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The Premier League’s winter break ends with a bang in less than a week, as a huge clash of giants is on tap when Chelsea play host to Manchester United in what should be a pivotal game.Both sides are desperate to cement a spot in the Premier League’s top 4, but while they’re still two of the league’s best sides, it’s safe to say that the past was a better time for both clubs, as it was their rivalry that dominated England’s top flight just over a decade ago, reaching its peak when they faced off in the 2008 Champions League final.
Both the Blues and the Red Devils can count some of the Premier League’s greatest ever players amongst their past teams, and here we look at an all-time combined starting XI from the two clubs, playing in a 4-3-3 formation.
Goalkeeper: Petr Cech
Despite keepers like Edwin van der Sar, David de Gea and Thibaut Courtois playing for the two sides, this spot was an almost impossible call to make between United’s legendary Danish goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel and Chelsea’s brilliant Petr Cech.
At their peaks, both men were widely considered the best shot-stopper in the world, and you simply can’t argue with the honours that both men won; 5 Premier League titles, 3 FA Cups and 1 Champions League for Schmeichel, and 4 Premier League titles, 4 FA Cups, 1 Champions League and 1 Europa League for Cech.
While it’s arguable that in his prime, Schmeichel was very slightly better – his saves won some huge games for United, most notably his showing in their pivotal 1-0 win over Newcastle in 1996 – I’m going with Cech here purely for his insane 2004-05 season. The Czech international let in just 15 goals all season, and kept a Premier League record 24 clean sheets in the process.
Fullbacks: Gary Neville and Ashley Cole
The Premier League has seen flashier right-backs than Manchester United’s Gary Neville, but none can really match the Red Devils’ academy product for sheer consistency and solid defending over a long period of time. During his periods of full fitness, the England international rarely missed a game for United over a period of 15 seasons at Old Trafford after establishing himself as their first choice in the position during the 1995-96 campaign.
By the time of his retirement in 2011, Neville had completed over 600 appearances for the Red Devils, keeping 148 clean sheets and registering 35 assists in Premier League action in the process while also winning 15 major trophies.
At left-back meanwhile, you simply can’t look past Chelsea legend Ashley Cole. A teammate of Neville’s with the England national team, Cole joined the Blues from Arsenal in the summer of 2006 and immediately slotted into then-manager Jose Mourinho’s starting XI, and didn’t really lose his place until the 2013-14 season.
Over the course of his 8 seasons with the Blues, Cole was a truly world-class performer, appearing in well over 300 games for Chelsea and helping them to the Premier League title in 2009-10, the Champions League in 2011-12 and 7 other honours. He was named Chelsea Players’ Player of the year on two occasions.
Centre Backs: John Terry and Rio Ferdinand
Both United and Chelsea have had some truly fantastic centre-backs grace their sides during the Premier League era; names like Nemanja Vidic, Jaap Stam, Marcel Desailly and Ricardo Carvalho immediately come to mind, but the two that stand out over and above their peers are Rio Ferdinand and John Terry.
The two defenders – who formed a formidable partnership for the England national team during the 2000’s – were the very definition of tenacity, consistency and leadership during their periods with their respective clubs, and it’s safe to say that neither man has ever been truly replaced since their departures.
Ferdinand – recognised as one of the best defenders of all time when it came to his ability on the ball – signed for United in the summer of 2002 for a then-British record fee of £30m, and it’s safe to say that he repaid the money plenty of times over with his performances. Making nearly 500 appearances for the Red Devils over 12 seasons, he helped them to win 6 Premier League titles as well as the 2007-08 Champions League.
Terry – who still has a banner hanging at Stamford Bridge that reads ‘Captain, Leader, Legend’ – broke through at Chelsea in the 2000-01 season after graduating from the club’s academy, and was installed as team captain at the start of the 2004-05 season.
That campaign ended with the Blues lifting their first Premier League title, and the England defender would go on to be named Player of the Year for his efforts. As Chelsea captain, Terry won a further 4 Premier League titles, 4 FA Cups, and the Champions League in 2011-12. When he departed Stamford Bridge in 2017, he’d made an incredible 717 appearances for the club.
Midfield: Roy Keane, Paul Scholes, Frank Lampard
Manchester United and Chelsea have had some tremendous talent in midfield during the Premier League era, but despite plenty of options, these three players stand just above the rest of their contemporaries.
Chelsea’s Claude Makelele might be recognised as the man who popularised the idea of a holding midfielder, but it’s impossible to leave out United’s inspirational Irishman Roy Keane when it comes to a deeper, tough-tackling player in the centre of the park.
With his incredible tenacity, non-stop running and scarcely believable ability to drive his side forward, Keane was much more than a regular holding midfielder – at times he played more as a box-to-box man, as evidenced by his 51 career goals for the Red Devils. United’s captain for many of his 13 seasons at Old Trafford, Keane inspired his teammates to greatness – and won 7 Premier League titles, 4 FA Cups and the Champions League during his time there.
