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Arsenal host Liverpool in the weekend’s biggest game. The Gunners have lost two consecutive home matches against Borussia Dortmund and Chelsea and will lose top spot in the Premier League with another defeat. Liverpool are resurgent and aiming for the top of the table with a win, something unimaginable based on the past few seasons. With both sides performing well and having built strong squads, we’ve put together a combined XI to see how they compare up against one another.
Mignolet has had a fantastic start to life at Liverpool, pushing Pepe Reina out of the club and saving a penalty on his debut, things couldn’t be going any better. In nine Premier League matches, he has kept three clean sheets and made 25 saves, the second highest in the league, and two more than his opposite number, Wojciech Szczesny.
Both Sagna and Glen Johnson are good full-backs but it is the former who makes it into the team due to the latter’s absence this season, and the fact that he has played consistently well. Sagna has scored one goal in his eight league matches this season and has won 62% of his duels. Sagna has won all six of his tackles and 60% of his headers.
Toure has been a revelation since his free transfer from Manchester City in the summer, missing just one Premier League match this season. He has won 12 out of the 15 tackles has attempted so far which is a percentage of 80%. His average pass success rate of 84% is one of the best in the Liverpool side, too. He has won 13 more duels than Laurent Koscielny.
The tall German has been a rock at the heart of Arsenal’s defence this season, scoring one goal at the other end, too. He has won a total of 30 duels, three more than Mamadou Sakho and 12 more than Daniel Agger. His passing accuracy of 92% is better than Liverpool’s two defenders, too, who have 90% and 84% respectively. It is for these reasons why the German central defender made it in this combined XI ahead of the Frenchman and the Dane.
When comparing the young Englishman against Sakho and Jose Enrique, Gibbs came out on top in passing and duels. Gibbs’ total duels won of 34 is far superior to that of Liverpool’s regular left-back, Enrique, who has won just 16 duels. He has completed more passes than Enrique, too. 89 more to be precise. However, Enrique has completed 6 key passes and two assists, considerably more than Gibbs’ two key passes and zero assists. It is Gibbs’ all-round ability that places him ahead of Enrique, though. As a defender, he is much better.
Centre Midfielder – Aaron Ramsey
Ramsey pretty much walks into this side given his early-season form. The Welshman has scored five goals in the league this season, three more than anyone else from the two teams’ central midfield. The 22-year-old has also won the most duels in midfield with 66, 19 more Lucas and 33 more than Gerrard. Aaron Ramsey has completed the most passes out of himself, Flamini, Gerrard, Lucas and Jordan Henderson, amassing a total of 553 successful passes.
Centre Midfielder – Mathieu Flamini
Mathieu Flamini is the most accurate of passers. The Frenchman has completed 93% of the 319 passes he has attempted. It is this reason why he partners Ramsey in central midfield. He keeps Arsenal ticking over and allows the likes of Ramsey, Wilshere and Ozil to flourish with his combination of tough tackling and reliable recycling of possession.
Centre Attacking Midfield – Mesut Ozil
The German is arguably the best number 10 world football. He is truly a world class talent and would walk into any side with ease. Ozil assisted 13 goals in La Liga last season, on the way to creating 91 goal scoring chances for his Real Madrid team-mates. He made an immediate impact at Arsenal, too, assisting a goal on his debut and making creating two more not long after. Ozil also has an 88% shot accuracy in the Premier League. From eight shots, he has hit seven on target, scoring twice.
Suarez is the bad boy of the Premier League but has not let his 10-match ban affect him. Since his return he has played four matches and scored six goals, moving up to third in the scorers charts. His most recent outing saw his score a hat-trick against West Brom so it was quite easy to move him into our combined XI.
Giroud has had a great start to the new season, assisting the joint-most goals (4) and scoring five. The Frenchman scored the winner against Spurs earlier in the season and has played a huge role in Arsenal’s charge to the top of the Premier League table. Giroud has won an incredible 46 headers so far this season showing his dominance in the air. He has won 45 more than Daniel Sturridge and 44 more than Suarez.
Right Forward – Daniel Sturridge
Sturridge is the Premier League’s top scorer this season with eight goals. He has been in superb form since his arrival at Anfield in January, scoring 21 goals in 27 games, becoming the fastest player in the club’s history to reach 20 goals. The Englishman struggled with life at Chelsea but Brendan Rodgers has turned him into an England regular and consistent goal scorer. Sturridge scores a goal with every 3.6 shots he has taken this season.
