Picking a Combined Liverpool vs. Tottenham Hotspur XI
Since Jurgen Klopp arrived in England in October 2015, it's been tough to split Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur in Premier League action.
The last three league meetings between the teams have finished in draws, including a 0-0 result at White Hart Lane in Klopp's first game in charge of the Reds.
Back-to-back 1-1 results have followed since, but on Saturday, both teams can ill afford a fourth straight stalemate. Walking away from Anfield with a point apiece won't do.
Klopp's troops have lost their way in 2017, failing to record a league victory since the turn of the year to slip down to fifth spot in the table. Yet while a title push appears over, the battle is on for a top-four finish.
As for Mauricio Pochettino's second-place Spurs, they need wins to have any hope of catching leaders Chelsea. The gap is already at nine points—if it grows any larger, the Blues will surely be out of sight.
Ahead of a crunch clash that could have major ramifications for both teams in the closing months of the season, Bleacher Report has picked a combined XI.
Please note: Only players available to feature at the weekend were considered for selection. Also, with Tottenham higher in the standings, our team lines up in Spurs' favoured 4-2-3-1 formation.
Goalkeeper: Hugo Lloris
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If rumours are to be believed, Real Madrid have their eye on Tottenham goalkeeper Hugo Lloris.
According to Matt Law of the Telegraph, the Frenchman is on a shortlist of candidates to be their new No. 1, even though the player only signed a long-term extension with his employers in December.
The 30-year-old has kept nine clean sheets in the Premier League this season, a tally only bettered by Chelsea's Thibaut Courtois (who, per Law, is also on the Spanish club's radar).
While Madrid may be considering several options for the summer, Lloris was the clear and obvious choice for our combined XI.
Let's face it, Liverpool's goalkeepers hardly inspire any confidence.
Simon Mignolet and Loris Karius appear to have turned into the Chuckle Brothers, producing a "to me, to you" routine with the position this season.
Mignolet has been first choice of late after some high-profile errors from his rival, but the Belgian was caught out by David Luiz in the 1-1 draw against Chelsea and then gifted Hull City their first goal last time out.
Right-Back: Kyle Walker
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Kyle Walker wins the battle between two England team-mates to start at right-back.
While Liverpool's Nathaniel Clyne featured for his country in the 2-2 draw with Spain in November, Tottenham's Walker has started in all four of England's qualifiers for the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
While he's picked to play in defence, the 26-year-old has the edge over his compatriot when it comes to his attacking play.
Quick and powerful, he has already provided five assists at club level this season—only Christian Eriksen (eight) has managed more for Spurs.
However, he wasn't always such a threat to opposing teams. Team-mate Danny Rose used to play against Walker when the pair were youth-team players with Leeds United and Sheffield United, respectively.
"Honestly, as a kid, Kyle was one of the smallest, skinniest players I've ever played against," Rose told Sky Sports' Patrick Davison. "I can't believe how big, physical and quick he's become. It's been mad to see the transformation over the years."
Centre-Back: Toby Alderweireld
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Injuries and illness have hampered Toby Alderweireld this season, but the defender has still made 20 appearances in all competitions.
The Belgium international missed 10 games earlier in the campaign with a knee problem—and Tottenham only won twice in his absence.
Seb Stafford-Bloor of FourFourTwo explained why the player is so important to his team: "Alderweireld's contribution is typically multi-faceted: an outstanding central defender, certainly, but also one who performs a crucial playmaking role within his team's structure."
So just how good is Alderweireld on the ball?
Well, in 16 Premier League games this season, he has a pass-completion rate of 82.9 per cent. That number is impressive when you take into account he also averages 7.4 long balls per game.
Signed from under the noses of Southampton in the summer of 2015, he formed a solid centre-back pairing alongside compatriot Jan Vertonghen during Tottenham's title push last season.
Centre-Back: Joel Matip
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Liverpool's 2-0 loss at lowly Hull City last time out put an end to Joel Matip's unblemished league record in England.
The defender had previously never lost when picked to start in the Premier League. He was on the bench for the Reds' 2-0 defeat at Burnley earlier in the season, missed the 4-3 reverse at Bournemouth through injury and was sent on as a late sub (to play up front, no less) when Swansea City won 3-2 at Anfield in January.
Regardless of whether it's a quirk, the Reds look better at the back when Matip is on the field.
Like his colleague, Dejan Lovren has had his issues getting on the pitch, too. A knee injury threatens his involvement against Tottenham, so he was deemed unavailable for selection.
However, neither Liverpool player would get in if Vertonghen weren't ruled out of contention after missing Spurs' last three league outings.
The Belgian is at least nearing a comeback. Pochettino said in his Thursday press conference: "Jan's doing well and maybe next week he can start working with the group."
Eric Dier has played more games at centre-back than in central midfield this season but couldn't crack this lineup. As for Kevin Wimmer, he hasn't featured enough in the Premier League to be considered.
Left-Back: James Milner
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James Milner gets in by default (although "de" and "fault" just so happen to be the two sweetest words in the English language, according to Homer Simpson).
However, were it not for injury, Rose would have been first choice for the left-back spot in our combined XI.
The defender suffered knee ligament damage during his side's 0-0 draw with Sunderland on January 31 and, according to the club's official website, will not be fit to face Liverpool.
Milner is a more than capable deputy.
He has adapted well to life in Liverpool's back four—so well, in fact, that his boss isn't in a rush to bring in another left-sided defender in the summer, per Football365.
Milner and Rose both scored in the 1-1 draw between the teams at White Hart Lane in August.
Central Midfield: Mousa Dembele
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If picking the back four was relatively straightforward (even with two standout candidates ruled out through injury), midfield turned into a selection minefield.
