goals and also weighing in with eight assists.
Liverpool don't carry the same threat without the Senegalese forward, who cost them £37.08 million from Southampton a summer ago. When you consider current valuations, they bagged a bargain.
Left Wing: Alexis Sanchez
After a setback in Stoke, Arsenal need a boost. Alexis Sanchez may just provide it, as the fit-again Chilean could be set to play for the first time this season.
"Alexis works very hard, gives so much and he looks ready," Wenger told the media at his pre-match press conference on Thursday. "I'll have to decide what I do, but he's ready to play."
Sanchez's long-term future at the Emirates Stadium remains unclear. He is in the final year of his contract with the Gunners, and Manchester City may yet make "one last push" to sign him before the summer transfer window closes on August 31, according to Miguel Delaney of The Independent.
However, the 28-year-old doesn't seem the type to let transfer talk bother him. Having scored 24 goals and provided 11 assists last season, an undercooked Sanchez is still good enough to start in any forward line.
Striker: Roberto Firmino
Yes, Alexandre Lacazette has looked impressive. However, he's only played two competitive games for Arsenal (three if you count the Community Shield), so it's still too early to deliver a verdict.
Roberto Firmino isn't of the same standard when it comes to finishing. While Lacazette scored 28 goals in 30 appearances for Olympique Lyonnais last season, Liverpool's leading forward netted just 11 times in the Premier League.
However, Firmino plays such a pivotal role for Klopp's Reds. Against Hoffenheim in the second leg of the UEFA Champions League playoff on Wednesday, he was the catalyst for a handsome home win that clinched a place in the group stage of the competition.
"He is a player whose contribution is not always reflected in the statistics," Richard Jolly wrote in the National. "He is the selfless striker, the team player in a position normally reserved for individualists."
When Liverpool travel to the Emirates Stadium for the return fixture in December, Lacazette may be the standout striker on display. For now, though, Firmino slots in between Mane and Sanchez.
Rob Lancaster is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. All statistics and transfer fees used in the combined XI are from Transfermarkt unless otherwise stated.
