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This weekend sees a major clash in the Premier League between Arsenal and Liverpool at the Emirates Stadium.
So if we were to put together a combined XI of players from Arsenal and Liverpool, who exactly would get in? And would Jurgen Klopp’s Premier League champions dominate?
There appeared to be a gulf between these sides when they faced off in September, as Liverpool comfortably ran out 3-1 winners.
But a slip in form for the Reds has seen them drop down the table to seventh. And with a win here, Arsenal could go just one point behind them.
For this article's purposes, we’ve lined our combined XI up in a 4-3-3 formation, which is most commonly used by Liverpool and has also been utilized by Arsenal.
Goalkeeper: Alisson Becker (Liverpool)
This one was a relatively easy choice. Widely recognized as one of the world’s best goalkeepers, Alisson Becker has totally changed Liverpool’s fortunes since his arrival at the club in 2018.
He’s made 91 Premier League appearances for Liverpool, keeping an impressive 40 clean sheets and helping his side to 64 victories.
In fact, Liverpool have only lost on eleven occasions with Alisson between the sticks.
Arsenal’s Bernd Leno is a solid enough goalkeeper, but the stats speak for themselves – Leno has made one less appearance than Alisson but has only kept 21 clean sheets.
This season has seen Alisson make a surprising three errors leading to goals, and Leno has actually made more saves overall than the Brazilian.
But overall, the Liverpool man is simply the better goalkeeper.
Right-Back: Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool)
Both Arsenal and Liverpool can call upon a strong right-back.
Arsenal’s Hector Bellerin has been one of the better players in this position in the Premier League for some time now. The current season hasn’t been his best, but he’s still scored one goal and registered two assists.
However, Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold is superior in every area, really.
The England man’s defensive statistics are similar to Bellerin’s, but even in this poor current season for him, he’s still delivered more assists (3). And when he’s at his best, few players in the world can match Alexander-Arnold’s crossing ability.
The 22-year-old’s ceiling is far higher than Bellerin’s – the 2019-20 campaign saw him register a ludicrous 13 assists – and so he rightfully takes his spot in this team.
Central Defence: Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool), Rob Holding (Arsenal)
One member of this team’s central defense is obvious.
He hasn’t played many games this season due to a serious knee injury suffered in October, but it’d be impossible to leave out Virgil van Dijk.
The big Dutchman has helped transform Liverpool’s defense from one of the Premier League's leakiest to one of the best since joining in 2018. And he’s been missed hugely by the Reds this season.
Van Dijk can tackle, pass and win the ball in the air in both attacking and defensive situations. To be frank, he’s one of the greatest central defenders the Premier League’s ever seen.
Choosing a partner for him is a little trickier, as the other Liverpool defenders are either perma-injured (Joe Gomez, Joel Matip) or questionable (Nat Phillips, Rhys Williams).
So in terms of an Arsenal defender, Rob Holding is perhaps the best option.
In comparison to his teammates David Luiz and Gabriel Magalhaes, Holding averages higher in tackles per game (1.4), clearances per game (4), and he also scores highly in passing (86.5% success rate).
Therefore, the 25-year old takes his spot alongside van Dijk in this team.
Left-Back: Andrew Robertson (Liverpool)
It’s very tricky to choose between Arsenal left-back Kieran Tierney and Liverpool left-back Andrew Robertson, but the older Robertson gets the nod – just about.
Robertson has involved himself with more goals this season (one goal, five assists) than Tierney (one goal, two assists).
And in terms of the other statistics, he comes out slightly ahead in all of the key metrics (pass success rate, tackles per game, key passes) than his fellow Scotsman.
Robertson hasn’t enjoyed his strongest campaign in 2020-21. And given he’s four years older than Tierney, there’s every chance the Arsenal man surpasses him in the near future.
For now, though, Robertson is very slightly better than his compatriot.
Midfield: Thomas Partey (Arsenal), Jordan Henderson (Liverpool), Emile Smith Rowe (Arsenal)
For all of their success, Liverpool’s central midfield hasn’t looked all that strong recently. That means that surprisingly, the roles of the holding midfielder and playmaker both go to Arsenal players.
Thomas Partey has not yet displayed his best form at Arsenal. He’s made just 15 appearances for the Gunners since his move from Atletico Madrid. But he already looks like an excellent buy, averaging high on tackles per game, pass success rate, and interceptions per game.
And given Liverpool’s Fabinho has largely been deployed as a central defender this season, it’s Partey who takes the holding spot in this team.
Working in this side’s engine room is Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson.
Often criticized for lacking natural ability on the ball, Henderson makes up for this with an all-action, box-to-box style. Few other Premier League players drive their side on quite like the England man, even if his statistics aren’t outstanding in any area.
Finally, with Liverpool relying more on their forwards and full-backs for creativity, Arsenal’s Emile Smith Rowe makes it into this side as its playmaker.
Still only 20 years old, Smith Rowe has made 12 starts in the Premier League this season and has already made his mark, providing the creative spark that the Gunners were missing.
Interestingly, none of Liverpool’s midfielders – even Thiago Alcantara – can match his number of assists (4). And the England u21 international also ranks highly in terms of key passes per game (1.5) and pass success rate (88.4%).
He’s capable of opening an opponent’s defense in a way that none of Liverpool’s current midfielders can.
Forwards: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Arsenal), Roberto Firmino (Liverpool), Mohamed Salah (Liverpool)
Both Arsenal and Liverpool have some superb attackers that haven’t made it into this team. Liverpool’s Diogo Jota, for instance, has an impressive six goals to his name in his first Premier League campaign at Anfield.
And Sadio Mane has been on fantastic form for years now and has seven goals and four assists this season.
Arsenal’s Alexandre Lacazette, meanwhile, is enjoying an excellent season, while Nicolas Pepe is also capable of brilliance on his day.
If you look at the work they’ve done over the course of the last few seasons, though, you can’t look past Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Roberto Firmino, and Mohamed Salah.
Aubameyang has struggled at points during the current campaign and has even been dropped by Mikel Arteta for disciplinary reasons.
However, the speedy Gabonese international is still one of the Premier League’s most deadly attackers. A total of 63 goals in 109 Premier League games simply can’t be argued with.
Firmino comes under criticism for his finishing at times, but he’s still managed to score six goals this season while also registering five assists.
At his best, few players can hold up to the Brazilian when it comes to linking attacks together. Moreover, his telepathic relationship with Salah means it’s hard to leave him out, too.
Salah, of course, is a must for any combined XI involving Liverpool.
The Egyptian has been an absolute goal machine since his arrival at Anfield in 2017. And even as Liverpool have struggled at times this season, Salah has remained consistent – scoring 17 goals to top the Premier League’s scoring charts.
With these three attackers, this side would have a shot against any team in the world.
