Arsenal vs Liverpool: Combined XI | Premier League 2020-21

Central Defence: Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool), Rob Holding (Arsenal)

Rob Holding could make a worthy partner for Virgil van Dijk

One member of this team’s central defense is obvious.

He hasn’t played many games this season due to a serious knee injury suffered in October, but it’d be impossible to leave out Virgil van Dijk.

The big Dutchman has helped transform Liverpool’s defense from one of the Premier League's leakiest to one of the best since joining in 2018. And he’s been missed hugely by the Reds this season.

Van Dijk can tackle, pass and win the ball in the air in both attacking and defensive situations. To be frank, he’s one of the greatest central defenders the Premier League’s ever seen.

Choosing a partner for him is a little trickier, as the other Liverpool defenders are either perma-injured (Joe Gomez, Joel Matip) or questionable (Nat Phillips, Rhys Williams).

So in terms of an Arsenal defender, Rob Holding is perhaps the best option.

In comparison to his teammates David Luiz and Gabriel Magalhaes, Holding averages higher in tackles per game (1.4), clearances per game (4), and he also scores highly in passing (86.5% success rate).

Therefore, the 25-year old takes his spot alongside van Dijk in this team.

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Left-Back: Andrew Robertson (Liverpool)

Andrew Robertson is still slightly better than his compatriot Kieran Tierney.

It’s very tricky to choose between Arsenal left-back Kieran Tierney and Liverpool left-back Andrew Robertson, but the older Robertson gets the nod – just about.

Robertson has involved himself with more goals this season (one goal, five assists) than Tierney (one goal, two assists).

And in terms of the other statistics, he comes out slightly ahead in all of the key metrics (pass success rate, tackles per game, key passes) than his fellow Scotsman.

Robertson hasn’t enjoyed his strongest campaign in 2020-21. And given he’s four years older than Tierney, there’s every chance the Arsenal man surpasses him in the near future.

For now, though, Robertson is very slightly better than his compatriot.