Paul Scholes meanwhile is widely recognised as one of the greatest midfielders of his generation. Initially breaking through as more of an attacking midfielder – even playing as a support striker or false #9 at times during his early years – he was often renowned for his goals, scoring 155 for United including a personal best haul of 20 in 2002-03.
In his later years though, the England international became known as a midfielder capable of dictating an entire game with his passing range from the centre of the pitch, either as a deeper-lying or more attacking playmaker. Scholes retired in 2013 after a career as a one-club player, winning 18 major honours with United including 11 Premier League titles and 2 Champions Leagues.
Finally, as an attacking, goalscoring midfielder, you simply cannot overlook Frank Lampard. The current Chelsea manager initially broke through at West Ham, but it was after his move to Stamford Bridge in 2001 that he really cemented himself as a truly world-class performer.
Season after season saw the England international play as the key man for the Blues, making late runs into the box or smashing the ball in from distance to score a ludicrous amount of goals from midfield. As of writing, Lampard remains the only midfielder to score more than 150 Premier League goals, and despite not being a striker, he also stands as Chelsea’s all-time leading goalscorer with 211 strikes.
Lampard wasn’t just about scoring goals, though; he also sits 4th in the Premier League’s all-time assists table with a total of 102, meaning he had involvement with a total of 279 goals in England’s top flight. When he departed Chelsea in 2014, he’d helped them to 3 Premier League titles, 4 FA Cups, and the Champions League. He’s arguably the Blues’ greatest ever player.
Wide Forwards: Cristiano Ronaldo and Eden Hazard
He may not have reached the incredible personal highs that he would go onto with Real Madrid during his time at Manchester United, but it’s simply impossible to leave the great Cristiano Ronaldo out of this combined side.
Arguably the greatest player to ever lace up a pair of boots, the Portuguese forward joined the Red Devils in the summer of 2003, becoming the most expensive teenager in English football history following his £12.24m move from Sporting Lisbon.
Initially recognised as a showboating winger, Ronaldo would display glances of his future greatness in his early years with United, helping them to win the FA Cup in his first season, but it was in 2006-07 that he really began to shine, breaking the 20 goal mark for the first time.
Nothing could’ve prepared fans for his incredible output in 2007-08, though; CR7 scored a scarcely believable 42 goals in 49 games as United won both the Premier League and Champions League. The Portuguese stayed for one further season before departing for Real Madrid having won 7 major trophies at Old Trafford, and while his longevity may not stand out, he remains a club legend for his incredible performances.
Another great player who eventually departed for Real Madrid, Chelsea’s Belgian wizard Eden Hazard starred at Stamford Bridge for 7 seasons and was practically an ever-present throughout that period. Arguably Chelsea’s best player during his time there, Hazard tormented opponents from a wide position, and was named as the Premier League’s Player of the Season in 2014-15 when he helped the Blues to the Premier League title.
Always popular with fans of the Blues, during their struggles in 2017-18 and 2018-19 at times it appeared that the Belgian was the only Chelsea player reaching anything close to an expected level, and in his last campaign, in particular, he carried his side, scoring a total of 16 league goals and registering 15 assists – meaning he was responsible for almost half of the Blues’ total.
By the time he departed for the Bernabeu in the summer of 2019, Hazard had made over 350 appearances for Chelsea, scoring 110 goals and helping them to 2 Premier League titles, 1 FA Cup and two Europa Leagues.
Striker: Wayne Rooney
This was another extremely difficult choice given United and Chelsea have called upon great strikers such as Didier Drogba, Ruud van Nistelrooy, Diego Costa and Eric Cantona during the Premier League era, but in the end, one man stands above the rest. His name? Wayne Rooney.
Sure, there’s an argument to be made that Rooney – who stands as the all-time record goalscorer for both United and the England national team – wasn’t a classic centre-forward, nor was he as prolific as some of his contemporaries at times, but his statistics are essentially second-to-none and he has the longevity that none of those aforementioned players do.
After joining the Red Devils from boyhood club Everton in the summer of 2004 for a fee of £25m at the age of just 18, Rooney made an instant impact – scoring a hat-trick on his debut in a Champions League match with Fenerbahce – and from there he quickly became a United hero when he helped to down Arsenal on his 19th birthday, ending their long unbeaten run.
Always a key player at Old Trafford regardless of his striking partners – they ranged from Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez to Dimitar Berbatov, Michael Owen and Robin van Persie – Rooney ended up spending a total of 13 seasons with the Red Devils, appearing in 559 games and scoring 253 goals – averaging nearly a goal every other game. His 183 Premier League strikes meanwhile put him behind only Alan Shearer in the competition’s all-time goalscoring table.
Over that period Rooney won a total of 11 major trophies, including 5 Premier League titles, 1 FA Cup and the Champions League in 2007-08. He was named in the Premier League’s Team of the Year on 3 occasions, was named the FWA Footballer of the Year in 2009-10, and in 2011, he came 5th in the voting for the prestigious Ballon d’Or.
