Breaking Down the Best Starting XI in the English Premier League

We have now reached the 10-game mark in this season’s already intriguing Premier League season, the point at which sound judgments about which clubs can realistically challenge for the title should be made, and one way to ascertain this is by breaking down the best starting XIs of those top-flight title contenders.

Consequently, we have taken the six sides with the strongest-looking first teams and then rated those lineups using four different categories (goalkeeper, defence, midfield and attack), giving us an overall score that will ultimately determine who has the best starting XI in the Premier League.

So tell us what you think of the teams we have selected and whether or not you agree with our final decision…

ARSENAL (Current league position: 1st)

Goalkeeper
However well the Poland international may have begun the new season for the north London club, the 23-year-old not only remains the most inexperienced of the six shot stoppers on show here, but also still the least convincing.
Score: 6.5/10

Defence
Again, similar to the man behind the Arsenal back four, while the Gunners defence has actually been solid as a rock of late, with the last side to score more than once against this back line being Tottenham Hotspur way back in March, question marks still persist about the two centre backs when asked to quell top-level attackers.
Score: 7/10

Midfield
As we saw against Liverpool at the Emirates on Saturday, when on song Arsenal’s midfield is, as Dortmund coach Jurgen Klopp recently said, “like an orchestra.”

Wide men Santi Cazorla and Theo Walcott, when the English flyer returns from his current stomach injury that is, are both unrivalled when it comes to pace, technique and creativity on the flanks.

Meanwhile, returning holding midfield player Mathieu Flamini is currently playing like he did in his first spell at the club, particularly his final season in the capital in 2007-08.

And then there is Europe’s most in-form goalscoring midfield player and already an early contender to make it back-to-back Welsh winners of the Professional Footballers’ Association Player of the Year awards, Aaron Ramsey.
Score: 8.5/10

Attack
What a delicious combination there is up front at the Emirates of Mesut Ozil’s craft and vision which naturally come from the king of the assists, and the now predatory instincts of prolific France international striker Olivier Giroud.

However, it is not just Giroud’s goals that make the 27-year-old marksman appear a man reborn at present, but also a new energy and work-rate that was on show in his tireless display as the lone front man in the crucial weekend win over the Reds.
Score: 8.5/10

Overall score: 30.5/40

CHELSEA (2nd)

Goalkeeper
Still for the most part, notwithstanding Sergio Aguero’s recent near-post strike for Manchester City at Stamford Bridge that is, one of the most reliable and consistent keepers in the Premier League, and some would probably even argue the best.
Score: 8/10

Defence
On paper, the strongest-looking back line in the top flight, despite Saturday’s all-too-rare concession of two goals at Newcastle United, and generally rock solid and desperately hard to penetrate, probably because their full backs are there primarily to defend in the now familiar Mourinho way.
Score: 8/10

Midfield
Again, you’d be hard-pressed to beat this eye-catching quartet, with the two wide men more playmakers than out-and-out wingers as such, but still equally dangerous when they cut in and threaten the opposition rear guard.

Meanwhile, Ramires has to be the best box-to-box central midfield player in the Premier League, while veteran England international Frank Lampard is still holding his own amid the hurly-burly of the top flight, despite being 35.
Score: 8/10

Attack
Without a doubt, currently the Blues’ weakest part of their starting XI when compared to the rest of their lineup is in the centre-forward position, despite all the recent plaudits that have come Fernando Torres’ way.

And while Oscar has begun the new season on fire, the twinkle-toed Brazil schemer cannot make up for the paucity of goals in attack from Chelsea’s misfiring front man, which contrasts starkly with the majority of their rivals.
Attack: 7/10

Overall score: 31/40

LIVERPOOL (3rd)

Goalkeeper
One still gets the feeling that manager Brendan Rodgers would have been better served simply sticking with previous No. 1 Pepe Reina in goal this season, rather than splashing out £9m to bring Simon Mignolet to Anfield.

As while the Belgian is solid and has barely put a foot wrong, he is not an improvement on the now on-loan Napoli goalkeeper—in fact, Reina still remains the superior custodian of the duo, especially with the ball at his feet.
Score: 7/10

Defence
Without doubt the Merseysiders’ Achilles’ heel, as it has been ever since the Northern Irishman replaced Kenny Dalglish in the Anfield dugout last year, with Rodgers’ recent switch to a back three being horribly exposed in Saturday’s 2-0 loss at Arsenal.

However, were the Reds to revert to the more conventional back four which they began the season with, and the second half at the Emirates too, then it is a defence that can more than hold its own when compared to its rivals.

In fact, Martin Skrtel has been in superb form since regaining his place at the heart of Liverpool’s back line against Manchester United in September, Daniel Agger is one of the most under-rated centre backs in Europe, while Glenn Johnson could easily lay claim to be the best right back in the Premier League.
Score: 7/10

Midfield
Solid, if unspectacular, especially when compared to every single one of their rivals’ midfields too, particularly in terms of invention and creation, with it being desperately hard to see where any goals will come from this defensive-minded trio.

Captain Steven Gerrard’s normally all-consuming influence is waning by the day, Jordan Henderson has without doubt improved under Rodgers’ coaching, but still remains light years away from being a £20 million midfield player, while Lucas Leiva is no more than a capable water carrier.
Score: 6.5/10

Attack
If Liverpool’s defence and midfield are the undoubted weak spots in their starting lineup, then up front is where the Reds are most dangerous, with a front three that is currently hard to better in the Premier League.

