Picking a Liverpool vs. Arsenal Combined XI
On Saturday, the two Premier League rivals meet at Anfield knowing a win not only boosts their hopes of finishing in the top four but also thrusts their beaten opponents into the media spotlight again.
Following a dismal display against struggling champions Leicester City on Monday, the Reds have come under fire in the past few days.
Their title challenge long since over, a season that offered so much early hope could fade out to a place in the UEFA Europa League. Even Jurgen Klopp would struggle to crack a smile at such a disappointing outcome.
As for the Gunners, they have seen their storyline played out many, many times before, albeit in this version there's the added plot twist of Arsene Wenger's uncertain future at the Emirates Stadium.
The neutral, meanwhile, can just relax and enjoy the drama.
Liverpool-Arsenal meetings normally provide plenty of goals, too—there's only been one 0-0 league draw between the clubs since the turn of the decade, and the reverse fixture finished 4-3.
To whet your appetite ahead of the crucial contest, Bleacher Report has selected a combined XI that lines up in a 4-3-3 formation.
Goalkeeper: Petr Cech
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According to Kieran Gill of the Daily Mail, Arsenal and Liverpool could get involved in a transfer tug-of-war for Manchester City goalkeeper Joe Hart in the summer.
While the Reds' interest in the out-of-favour Hart is hardly surprising, considering Simon Mignolet and Loris Karius have failed to convince, the Gunners seemingly have a perfectly good goalkeeper already in Petr Cech.
Sure, the Czech is now 34 years old. However, he has kept eight clean sheets this season, taking his overall tally to 145 (no 'keeper has managed more in Premier League history).
And despite his error against former club Chelsea that gifted a goal to Cesc Fabregas in February, Cech's still a safer option compared to his counterparts at Liverpool.
Right-Back: Hector Bellerin
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There was little to choose between Hector Bellerin and Nathaniel Clyne for the right-back slot.
Both defenders provide an attacking outlet for their respective teams out wide. Both have provided two assists in the Premier League this season, too.
Clyne goes under the radar to a degree at Liverpool. It is now just expected he will do his job on the right flank. While the England international doesn't often stand out, he also rarely lets the Reds down.
Bellerin isn't as physically strong as Clyne, although he would surely edge him out in a sprint (considering he had the nerve to challenge Usain Bolt to a race last year).
With the modern full-back judged on attacking ability as much as the defensive side of the game, the Spaniard's speed gets him into the B/R combined XI.
In his column for SkySports.com, La Liga expert Guillem Balague suggested Bellerin as the perfect fit to fill a problematic position at one of the world's biggest clubs: "Not only is he a Barcelona player as we know having come through La Masia, he has gained so much maturity, but somebody at Arsenal told me that if Arsene Wenger ends up staying, he could end up being captain in two or three years."
Centre-Back: Laurent Koscielny
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When Laurent Koscielny went off injured early in the second half of his side's UEFA Champions League last-16 tie against Bayern Munich, Arsenal were drawing 1-1 with their German hosts.
By the full-time whistle in the Allianz Arena, the Gunners had lost 5-1.
Would Arsenal still have lost if Koscielny played the full 90 minutes? Possibly. But it is hard to believe they would have folded faster than an origami expert if he were present on the field.
It's no wonder the Frenchman went off with a back injury, though. At times, he has to carry his defensive colleagues.
"As we saw in Munich, without him, the Gunners back line becomes a collection of sodden wooden struts tumbling into the harsh rapids below. Laurent Koscielny is a general that has seen unspeakable horrors but still leads his troops onward into the next battle," Tim Stillman wrote for Arseblog.com.
The Frenchman is the first-choice centre-back in our XI, and he's also set to return from injury for the Gunners at Anfield at the weekend, according to the club's official website.
Centre-Back: Joel Matip
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There was a three-way fight to partner Koscielny at the heart of the defence.
Shkodran Mustafi has impressed Martin Keown, although the former Gunner still feels there's room for improvement from Arsenal's German centre-back.
"People remember the finished article and not the beginning—Mustafi is still at the beginning of his road at Arsenal. He needs to build the determination to ensure it doesn’t happen again. He needs to be more on red alert when he plays," Keown said during a question-and-answer session staged by the Daily Mail.
As for Dejan Lovren, he boasts the best rating (514.05) of all the options on Squawka's comparison matrix.
However, both Mustafi (£34.85 million) and Lovren (£21.51 million) are scrutinised to a greater degree because of the fees paid out to acquire their services from Valencia and Southampton, respectively.
In contrast, Joel Matip cost nothing. Tall, quick and comfortable in possession, the 25-year-old's free-transfer signing from Schalke last summer saved Liverpool millions.
The Reds' defence still has holes—no side in the Premier League's top six has conceded more than their total of 33 goals—but Matip's presence plugs some of them.
Left-Back: James Milner
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The contest to start at left-back was less like a fight between heavyweight legends Muhammad Ali and George Foreman and more akin to a charity bout involving comedians Les Dennis and Bob Mortimer.
Nacho Monreal has started the majority of Arsenal's league games in the position.
However, the Spaniard's indifferent form saw him dropped in favour of Kieran Gibbs, who somehow ended up wearing the captain's armband after Koscielny went off against Bayern Munich.
Neither Gunner got the nod, though.
James Milner is instead selected, even if ex-Red Jamie Carragher aired his doubts on Sky Sports (h/t Ben Grounds of MailOnline) about the player's suitability to play the position.
Still, the converted midfielder has an average rating of 7.28 with WhoScored.com. While he may not be the long-term option for Liverpool, he's the best of a bad bunch for this team.
Holding Midfielder: Jordan Henderson
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There seems little middle ground when it comes to Jordan Henderson. You either believe he's overrated or you reckon the Liverpool captain doesn't get the respect he deserves.
