Chelsea-Manchester United Combined XI for 2013/14 season

Premier League heavyweights Chelsea and Manchester United go head-to-head in Gameweek 22 of the 2013/14 season, and the stage is set for a Super Sunday match at Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea are currently third in the table, 2 points behind League leaders Arsenal and 1 point behind second placed Manchester City. Are they genuine title contenders? It is too early and too close call. Meanwhile, Manchester United are down in seventh place, 11 points behind Arsenal and they will travel to London looking to claim all three points.

Ahead of the big clash, we decided to form a combined XI that would include the best players from both sides this season.

Goalkeeper: David De Gea

As always, this was a tough one. One can safely say that David De Gea has finally found his feet in England. But in spite of Petr Cech keeping 2 more clean sheets than the Spanish goalkeeper, De Gea has been at the mercy of Premier League goal scorers more so due to Manchester United’s terrible defence than his own shortcomings. On the other hand, Cech has reaped the benefits of Mourinho’s ‘park the bus’ philosophy in many games with able defenders in front of him and yet he has been prone to making occasional errors that have led to goals.

Defence: Ivanovic – Cahill – Terry – Evra

Despite leaking goals early in the season, very unlike Mourinho’s Chelsea of old, the Blues have stabilised at the back and are tied at the top for least goals conceded in the EPL (19) along with Arsenal and Everton. That is less than a goal a game. Chelsea have been resolute at the back, especially against the big teams away from home as Mourinho played safe to guarantee at least a point rather than expose his side (evident from the 0-0 draws at Old Trafford and Emirates.

John Terry and Gary Cahill have formed a formidable partnership at the back, making a grand total of 236 clearances so far. They have won 22 offsides and blocked 26 shots apart from 32 tackles. Although Vidic and Evans have made 267 clearances, they have conceded more goals and have featured in lesser games.

With neither Chris Smalling nor Rafael impressing after sharing right-back duties at Manchester United, Branislav Ivanovic gets an automatic entry in the XI. He has made a total of 36 tackles and 22 interceptions this season coupled with 105 clearances. He has already made 800 passes with a success rate of 81%, averaging more than 2 long balls a game.

The only United defender to make the list is Patrice Evra. He outshone both Ashley Cole and stand-in left-back Cesar Azpilicueta in terms of number of appearances, tackles made, interceptions and clearances (in most cases, his numbers are better than the two chelsea full backs combined).

Defensive Midfield: Phil Jones – Ramires

Phil Jones has been one of Manchester United’s best players this season. The fact that he can play in both defence and midfield makes him a valuable asset to the Red Devils. He has played an equal number of games in central defence, central midfield and even at right-back when required. The young Englishman has impressed with his defensive contributions and immense work rate. 32 interceptions is no joke. 32 tackles, 77 clearances and an 87% pass success rate makes him one of the key players for United this season.

Ramires is your typical midfielder who runs, runs and well, runs! With the work rate that would rival a horse, he has been the key to linking Chelsea defence and attack. Though players like him and Mikel receive a lot of flak for “not doing much”, his contributions are only overshadowed by the fact that he doesn’t have many goals or assists to his name. But a closer look at his style of play and the stats that support his achievements will tell you why he is so highly regarded at Stamford Bridge.

Phil Jones and Eden Hazard vie for the ball.

Attacking Midfield: Oscar – Rooney – Hazard

With the famed ‘MaZaCar’ midfield partnership being broken by Mourinho this season, we see Wayne Rooney taking Juan Mata’s place in the midfield trio. Juan Mata has been benched as often as he has played this season, but both Eden Hazard and Oscar have been key players for the Blues this season. Both midfielders have combined for a total of 15 goals and 7 assists – more goals than the Chelsea strikers. They have the ability to play across the midfield, and they’re comfortable on either flank cutting into the box.

Ever since Van Persie’s arrival, Wayne Rooney has had to adapt to the new, deeper role. And he has thrived in that position – a position Manchester United desperately needed to fill. 9 goals and 9 assists later, you can see why Manchester United are struggling to create opportunities when Rooney is not available. The partnership with the Dutch striker has been an important factor in United’s climb into the top half of the table after a dismal start. But the biggest positive he brings to the team is his temperament and work ethic which has been the driving force in United’s wins this season, especially against Arsenal at Old Trafford.

Striker: Danny Welbeck

This was the easiest pick of the lot. Robin van Persie has been injured for long periods this season and has featured in only 11 games this season. Chelsea’s Fernando Torres and Samuel Eto’o have together scored only 7 goals in 27 appearances combined – the same as Van Persie in 11 appearances. As Mourinho tries to find a use for his strikers in a midfield dominated strategy, there’s no place for either of the Blues strikers in this XI. Demba Ba? Who?

But Danny Welbeck has made good use of the opportunities provided by Van Persie’s absence this season. He has found the net 8 times already and also has a pass success of almost 88% which are great numbers for a player who spends a majority of the game in the final third. As the Dutchman’s spell on the sidelines is set to be possibly extended for a few more weeks, Welbeck will be the key man to United’s fortunes up front.