Combined, Liverpool and Tottenham boast a number of talented midfielders who could feature in a joint-XI. You could opt for a different trio to the names selected here yet still feel vindicated in your choices.
Statistics were leaned on to decide close calls, bar one position. When it came to picking our two deep-lying midfielders, it only felt right to keep Tottenham's double act together.
After missing the start of the season through suspension, Mousa Dembele has formed a rock-solid partnership with new team-mate Victor Wanyama.
"They are both top players," former club captain Ledley King told Tottenham's official website. "Mousa can probably push forward closer to the opposition’s box while Victor is used to sitting in there protecting. They complement each other so well because they can do a bit of everything."
Dembele has a pass-completion rate of 91.9 per cent in league action this season.
Central Midfield: Victor Wanyama
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Pochettino knew what he was getting when he raided former club Southampton to sign Wanyama.
The midfielder—who cost £12.24 million—has been an ever-present in Tottenham's Premier League campaign, providing the kind of defensive protection that frees up full-backs Walker and Rose to raid forward out wide.
While team-mate Dembele offers a little more style, Wanyama's game is all about substance. He was particularly impressive in the 2-0 win over Chelsea in January, helping Spurs end their London rivals' Premier League winning streak at 13.
The raw numbers suggest Jordan Henderson deserved to be picked somewhere.
Per the Premier League's official stats, the Liverpool captain tops the table in terms of number of passes made and also sits second in terms of tackles (his total of 88 is six more than even Chelsea's N'Golo Kante has managed).
However, Henderson and the Reds have lost their way of late, not helped by a leaky defence that has conceded the most number of goals (30) among the top six in the table.
Right Midfield: Christian Eriksen
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When it came to the right-hand side, it was a battle between the probing passing and set-piece delivery of Christian Eriksen at Tottenham and the pace Sadio Mane provides for Liverpool.
Both have excelled this season, albeit in different ways.
Mane's speed was pivotal in helping Liverpool fly out of the blocks at the start of the season, and the Reds badly missed the forward while he was away at the Africa Cup of Nations in January.
While eyebrows were raised at the £35.02 million fee paid to Southampton, the Senegalese's tally of nine goals suggests Klopp knew he'd get value for money.
But using Squawka's player-comparison matrix, Eriksen came out on top in the fight to start on the flank.
The Dane has scored five goals and set up eight more for his colleagues, creating 66 chances overall. He's also registered a pass-completion rate of 80.2 per cent, fractionally higher than Mane's 78.9.
Eriksen joined Tottenham in August 2013 but had previously been linked with Liverpool. He told Oliver Barnet of the Daily Star how Spurs chairman Daniel Levy played a key role in sealing his signature.
Speaking of players who could have signed for the Reds...
Central Midfield (Attacking): Dele Alli
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Had Steven Gerrard picked a different time to take a nap, Dele Alli could be a Liverpool player.
The midfielder—a boyhood Reds fan—told BBC's Football Focus (h/t Kristian Walsh of the Liverpool Echo): "We went up [to Merseyside], and I think they knew that Steven Gerrard was my hero, so they said he was going to come down to meet me, but when I got there, he was asleep apparently."
Liverpool's loss in 2014—although Alli admitted Gerrard had a game the next day, hence his no-show—turned out to be Tottenham's gain.
Alli scored 10 goals for Spurs in the Premier League in the 2015/16 season—and he's already surpassed that total this term.
A second-half header in the 2-2 draw away at Manchester City on January 21 moved his tally to 11.
As John Brewin wrote for ESPN FC, "The problem Tottenham face with Alli is bottling up expectations in a player who, at 20, already looks like the real deal."
You snooze, you lose—as Liverpool found out to their cost.
Left Midfield: Philippe Coutinho
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Philippe Coutinho squeezes in on the left of our 4-2-3-1 system, with the Brazilian making the final cut ahead of Heung-Min Son.
The Liverpool playmaker—who signed a new long-term contract in January—has struggled to make an impact since his return from an ankle injury at the turn of the year, managing just one assist in eight appearances.
However, prior to getting hurt against Sunderland at the end of November, Coutinho was a key figure in helping the Reds look like title contenders rather than top-four pretenders.
He averages the most shots per game (3.2) and key passes (2.2) in Liverpool's squad. Only Mane (2.4) beats his 2.2 dribbles per game, too.
After an understated debut season in England, Son has shone in his second year at White Hart Lane.
Used across the forward line by Pochettino, the 24-year-old has contributed 11 goals in all competitions. Seven of those have come from the left, the position he's predominantly occupied.
Yet Coutinho's five assists (Son has three) proved enough to get him the nod.
Striker: Harry Kane
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After a disappointing Euro 2016 with England (who remembers those corners?), Harry Kane has bounced back with another productive season in front of goal for Tottenham.
The striker won the Premier League's Golden Boot last season with 25 goals. He is on course to repeat the trick, with his tally of 14 leaving him only two behind leading scorer Romelu Lukaku.
Spurs fans love him. He's one of their own, in case you've somehow never heard the chant.
And unlike former Tottenham players Luka Modric and Gareth Bale, Kane—who was sidelined for nearly two months earlier this season with an ankle injury—has no interest in moving on.
He told Ian Ladyman of the Daily Mail: "I work for one of the best managers in the world and have one of the best young teams in the world, so why leave?"
Kane was the clear choice up top for the combined XI, yet Roberto Firmino's fine season deserves a mention.
Regularly picked ahead of Daniel Sturridge and Divock Origi to play as Liverpool's centre-forward, the Brazilian has found the net eight times and is pivotal to Klopp's high-pressing game.
Kane, though, was able to hold off Firmino here.
All advanced statistics used were from WhoScored.com or Squawka.com unless otherwise stated. All transfer fees quoted were taken from Transfermarkt.
