Manchester United travel to White Hart Lane this Sunday to face a Tottenham side that will be looking to bounce back after last weekend’s devastating loss to West Ham which all but ended their chances of winning the Premier League title this season.
In fact, both teams will be desperate for the three points this weekend as United also lost to rivals Arsenal last week, so a victory is vital for them if they are to give themselves a shot at finishing in the Champions League places. Although, the Red Devils could take an alternative route and qualify for next year’s competition by winning this year’s Europa League, which Jose Mourinho may consider as their best chance.
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As for Tottenham, if they needed any extra motivation heading into this game, then the fact that the United game will be the final one ever fixture White Hart Lane will surely suffice. Spurs will be looking to say farewell to their historic ground with a win, which could also keep any faint hopes of their title challenge alive.
Sunday’s game is going to be important for many reasons, so with that being said, let’s look at the best-combined XI of two of the Premier League’s top six sides as they head into this weekend’s showdown.
Goalkeeper: David De Gea (Man Utd)
There will be two top quality goalkeepers between the sticks at either end of the field this Sunday, but David De Gea takes this one quite comfortably for me.
De Gea has had yet another fantastic season and proven that he is the best ‘keeper in the league, if not all of Europe, as evidenced by being named in the PFA ‘Team of the Season’ for the third year in succession. He continues to improve and has arguably become United’s most valuable player.
He will certainly be a tough man to replace for the Red Devils if his heavily rumoured transfer to Real Madrid goes through this Summer, but as for now, he is still a United player and will be looking to keep another important clean sheet this weekend.
Right Back: Kyle Walker (Spurs)
It was a close call between Walker and Antonio Valencia for the right-back spot, but for me, the Spurs man just edges this one.
Walker has improved over the last year or so and become a much more solid defender. He has always had the strength, athleticism and pace to terrify opponents but was often criticised for his consistency. It’s been a different story this season, however, as Walker has regularly put in top quality performances to help Tottenham mount a title challenge.
While rumours have emerged that he could be leaving Spurs this summer, he is still the first choice for now and will be looking to put in another good performance this Sunday.
Centre Back: Toby Alderweireld (Spurs)
Alderweireld has emerged as one of the best defenders in the league over the last couple of seasons and has further impressed this year.
He holds an amazing record of having played for the side with the best defensive record, in their respective leagues, in five of the last seven seasons. That record looks set to be extended as, thus far, no side have conceded fewer goals than Spurs in the current campaign.
Whether it’s in a three or four-man defence, Alderweireld has been solid and has formed a strong partnership with his Tottenham and Belgium teammate, Jan Vertonghen.
CB: Jan Vertonghen (Spurs)
Vertonghen is not only one of the top defenders in the Premier League but also carries a considerable attacking threat.
Although his goal and assist stats in recent years have not been as impressive as his first season with the club (when he also played as a left-back), when he scored four league goals from defence, he plays an important role for Spurs in getting the ball forward quickly to the side’s more creative players.
Also, he has been seen venturing forward more recently when Spurs use a three-man defence as he has more freedom to attack.
Left Back: Ben Davies (Spurs)
Completing the all-Spurs defence at left-back is Ben Davies.
Coming in for Danny Rose due to his knee injury, Davies has covered well, despite a slightly rocky start, and is now looking solid in Tottenham’s well-organised defensive unit. He has shown himself as more than capable of becoming a first-team choice for Spurs and further goes to show Tottenham’s embarrassment of riches at both full-back positions.
It remains to be seen how Davies will fair when Rose makes his imminent return from injury, although he is expected to start again this weekend and will be looking to impress and attempt to cement himself the left-back position at Spurs.
Central Midfield: Ander Herrera (Manchester United)
Ander Herrera has been one of United’s underrated stars this season and as has been the case his whole career, has again gone on to be under appreciated for his dirty work. However, the numbers tell a story of their own as he has made more interceptions than any other midfielder in the Premier League this campaign.
He also chips in with his fair share of assists for his side, with six so far this season, and has become one of Mourinho’s most reliable performers. Although he was criticised for his performance against Arsenal last weekend.
Regardless, he will be an important player for United this Sunday and will be expected to try and nullify the threat of Spurs’ attacking players.
Central Midfield: Victor Wanyama (Spurs)
Likewise, Victor Wanyama will be key for Spurs in the midfield battle this weekend. The powerful midfielder has been key in Tottenham’s title pursuit this season.
In shielding his side’s defence, Wanyama is often the man who wins the ball back for his side and moves it on to the more attacking players in the team.
If Paul Pogba starts for United on Sunday, then the midfield tussle between him and Wanyama could be a fascinating and vital aspect of the game.
Central Attacking Midfield: Dele Alli (Spurs)
Dele Alli has had another fantastic season at Spurs, contributing 17 goals for his side so far this campaign.
He is already among the best midfielders in Europe and at just 21-years old, the sky is the limit for the former MK Dons man. Alli has seemingly replaced Wayne Rooney in the ‘number 10’ role in the England set-up and does so in the United and Spurs combined XI also.
Although often praised for his technical and attacking ability, Spurs may be looking more towards Alli’s dogged, aggressive traits this weekend to inspire a response from last week’s disappointing defeat to West Ham.
Right Wing: Christian Eriksen (Spurs)
Although he’s not praised as often as some of his Tottenham teammates, Christian Eriksen has been as vital as anyone to their success this season.
He’s certainly highly rated by many fans and pundits, but I believe he is still undervalued and is one of the top creative players in not just the Premier League, but in all of European football, in fact, he’s already created over 100 chances for Spurs this campaign.
As is often the case, the plaudits often go to the goal scorers, but Eriksen is key to unlocking defences to create those goals and will be looking to do so again this Sunday against Manchester United.
Left Wing: Marcus Rashford (Manchester United)
It’s fair to say that Marcus Rashford’s second season in United’s first team hasn’t gone as well as he would have hoped. But in recent weeks, he has shown signs of getting back to somewhere near his best form.
After recently ending his Premier League goal drought and also netting a couple of important goals in the Europa League, Rashford looks to have had a confidence boost at the right time for United and seems determined to fill the void left in the side by the injured Ibrahimovic.
Another strong performance this weekend will surely convince Mourinho that he is the man to fire the Red Devils into next year’s Champions League, possibly via the Europa League.
Striker: Harry Kane (Spurs)
Although Rashford is in great goalscoring form, Harry Kane comfortably takes the sole striker role in this combined XI, leaving Rashford to play on the left wing.
For the third season in a row, Kane has hit over 20 goals in the Premier League, despite missing a portion of the campaign through injury and starting just 26 of Spurs’ 35 games so far.
He will again be the man that Pochettino will be relying on to get the goals against United and salvage any hopes of an unlikely chance at winning the Title this season.
So there’s my combined XI for the Tottenham vs Man Utd game this Sunday, do you agree?
If not, join the discussion and leave your personal choices in the comments below.
