Premier League: Liverpool vs Arsenal - Combined XI

Liverpool face Arsenal in Premier League this weekendArsenal travel to Anfield in this weekend’s marquee clash in the Premier League. Arsene Wenger heads to Liverpool with his side having won three of the last four in the league and also having qualified for the Champions League knockout stage where they will face Wenger’s former club Monaco.On the other hand, Liverpool have been knocked out of the Champions League and have found three points in the Premier League extremely hard to come by. Brendan Rodgers will be hoping his team can take the positives from a rare good performance in the League cup on Wednesday and go into this crucial fixture with some confidence.We tried our hand at combining the squads of 11th placed Liverpool and 6th placed Arsenal to come up with the best possible starting eleven based on current form. Below are the results of this exercise. Liverpool’s troubles are highlighted by the fact that only four of their players made the cut!

#1 Goalkeeper - Wojciech Szczsny

It couldn’t be an easier choice to make at the goalkeeping position between the two clubs. Szczsny is the undisputed first choice for Arsene Wenger whereas Brendan Rodgers dropped the much maligned Simon Mignolet to the bench only to be replaced by another hapless goaltender in Brad Jones.

Szczsny has become more reliable with experience and has only missed playing time this season due to injury. The Polish international has kept just three clean sheets this season but that is mainly down to the Arsenal back four which has not been the most difficult to score against and which has had to cope with numerous injuries.

At the other end of the pitch, Liverpool are expected to start with Brad Jones between the sticks. The 32 year old Aussie came in for the out of form Simon Mignolet against Manchester United last weekend but didn’t look very comfortable. Jones was also at fault for Dan Gosling’s goal in Liverpool’s mid week win at Bournemouth in the League Cup and the jury is still out on whether Rodgers was right to drop Mignolet to the bench considering he did not have a good enough replacement at his disposal.

#2 Right-back - Mathieu Debuchy

Mathieu Debuchy has returned from injury to quickly establish himself at right back in the Arsenal back four. The Frenchman put in a commanding performance in the 4-1 victory against his old club Newcastle last Saturday. Debuchy will be a fixture in the Arsenal side as long as he can remain fit.

As far as Liverpool are concerned, Glen Johnson’s fall from one of the most dynamic attacking full backs in the country to struggling for a place in the starting eleven has been alarming. But Johnson is anyways injured for this encounter and will probably be replaced by summer recruit Javier Manquillo who is a steady defender but does not offer a lot going forward. Brendan Rodgers wishes he had Jon Flanagan available, but the Englishman is still ruled out with a long term knee problem.

#3 Centre-back - Per Mertesacker

This is a position where both clubs would be hoping for major improvements in the second half of the season. But among the centre backs that will be on display at Anfield on Sunday, Per Mertesacker has been the best performer till now. The German is a towering presence and commands the penalty area while defending set pieces. But he has also found it difficult to deal with pace up front and it will be interesting to see how he fares against Raheem Sterling in that regard.

Mertesacker is also a goal scoring threat on set pieces with his sizeable height advantage and is due a goal having yet to open his mark this season.

#4 Centre-back - Martin Skrtel

While Liverpools defensive performances have been mostly poor this season, the same cannot be said of their Slovakian centre back Martin Skrtel. Skrtel is the only player in the Liverpool rearguard who has performed on an above averagelevel. Dejan Lovren has been a hugedisappointment since his20 million summer move from Southampton and the full backs havent performed much better.

Liverpool will require Skrtelto be at his best if they are to prevent Arsenal from scoring on Sunday and have any hope of coming away with all threepoints.

#5 Left-back - Kieran Gibbs

Keiran Gibbs is the undisputed first choice at left-back for Arsene Wenger. The 25 year old was always good going forward but has taken giant strides as a defender this season. He should be a permanent fixture at left back for the Gunners for the next few seasons as long as he can consistently stay on the pitch and remain injury free.

