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With the mouth-watering Champions League Round of 16 tie between Real Madrid and Manchester United just hours away, here is the ultimate combined XI using the squads of the the reigning La Liga champions and Premier League leaders.
Goalkeeper – David De Gea (Manchester United)
Age: 22 | Edges Out: Diego Lopez
With Iker Casillas out injured, it’s a tough choice to choose one between Diego Lopez and David De Gea. Lopez has been really good during his time at Villarreal and Sevilla, but the Manchester United keeper just edges him out. De Gea is a great shot-stopper, maybe one of the best in the Premier League and has improved a lot this season compared to his debut season in England. He has a weakness in him and it’s the physical side of the game, but I doubt today’s game will be like that.
Right-back – Alvaro Arbeloa (Real Madrid)
Age: 30 | Edges Out: Rafael
Alvaro Arbeloa is Real Madrid and Spain’s number one choice right-back and it just shows how much he has improved since joining the Los Blancos from Liverpool. He has been very consistent during his time at the Santiago Bernabeu and his experience in the big games is the key for his selection ahead of Rafael. The Brazilian, on the other hand, is having his best season at Old Trafford and is a huge threat going forward but isn’t a better defender than Arbeloa.
Left-back – Patrice Evra (Manchester United)
Age: 31| Edges Out: Fabio Coentrao and Marcelo
Patrice Evra has been outstanding this season for Manchester United after being one of the weak links in the team last term. Sometimes the wingers do isolate him and get the better of him, but his experience of performing in the big games and his recent goalscoring run have been very impressive. Fabio Coentrao was very good during the summer for Portugal but he has just recently been the first-choice at Madrid ahead of Marcelo, while the Brazilian isn’t as good defensively as Coentrao or Evra.
Centre-back – Nemanja Vidic (Manchester United)
Age: 31| Edges Out: Rio Ferdinand, Chris Smalling, Phil Jones and Jonny Evans
Despite being troubled by injuries in the recent past, Nemanja Vidic remains Manchester United’s best centre-back and it’s no surprise that United have conceded so many goals in his absence. The Serbian is the best example of a no-nonsense defender and is a leader on the pitch. Rio Ferdinand and Jonny Evans both have had good seasons so far, but none are as solid as Vidic at the back. Chris Smalling and Phil Jones haven’t played much because of their respective injury worries, but are surely the ones for the future.
Centre-back – Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid)
Age: 26| Edges Out: Pepe, Raul Albiol, Raphael Varane and Ricardo Carvalho
Sergio Ramos has to be one of the most consistent defenders in world football in the last couple of years. The Spaniard had a great European Championship and is at the peak of his game. He is a complete defender, a defender who isn’t afraid to have the ball at his feet and a perfect candidate to partner Vidic in the team. Pepe is solid at the back but very similar to Vidic, while Raphael Varane was very good against Barcelona in the recent El Clasico but is very inexperienced for games of this magnitude and Raul Albiol and Ricardo Carvalho haven’t played much this season.
Centre-midfield – Michael Carrick (Manchester United)
Age: 31| Edges Out: Tom Cleverley, Anderson and Paul Scholes
Robin van Persie and Evra have been superb for Manchester United this season, but Michael Carrick hasn’t been any less and has been one of their unsung heroes. The former Tottenham man is highly under-rated in the Premier League and the passes he sees are just excellent. Tom Cleverley has had a breakthrough year and has been very good for United but not as good as Carrick. Anderson too has been good this season but in patches, while Paul Scholes hasn’t featured a lot since the first couple of months.
Centre-midfield – Xabi Alonso (Real Madrid)
Age: 31| Edges Out: Luka Modric and Sami Khedira
Is there any better deep-lying playmaker than Xabi Alonso in world football right now? I doubt it. The former Liverpool man’s reputation has just gone up since his big-money move to the Bernabeu and is one of the first names on the Real Madrid team sheet. His abilities to put in those dangerous killer passes and to find the man perfectly are second to none. He is a winner and has won almost everything with club and country. Luka Modric was good for Tottenham last season and for Croatia at the Euros, but he has found life difficult in Spain and hasn’t been used a lot by Jose Mourinho, while Sami Khedira could easily be a regular starter for most of the teams in Europe but he isn’t as good as Alonso.
Right-wing – Mesut Ozil (Real Madrid)
Age: 24 | Edges Out: Antonio Valencia, Angel Di Maria and Nani
This was one of the toughest choice to make of all till now. Mesut Ozil was exception last season and played a very important role in helping Real Madrid win the league title, but this year he is having a tougher season. He has immense talent and potential in him, and on that merit he gets into the team ahead of Antonio Valencia and Angel Di Maria. Both Valencia and Di Maria had a great last season but this year both have been average, to say the least. Meanwhile, Nani has struggled with injuries and has been poor all season with many of the United fans frustrated with him.
Left-wing – Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid)
Age: 28 | Edges Out: Shinji Kagawa, Ashley Young and Ryan Giggs
If the previous one was the toughest choice to make, then this was the easiest. Cristiano Ronaldo has been in tremendous form for both Real Madrid and Portugal since the start of last year and he has continued that form into this year. He has been scoring goals for fun and is an asset any manager would love to have in his team. Shinji Kagawa hasn’t had a major impact since his move from Borussia Dortmund, while Ashley Young has been very inconsistent and has spent most of the time this season in the physio’s room. Ryan Giggs, on the other hand, has performed way better than both Kagawa and Young.
Central-attacking-midfield – Wayne Rooney (Manchester United)
Age: 27 | Edges Out: Kaka
After having selected Mesut Ozil out on the right, it was a no-brainer who would play in the No.10 role just behind the main striker. It had to be Wayne Rooney. The Englishman had a tough start to the season but he is hitting top form at the right time. He has developed a very good understanding with Van Persie and the duo form a lethal partnership in front of goal. Kaka was the only other candidate for this position in the team but he has been completely out of favour since the arrival of Jose Mourinho. It’s very sad to see the former Player of the Year spending most of the time warming the bench and not playing out on the field, but that’s football.
Striker – Robin van Persie (Manchester United)
Age: 29 | Edges Out: Karim Benzema, Gonzalo Higuain, and Javier Hernandez
Finally, it had to be Robin van Persie to lead the line. The Dutchman has been superb all season since his move from Arsenal in the summer and at times has almost single-handedly won games for Manchester United. He, though, faced some tough competition from the likes Karim Benzema, Gonzalo Higuain and Javier Hernandez for a place in the team. Benzema hasn’t been good at all compared to his goalscoring exploits of last season, while Higuain has been very wasteful in front of goal. Hernandez has been more of a threat coming off the bench than from the start and Danny Welbeck hasn’t scored many goals this season but his work-rate has been really impressive.