Klopp certainly appreciates what his skipper does on the field, as he told Sky Sports' Geoff Shreeves (h/t Jack Wilkinson of SkySports.com).
"After the Burnley game, everybody told me I needed to buy a new No. 6, that Hendo could not play there and that maybe we needed a warrior, fighting holding midfielder. Six months later he is the most underrated midfielder to play in England. I always knew his quality, even before I came to Liverpool," he said.
The numbers suggest Klopp's side are not as good without the England international's presence.
Per AnfieldNation on Twitter, Liverpool boast a 61.5 win percentage when their captain plays. Without him, however, that number drops alarmingly to 33.3 percent.
The bad news for the Reds is Henderson looks set to miss the Arsenal game at the weekend due to a foot injury, according to Liam Prenderville of The Mirror.
We don't have to worry about injuries here, so Henderson starts ahead of Francis Coquelin (who failed to make a tackle in the 5-1 UEFA Champions League loss to Bayern Munich last month) and Granit Xhaka (who collects red cards at such a rate you wonder if he believes they're giving him special powers).
Central Midfielder: Adam Lallana
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Adam Lallana has blossomed at Liverpool since the arrival of Klopp.
Not many thought the German's high-pressing, fast-tempo style would suit the former Southampton player, yet he has become a fixture in the starting XI, whether lining up in central midfield or further forward.
He's contributed seven league goals and the same number of assists in 24 Premier League appearances.
Lallana—who was voted England's player of the year for 2016—has earned a new long-term contract, even though he will turn 29 in May.
"Adam is a natural leader and is so, so important within our team and also in the dressing room. Maybe on the outside his leadership is not seen as much as we see it each and every day at Melwood in everything he does," Klopp told James Carroll of LiverpoolFC.com.
Arsenal duo Santi Cazorla and Aaron Ramsey would have stronger cases for selection over Lallana in midfield were it not for their injury problems this season.
Attacking Midfielder: Mesut Ozil
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How do you solve a problem like Mesut Ozil?
The German hasn't found the net for Arsenal in 2017 yet, while he's also only managed the one assist (against Burnley) since the turn of the year.
He has scored nine goals in all competitions this season (five of them in the Premier League) despite going through a seriously dry spell that is as baffling as Wenger's inability to zip up a jacket.
Perhaps the player isn't totally to blame. Per Squawka.com, Ozil has created 59 chances in league action this season yet only registered four assists.
Like the Gunners in general, the player's impressive first half of the season is in danger of being completely forgotten by a string of disappointing performances.
The Ozil memes have dried up on social media, now there are just questions over whether the player is worthy of a new contract (his deal expires in 2018).
Still, this is World Cup-winner Mesut Ozil. Form is temporary and all that, right? Right?
Right Wing: Sadio Mane
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Any doubts about Liverpool's wisdom in forking out £35.02 million to sign Sadio Mane last summer disappeared 63 minutes into his debut.
Away at Arsenal, the Senegal forward outpaced Calum Chambers on the right wing before cutting inside and firing an unerringly accurate left-footed shot beyond Cech.
Mane has scored 10 more goals since that impressive effort last August, including a double in the 2-0 triumph over Tottenham Hotspur on February 11 that further underlined his importance to the Reds.
His club were so desperate to get him back from January's Africa Cup of Nations that they organised a private jet to fly him back in time to feature against league leaders Chelsea.
The 24-year-old is undoubtedly the Reds' first-choice option for the right wing, and that's exactly where he slots into our team, too.
Left Wing: Philippe Coutinho
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Philippe Coutinho's second-half strike might be the only crumb of comfort Liverpool fans could take from the 3-1 defeat to Leicester.
The Brazilian's consolation goal was his first since returning from injury in the middle of January. It took his Premier League tally to six, while he's also weighed in with five assists.
He scored twice in the away fixture against Arsenal at the start of the season, including a stunning free-kick before half-time that got the visitors back on level terms.
Even if he's struggled to recapture his best form after recovering from ankle ligament damage, the 24-year-old is a better option than Arsenal's Alex Iwobi and Theo Walcott (who actually lines up on the right).
"Phil is the type of guy who takes everything in games. It's not been easy for him. He takes all the responsibility in the world. Yeah, [he tries to do too much]. That's him," Klopp said, per James Pearce of the Liverpool Echo.
According to TransferMarkt.co.uk, Coutinho has started on the left wing in all bar one of his 19 Premier League appearances this season.
Striker: Alexis Sanchez
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If Arsenal fail to end the season with a trophy or even finish outside the top four in the Premier League, it won't be for a lack of effort on Alexis Sanchez's part.
The Chilean has scored 17 league goals this season, as well as contributing nine assists. He's also found the net three times in the UEFA Champions League and sparked one protest march in his home country.
Some of Sanchez's compatriots became so fed up at an apparent lack of effort from the rest of the Gunners they organised a protest march. A grand total of five turned up.
Sanchez had the chance to join the Reds in the summer of 2014 but headed to the Emirates instead.
"The reason why I moved to Arsenal is because there were a group of young players with the ambition to achieve things," he told BT Sport (h/t Sean Kearns of Metro).
There's the possibility his ambitions are growing too big for Arsenal to match, with the player linked with a summer departure from the Emirates, per Metro's Coral Barry.
Playing in this combined XI would surely satisfy Sanchez. Such a strong supporting cast would offer him the chance to shine as the headline act.
And what of the forward options for our bench? Theo Walcott would offer pace, Olivier Giroud a scoring threat different to Sanchez and Roberto Firmino a willing worker capable of playing in all three roles.
All advanced statistics used were from WhoScored.com or Squawka.com unless otherwise stated. All transfer fees quoted were taken from Transfermarkt.co.uk.
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