While Wenger has an easy choice, Brendan Rodgers seems to have no clue who his best bet atleft back is. We have seen Alberto Moreno and Luis Enrique alternate at the position andboth have failed to impress Rodgers enough to warrant a consistent run in the side. Glen Johnson has also been used as a makeshift left-back by Liverpool on a few occasions this season without much success.

#6 Defensive Midfield - Lucas

Lucas was not a part of Brendan Rodgers’ plans before the season started. The Liverpool manager even tried unsuccesfully to find a suitable buyer for the Brazilian and when a deal did not materialize, Lucas stayed at Anfield but was not expected to play a major role.

But once it became clear that a 34 year old Steven Gerrard did not have the legs to play the holding midfield role on his own, Rodgers was forced to bring Lucas back into the fold. The 27 year old has been one of the few standout performers in a struggling Liverpool side over the past month and the Reds have looked less susceptible to the counter attack with Lucas in the side.

While it was tough to leave out Mathieu Flamini in this role, Lucas deserves some recognition for fighting back to win his manager’s approval and performing well in a team beset with a lack of confidence.

#7 Midfield - Steven Gerrard

If Jack Wilshere and Aaron Ramsey were fit, one of those two would have taken this spot. But an injury crisis in the Gunners midfield means that the Liverpool captain sneaks in.

While we don’t see the powerhouse performances from Gerrard that we were accustomed to in the first decade of this century any more, the former England captain still possesses the ability to turn the game on its head with his dead ball expertise and passing skills.

With Liverpool struggling to create a lot of chances from open play of late, this encounter against Arsenal might come down to Stevie G bending one in the top corner from a set piece!

#8 Winger - Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has been in great form of late, which has prompted Arsene Wenger to start him in three consecutive games. Earlier the talented winger only started the odd game and usually came off the bench. But he has shown signs that he has matured and is capable of playing a more prominent role this season.

The 21 year old never had a problem troubling full backs with his pace, but was often found wanting with his delivery and end product. He seems to have addressed that problem on the training ground and is a much bigger threat to Liverpool this weekend than he has been in previous seasons.

The former Southampton prodigy is also benefitting from a consistent run without any major injuries which has helped build his confidence.

#9 Winger - Santi Cazorla

Santi Cazorla has enjoyed a long spell in the Arsenal starting eleven after Mesut Ozil was sidelined with an injury earlier in the season. The two time European Championship winner with Spain repaid Arsene Wenger’s faith in him by netting a brace and giving an excellent attacking display on his 30th birthday, in last Saturday’s 4-1 demolition of Newcastle at the Emirates.

Arsenal fans will be hoping that Cazorla can continue his fantastic link up play with the Arsenal front three and provide a reason for them to forget their last trip to Anfield which resulted in a 5-1 thrashing.

#10 Striker - Raheem Sterling

There have been times this season when Liverpool have just tried to get the ball to Raheem Sterling and hope that he can take on an entire back line himself. While the pressure and responsibility have proved tough for Sterling to handle this season, there is no doubt that he is still one of the most exciting talents in Europe at the moment. The fact that Sterling had started more first team games by the age of 20 than Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo proves how highly he is rated.

But for now, the Liverpool manager would be hoping that the former QPR player can continue to impress in his new role as an out and out striker. The London born Sterling, started his second consecutive game as a striker in midweek at Bournemouth and scored two clinical goals in a 3-1 victory for the Reds in the Capital One Cup quarter final. The Kop will be hoping for a repeat performance on Sunday against a much tougher opposition.

#11 Striker - Alexis Sanchez

Alexis Sanchez has been one of the best new entrants into the Premier League this season along with Diego Costa. The Chilean has been a revelation since moving to North London from Barcelona in the summer and is likely to be the best player on the pitch at Anfield this weekend.

Liverpool were also in the running to secure Sanchez’s services and tried to bring him to Anfield as part of the deal that took Luis Suarez to Barcelona. But the former Udinese man chose the Gunners and will be keen to show what the Reds are missing out on by failing to sign him.