Combined Manchester City vs. Liverpool XI During the Premier League Era
Manchester City and Liverpool go head-to-head for the 40th time in the Premier League on Sunday.
The Reds have won 18 of the previous meetings, including five of the last six in the league. However, City did triumph after a penalty shootout in last year's EFL Cup final at Wembley.
The good news for the neutral is the sides haven't produced a 0-0 draw since the 2009/10 season, so hopefully, there should be goals at the Etihad Stadium this weekend.
Ahead of the latest battle between managers Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp—who used to go toe-to-toe when in charge of German giants Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund, respectively—Bleacher Report has picked a combined XI from the PL years.
The chance to trawl back through old squad lists threw up many forgotten names from the past. Well, at least fans of Liverpool and Manchester City would want to forget about some of them.
But the north-west rivals have also possessed plenty of talent through the years. This attack-minded team lines up in a 4-4-2 formation that includes a diamond-shaped midfield.
And no, Mario Balotelli didn't make the cut.
Goalkeeper: Joe Hart
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While Joe Hart may not be Guardiola's cup of tea, he's still good enough to make our combined XI.
The England international beats out Pepe Reina to be the first-choice goalkeeper. The former gets the nod having picked up the Premier League's Golden Glove award four times in his career (Reina won it three times).
The last line of defence for Manchester City's title-winning squads in 2012 and 2014, Hart's an outstanding shot-stopper who, despite the odd error, never lacks confidence.
He's produced some particularly eye-catching displays in the UEFA Champions League for City, most notably against Spanish giants Barcelona and Real Madrid.
Distribution issues led to Pep sending the player out on loan to Serie A side Torino, but behind this team, he just needs to roll the ball out to a team-mate then sit back and enjoy the show.
Other contenders: Claudio Bravo (just kidding!), David James, Reina
Right-Back: Pablo Zabaleta
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Signed just before Sheikh Mansour arrived at Manchester City, Pablo Zabaleta has remained a constant presence through the club's rise to Premier League powerhouse.
The Argentinian full-back isn't blessed with blistering pace. He's not an unstoppable attacking force out wide either.
However, his commitment is never in doubt. A tough nut for any opposing winger to crack, he is now on his fourth different manager since signing from Espanyol in 2008.
City fans love him. So, too, do journalists, since it's rare Zabaleta ever walks straight through a media mix zone without stopping to provide scribes with a few sentences for their copy.
"In an age when footballers often live in wealth-padded bubbles, the iconic Blues defender has straddled both worlds—he has been top-class and yet retains the common touch," Stuart Brennan wrote in the Manchester Evening News.
Just how down-to-earth is Pablo? He loves Status Quo. No, really.
Other contenders: Markus Babbel, Steve Finnan, Bacary Sagna
Centre-Back: Vincent Kompany
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Mark Hughes was the first manager to benefit financially from Mansour's takeover at Manchester City.
Hughes didn't always get it right in the transfer market (remember Jo? Sadly, City fans do). However, the £7.23 million he handed over to Hamburg for Vincent Kompany turned out to be money well spent.
Forget about the ailing Kompany around today. Injuries have left a shell of the defender who captained his club to Premier League glory in the 2011/12 and 2013/14 seasons.
"Kompany has almost the ideal physique for his position. Although he is 6'3", he has great mobility and is just as comfortable playing against a battering-ram striker such as Didier Drogba, as he is playing against someone small and quick such as Jermain Defoe," Martin Keown told the Daily Mail in April 2011.
The Belgian has now made over 300 appearances for City, per Transfermarkt. That number would be closer to 400 were it not for fitness issues.
Still only 30, Kompany's long-term future at the Etihad Stadium remains unclear. However, no matter what happens in the coming months and years, he was one of the outstanding centre-backs in Europe not so long ago.
Other contenders (from Manchester City): Sylvain Distin, Joleon Lescott
Centre-Back: Sami Hyypia
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The second centre-back berth came down to a duel between the tried-and-trusted Liverpool pairing of Jamie Carragher and Sami Hyypia.
The versatile Carragher—who made 737 appearances for the Reds—was a committed defender willing to put his body on the line for the cause, even though he'd supported city rivals Everton as a boy.
