International friendly: Italy vs England - Combined XI

European heavyweights Italy and England are all set to clash in the Juventus stadium for a crunch international friendly this Tuesday. Both the sides will be fresh from their respective Euro qualifying games and will be aiming to continue their unbeaten run.The two sides last met in the group stages of the World Cup last summer, where the Azzurris prevailed over, 2-1. This time, however, with some old guards missing out on injuries and several new faces donning the field, the razzmatazz surrounding the fixture has gone slightly up a notch.Both sides boast an array of talented players in their squad. What if we choose the best players from both the sides, from each position, and club them into one single team ? What an enticing prospect would it be!So here it is. A combined starting XI of Italy and England, picking up some of the best players in each position.

#1 Goalkeeper: Gianluigi Buffon

A really tough call as the custodians from both the nationals are doing a great job for their respective teams. But despite being 36, Italy veteran Gianluigi Buffon shades his England counterpart Joe Hart in goal for this dream XI.

After the World Cup disappointment last summer, Buffon returned in fine fettle for the Bianconeris and has proved to be Serie A’s safest hands, having conceded the least amount of goals with a paltry 14 in 28 games. Age seems no bar for the towering Italian, who, despite being in his dotage, continues to pull off magnificent saves of yore and is still regarded as one of the best in the business at the moment.

The most capped player of Italy has kept 2 clean sheets in his last 4 games for the Azzurris and is likely to take up his place in between the pipes for this crunch game.

#2 Right-back: Nathaniel Clyne

The diminutive right-back of Southampton has come of age this season and is having a great season with the Saints. His laudable performances with his club earned him a national team call-up post the World Cup and barely 3 caps under his belt, has made the position his own.

Southampton’s defence has been so resolute this season that even the big guns of EPL had a hard time breaching them. They have currently the best defence in the league, having conceded only 21 goals and this 23-year old has been highly influential in it.

One of the foremost names on Ronald Koeman’s team sheet, Clyne’s crisp tackles and excellent man marking makes him a formidable figure at the back and is touted to be the star of tomorrow.

#3 Centre-back: Giorgio Chiellini

Another long serving member of The Blues, Giorgio Chiellini is one of the finest fullbacks in Serie A and suffice to say, his inclusion in this list is merely a foregone conclusion.

The Juventus defender is one of the instrumental figures in Bianconeri’s stoic defence and has also led an example by making crucial tackles and interceptions. His propensity to weigh in with crucial goals makes him more indespensible.

Chiellini has a good undertanding of the game and forges a great communication with his counterparts. Their adversaries for Tuesday evening, England, are on a fine goal run, having struck 15 times in last 5 games but with Chiellini at the helm, it won’t be easy for them to keep the incredible scoring run going.

#4 Centre-back: Gary Cahill

For years now, Cahill’s proficiency at the back has garnered umpteen plaudits and is also rightfully hailed as one of the best of his generation. Cahill has been in a sublime form for Chelsea and his partnership with fellow centre-back John Terry has been terrific.

A quick, consistent and reliable centreback, Cahill is also known for his positioning and his ability to read the game. Technically brilliant and a constant distributor of the ball. His splendid aerial prowess allows him to head home with some vital goals.

His last appearance for the Three Lions came against Lithuania where he was at his ruthless best, truely signified his aura of persipience.

#5 Left-back: Ryan Bertrand

The Southampton wingback comes in for the injured Leighton Baines, who was released to his club Everton, after the Euro qualifier game against Lithuania. After 6 months on loan, Ryan Bertrand joined the Saints on a permanent basis in January for an estimated £10 million and is now making Chelsea lament selling him with the impeccable performances he’s put up for Ronald Koeman’s side.

He and Nathaniel Clyne have unquestionably been among the best full-back pairings in the Premier League – possibly second only to Branislav Ivanovic and César Azpilicueta. Clyne is a tougher and more prolific tackler but Bertrand is solid too. An astute reader of the game, Bertrand’s positioning is sound and his rate of interceptions is also very high. No winger has emerged on top from duels him this season.

His nifty and relentless attacking also makes him integral to Southampton’s ability to unhinge opponents at the other end. At 25, and despite suffering several jolts to his confidence in recent years, Bertrand seems well set to defy that trend by becoming a stalwart at a top club.

Bertrand has, indeed, made the Southampton faithfuls forget about Luke Shaw.

#6 Right-midfield: Antonio Candreva

A vital cog in the Lazio machine that has been firing at all cylinders this season, Antonio Candreva is infact, the most complete player, not just at Lazio, but in the whole of Serie A. He is The Eagles’s battering ram.