Much has been written of late about the devastating partnership in attack that has formed between Daniel Sturridge and the mercurial Luis Suarez at Anfield this year, and now that impish Brazilian schemer Philippe Coutinho has returned from injury, it is going to be interesting to see just how The Three Musketeers gel going forward.

But if they are all on the same wavelength, then the unpredictable trio could be hard to stop…
Score: 8.5/10

Overall score: 29/40

TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR (4th)

Goalkeeper
Hugo Lloris has been outstanding since arriving at White Hart Lane from Lyon last August for just an initial outlay of €10m, and can now rightfully lay claim to being the Premier League’s best keeper.
Score: 8.5/10

Defence
Not the stand-out back four amongst the six contenders, nor the most porous either, just somewhere in between those two schools of thought.

England international Kyle Walker has really developed his game in recent times, while like Lloris, Jan Vertonghen has been an outstanding recent addition to the north London club’s lineup and Michael Dawson is dependability personified.
Score: 7/10

Midfield
Without a doubt, Spurs’ main strength is their midfield, with Andros Townsend currently rivalling Arsenal’s Ramsey for the title of Player of the Season so far in this campaign, while Paulinho has proved to be worth every penny of the £17m that Tottenham splashed out on the Brazil international and Mousa Dembele could walk into any of the other five teams’ midfield.

And although Erik Lamela’s inclusion on the left wing may cause a few raised eyebrows after the difficult start that the Argentinian has made acclimatising to life in the capital, at the end of the day the forward is one of the best in that position in the world game and will come good eventually.
Score: 7.5/10

Attack
On paper, a front two of striker Roberto Soldado playing off twinkle-toed Danish playmaker Christian Eriksen in the “hole” looks like a dreamy combination of invention and goals.

However, football is played on grass and not paper and there is no doubt that at present, this is not how things are working out up front at White Hart Lane, with the former Ajax star currently not even in the Spurs starting XI, while Soldado is struggling to justify his massive club-record £26m price tag, regardless of the fact the Spaniard has managed to net four league goals so far this season.
Score: 7/10

Overall score: 30/40

MANCHESTER CITY (5th) 

Goalkeeper
Clearly at present a problem position for the big-spending Premier League outfit, however, England international Joe Hart remains, even on recent evidence, City’s best goalkeeper, although it is perhaps a sign of his recent fall in stock that the 26-year-old could now reasonably be regarded as the weakest of all the six custodians on display here.
Score: 6/10

Defence
When fit, which is rare these days, Vincent Kompany is the most accomplished central defender in the top flight, while his Serbian partner also has the potential to go on and join his skipper in this exalted company.

Meanwhile, the ever-dependable Pablo Zabaleta is Johnson’s closest challenger to the title of Best Right Back in the Premier League, while Gael Clichy is an experienced and solid full back on the other flank.
Score: 7.5

Midfield
As with all of these six outfits, there is very little really to choose between the respective departments in each teams’ lineups, as is again the case with City’s star-studded midfield four on show here.

Yaya Toure has been imperious running the show for Manuel Pellegrini’s inconsistent side so far in this campaign, although dare one say it, is the leggy Ivorian just a flat-track bully?

And alongside the stand-in captain in the engine room, Fernandinho is taking his time to fully adjust to the all-action nature of the Premier League, while David Silva remains a polished gem of an attacker, and the unpredictable Samir Nasri is having a renaissance at Eastlands now that his nemesis Roberto Mancini has finally left the building.
Score: 8/10

Attack
Similar to Liverpool’s SAS partnership, Sergio Aguero and new boy Alvaro Negredo take some beating when it comes to striking pairs in the Premier League.

The Spaniard’s intimidating build and stature make him ideally suited to the physical nature of the top flight, hence his nickname “The Beast”, while “Kun” is the best front man in the league, bar none.
Score: 8.5/10

Overall score: 30/40

MANCHESTER UNITED (8th)

Goalkeeper
It is a testament to just how far the Spain keeper has developed his game since his shaky early days at Old Trafford that were you to ask a United fan right now if they could swap De Gea for any of their rivals’ No 1’s, to a man the answer would be “no”.

And as an actual shot stopper, the 22-year-old is now unrivalled in this field in the Premier League, with De Gea also more than capable of fulfilling goalkeeping coach Chris Woods’ recent prediction by becoming the best custodian in the world.
Score: 7.5/10

Defence
As befits a back line that has been in place for United’s previous three Premier League title wins of 2009, 2011 and 2013, it is a quartet that demand respect.

Equally, however, age has also now clearly caught up with this defence and the resultant knock-on effect of constant injuries means they rarely ever line up together consistently as a back four.

Consequently, you would be hard pressed to say this is anywhere near to being the stand-out back line in the top flight, even when all four players are fit and featuring.
Score: 7

Midfield
More has been written about the state of the champions’ pedestrian and uninventive midfield, especially in the central areas, of late than I am sure most Red Devils fans would care to remember.

However, there is a good reason for that, and not even the much-needed introduction this season of Belgium starlet Adnan Januzaj can paper over these glaring cracks, while recent £27.5m signing Marouane Fellaini is also struggling badly to live up to that inflated price tag.

As a result, you’d struggle badly to make a convincing argument for the inclusion of any of these four players in one of their rivals’ midfield.
Score: 7/10

Attack
Much like with arch-rivals Liverpool, this is United’s clear and present danger, with an in-form front two who are tearing up opposition defences for fun at the moment.

And again, ask any Red Devils supporter whether they would swap this partnership up front of Robin van Persie and Wayne Rooney with another pair of Premier League strikers, and there is no need to tell you what the answer would be.
Score: 8.5/10

Overall score: 30/40

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