The Kop sang about dreaming of a team of Carraghers, yet the unassuming Hyypia was for so long a towering pillar of strength alongside the Englishman.
Lacking in pace, the Finn relied on his positional awareness to be in the right place at the right time. He was also outstanding in the air and more comfortable than his team-mate in possession.
Both men present strong cases for selection, but Hyypia's ability on the ball—plus his extra inches in height—puts him just ahead of his old team-mate. But it is a close call. Seriously close.
Other contenders (from Liverpool): Daniel Agger, Carragher, Stephane Henchoz, Mark Wright
Left-Back: John Arne Riise
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Liverpool and Manchester City have fielded some duds at left-back during the Premier League years.
It is unlikely City fans will remember German Michael Frontzeck too fondly, while the only lasting impression Ben Thatcher left was with his elbow on Pedro Mendes' head.
As for the Reds, Paul Konchesky was a fish so far out of water at Anfield he should have been battered, fried and sat on a plate next to a portion of chips. Djimi Traore lasted a lot longer at the club...somehow.
In the end, the selection decision boiled down to a three-way fight between Gael Clichy, Aleksandar Kolarov and John Arne Riise.
While sometimes shaky defensively, Riise's blistering speed made him an attacking threat when his team were in possession. He also offered plenty of pace when striking the ball with his jackhammer of a left foot.
The Norwegian—who could be viewed as a faster version of Kolarov—gets the nod, but you can just as easily make a case for either City candidate instead.
Other contenders: Stig Inge Bjornebye, Clichy, Kolarov
Central Midfielder (Holding): Xabi Alonso
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Xabi Alonso comes out on top in a fierce battle to play at the base of the midfield diamond.
While his rivals for the role were perhaps better in the defensive aspects of the game, the Spaniard's talent on the ball means he has to fit somewhere into this XI.
Then-Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez's decision to sign a 22-year-old Alonso from Real Sociedad in August 2004 proved a masterstroke (although the former lost a little credit for later trying to replace his compatriot with Gareth Barry).
The boy from the Basque Country grew up quickly in England, adapting to the rigours of life in the Premier League.
He would ping passes around with elegance, caressing the ball across to team-mates. He had an eye for a long-range goal, occasionally even from inside his own half.
Guardiola—who previously worked with the player at Bayern Munich—described Alonso as "one of the best midfielders I've ever seen in my life," per Jonathan Smith of ESPN FC.
Who are we to go against Pep's word?
Other contenders: Fernandinho, Dietmar Hamann, Nigel de Jong, Javier Mascherano
Right Midfielder: Steven Gerrard
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Such is Steven Gerrard's standing in Liverpool, he was awarded the freedom of the city at the start of 2017.
He played 710 games for the Reds, scoring 186 goals. Plenty of those were pivotal strikes, including a late rocket against Olympiakos that kept his side alive in the Champions League in 2004.
Gerrard went on to lift Europe's premier club trophy at the end of that 2004/05 season, having also played a key role in the comeback, forever remembered as the miracle of Istanbul, against AC Milan.
Then there was his long-range drive against West Ham United in the 2006 FA Cup final, dramatically sparing his team from defeat at the death. They went on to lift the trophy after a penalty shootout.
When Liverpool needed their skipper, he more often than not came to their rescue. Is he the greatest Red of all time? Quite possibly—he's without doubt in the thick of the conversation.
Gerrard was used out wide in the early years, shifted further forward during his prime before finishing as a ball-playing screener in front of the defence.
In this team, though, he's picked to start on the right. While not his favoured position, the former England captain would have welcomed the chance to play in this star-studded midfield foursome.
Other contenders: Dirk Kuyt, Steve McManaman (the Liverpool version, not the one who did a lot of pointing and little else for Manchester City), Shaun Wright-Phillips
Left Midfielder: David Silva
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David Silva is a footballing magician.
His ability to suddenly change direction, combined with an exquisite touch, means he can escape from confined spaces. He conjures up chances for team-mates, too, using his wand of a left foot to pull a rabbit out of the hat.