Candreva has been the most consistent performer for the Rome outfit since joining them in 2012 and much of their recent success can be ascribed to the 25-year old.

A dynamic and complete player, he is well known for his pace, stamina, and work-rate, as well as his eye for goal. He is also gifted with vision, creativity, precise passing and crossing ability, and a powerful, accurate long-range shot, as well as good technical ability, ball control and dribbling skills. Moreover, he can be deployed in several midfield positions due to his tactical versatility.

Candreva has amassed 6 goals and 7 assists in Serie A this season, one of the highest for a midfielder, while also maintaning a stonking 82% passing accuracy.

#7 Central-midfield: Marco Verratti

The PSG midfielder will be taking over the talismanic mantle from the injured Andrea Pirlo in the centre of the park, acting as the deep-lying playmaker for Italy.

Verratti has been a colossal figure in PSG’s midfield unit, pulling the strings with authority. A technically gifted playmaker with notable dribbling and passing skills, the 22-year old has good vision and close ball control. He is even considered as the doppelganger to Pirlo, after making the same transition from trequartista to regista that the 2006 World Cup winner made early in his career.

The diminutive Italian has made 5 assists in the French Ligue 1 this season, scored 1, averages an impressive 2.7 tackles per game and has a passing accuracy of 91.2%.

#8 Left-midfield: Jordan Henderson

Liverpool’s Jordan Henderson has made seamless transition this season with the Reds. After a relatively quite start, the 24-year old is enduring some of his best days as a Liverpudlian. Henderson looks more confident than ever and also ready for the captaincy job next season onwards, when Gerrard lounges off the coast to the States.

Predominantly a midfielder, his versatility and the ability to acclimatise in any position has seen him fill other roles such as that of a right-winger or even a right-wingback. His multifaceted nature has seen score 5 times for the Anfield outfit in the league in this campaign and assisting 7 other.

#9 Right-winger: Manolo Gabbiadini

Not a household name, but surely one of the upcoming. Manolo Gabbiadini emerged through the ranks of Atalanta but it was at Sampdoria where he actually made his mark. After 2 convincing spells with La Samp, Gabbiadini joined Napoli in the January transfer window, this year.

Gabbiadini is versatile, creative, and hardworking forward, who is capable of playing in several offensive positions, as a striker or a supporting forward or as an attacking midfielder. Although he usually operates as a right winger, he is capable of curling shots on goal with his stronger left foot.

A dynamic player, he possesses pace, positional sense, and good technique, which, along with his strength, allows him to play with his back to goal and hold up the ball for team-mates. Gabbiadini is also an accurate set-piece taker.

#10 Left-winger: Wayne Rooney

After igniting the routing of Lithuania with a neat chip-in header, the England skipper will be buoyed to add more to his tally and get ever closer to Sir Bobby Charlton’s all-time record of 49 goals for The Three Lions.

Wayne Rooney has been tried and tested in several positions by Van Gaal at Manchester United this season, but consistently delivered in all those roles.

Rooney is an energetic, creative forward, who combines technical skill with strength and physicality, which enables him to excel in the air, despite not being particularly tall. A prolific goalscorer, Rooney is a powerful striker of the ball and an accurate finisher, who is capable of scoring goals both inside and outside the penalty area, as well as from volleys. These attributes have helped him bag 11 goals and 4 assists this season for the Red Devils, while creating 39 more goal scoring chances.

He is the face of the England football team right now and arguably, one of their greatest ever.

#11 Striker:Harry Kane

With Danny Welbeck now joining Daniel Sturridge in the treatment cabin back in England, the striking responsibility now falls on the tender yet able shoulders of the in-form Tottenham Hotspur striker Harry Kane, who made his debut against Lithuania this Friday and also got on the scoresheet within 79 seconds of coming on.

One of the surprise packages in the Premier League of this term, Kane is taking the league by storm with his prolific goal run, which currently stands at 19 in 26 league appearances, the joint-highest with Chelsea’s Diego Costa thus far. He is the brightest spot in the erratic Tottenham side and is also integral to their charge for a European berth.

While he has excelled in the centre-forward position at Tottenham, Kane is equally comfortable in playing wide positions or even as a second striker. His hold-up play and close control is why he is apt in roles too. His style of play has drawn his comparisons with former Tottenham maestro Jurgen Klinsmann.

Kane is currently the best striker in the Premier League alongside Diego Costa and Sergio Aguero and is also heavily poised to take home the PFA Young Player of the Year award.