OK, enough of the magical references.
Slight in stature, Silva's shown time and time again how you don't need to be a physical specimen to prosper in English football.
"He [Silva] is one of the players that really impressed me so far. He can read the game very well. He can see where everything is, he knows where to turn so that he has time. He can play one-touch and two-touch football," City team-mate Leroy Sane told the Manchester City website in February this year (h/t FourFourTwo).
Since arriving from Valencia in the summer of 2010, the Spain international averages over 58 passes per game in the Premier League. He's also managed 37 goals and 62 assists.
Other contenders: John Barnes, Philippe Coutinho, Samir Nasri
Central Midfielder (Attacking): Yaya Toure
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Yaya Toure has filled several positions during his Manchester City career.
Signed from Barcelona as a holding midfielder, he later morphed into an attacking behemoth. He peaked in the 2013/14 season, scoring 20 goals as he spearheaded the club's march to a second Premier League crown.
"To say Manchester City wouldn’t have won the league without Yaya Toure is an understatement. He proved himself to be one of the world’s best—and undoubtedly the finest attacking midfielder in the 2013/14 Premier League," Huw Davies wrote for FourFourTwo.
While no longer at his physical peak, Toure still flashes moments of class. Brother Kolo may be more popular in the footballing world, but Yaya made a bigger on-field impact.
Just don't forget his birthday, though.
So, we've got a midfield of Alonso, Gerrard, Silva and Toure, offering the team a beautiful mix of pace, power and skill in the middle of the park. Forget needing to tackle—our quartet would barely give the ball away.
Other contenders: Kevin De Bruyne, Georgi Kinkladze
Striker: Luis Suarez
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Liverpool have been blessed with some wonderful forwards in the Premier League era.
Robbie Fowler arrived first, quickly followed by Michael Owen. After the two homegrown talents faded, along came Fernando Torres. Even when he sulked off to Chelsea, the Reds swooped to sign Luis Suarez.
So just how can you work out the best choice from the fantastic four strikers mentioned?
Fowler (128), also known as "God" on the red half of Merseyside, leads the way in terms of league goals. Torres, however, has the best strike rate, scoring every 0.637 games, according to LFCHistory.net.
However, don't forget Owen won the prestigious Ballon d'Or award after helping Liverpool secure a famous cup treble (FA, League and UEFA Cups) in the 2000/01 season.
And yet, despite such strong resumes from the other three, Suarez—who scored 69 times in 110 appearances before exiting for Barcelona—is this writer's choice.
The Telegraph's Chris Bascombe ranked the Uruguayan the sixth best Liverpool player of all time in 2015, three places ahead of nearest rival Fowler. "He was not at the club long enough, but the football memories will linger as much as the controversies. He was magnificent for Liverpool," Bascombe wrote.
There is no wrong option here; they each made life a misery for opposing defences in different ways. But Suarez's non-stop motor and ability to create chances for others sees him slot into our forward line.
Other contenders (from Liverpool): Fowler, Owen, Torres...Emile Heskey
Striker: Sergio Aguero
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Unlike Liverpool's striking options, there is little debate needed over the identity of Manchester City's leading frontman since the Premier League's inception in 1992.
Sergio Aguero is in his sixth season at the Etihad. He's reached double figures for goals in all of them, and now he has more than 150 in all competitions for the club.
However, his most important goal of the lot came at the end of his debut season in England, as a dramatic, injury-time winner against Queens Park Rangers secured the title in 2012.
"I remember seeing the ball hitting the back of the net, hearing a deafening roar and things are hazy after that! I pulled off my shirt and wheeled away swirling it above my head as I went a little crazy," Aguero wrote in his book, Born to Rise (h/t Paul Handler of the Manchester Evening News).
Like any thoroughbred, he is susceptible to niggles and pulls.
When fully fit, though, Aguero is one of the best finishers the competition has ever seen. Paired with Suarez, he would form a lethal double act capable of troubling the world's best defences.
Other contenders (from Manchester City): Nicolas Anelka, Carlos Tevez, Niall Quinn.
All statistics used in the article are from the Premier League official website unless otherwise stated.
