Saturday evening’s clash between Chelsea and Manchester United may not hold the significance it would have five years ago when the pair were exchanging Premier League titles each season.
But it’s not altogether unimportant either. A United win will see them move to within five points of leaders Chelsea while a Chelsea win will all but seal the title for the Blues.
We decided to have a look at which players we would select if we had the squads of United and Chelsea to choose from. Think of us as Lou-rinho.
Goalkeeper
David de Gea
It was something of a toss-up for our man between the sticks because neither Thibaut Courtois nor David de Gea have played poorly this season. It’s hard to pick a weakness in either keeper’s game – they’re both stellar shot stoppers and have little problem when dealing with crosses. We’ve opted to give de Gea our number 1 jersey because we believe he’s the better footballer and has saved more points for United this season than Courtois has for Chelsea.
Defence
RB – Branislav Ivanovic
We couldn’t, in all fairness, give Antonio Valencia his place on the right side of our defence because, as impressive as he’s been, he is not a natural full-back and doesn’t provide the defensive cover that Branislav Ivanovic does. The Serbian international can do it all and can deputise in the centre of defence if necessary. He is excellent at set pieces at either end of the pitch and has chipped in with six goals in all competitions this season.
CB – Gary Cahill
It’s hard to believe that just three years ago Gary Cahill was lining out for Bolton. When he made the move to Stamford Bridge, few would have predicted that he would blossom into one of the most reliable defenders in England. He is a mainstay of Jose Mourinho’s teamsheet and you couldn’t drop him in favour of Phil Jones, Chris Smalling or Marcos Rojo.
CB – John Terry
Much of Cahill’s development is down to the man with whom he has struck an almost impenetrable partnership. John Terry might not be everyone’s favourite player (or human) but his prowess as one of the few natural centre-backs remaining in world football means he has to be respected. He might not be the most athletic player on the pitch but he has that extra pace in his head over the vast majority of his opponents, a hugely intelligent footballer who is one of the best defenders the Premier League has ever seen.
LB – Cezar Azpilicueta
If we were to admit a weakness in our team, it would be on the left side of defence. Neither Cezar Azpilicueta nor Luke Shaw are truly world class left-backs but, on the basis of performances this season, we’ve selected the Spaniard. Shaw has failed to live up to the €40 million fee that brought him to Old Trafford while Azpilicueta has made very few mistakes in the Chelsea back-four over the last three seasons. Simply the more dependable full-back.
Midfield
RM – Ashley Young
At the start of the season who’d have thought that Ashley Young would have featured in a combined XI of Chelsea and United? Probably not even Ashley Young would have fancied his chances but his maturity this year has been tremendously impressive. He has kept Angel di Maria out of Louis van Gaal’s side since Young came back into the starting XI and it’s been down to a string of amazing performances, against big sides too. He’s more effective off the left but we couldn’t bring ourselves to mess with our left winger.
CM – Michael Carrick
For the dizzying runs and sumptuous first touches, we could have gone for a Mata, an Oscar or a Fabregas but we feel that the award for United’s best player this season is a toss-up between de Gea and Michael Carrick. Nobody runs a game quite like the England international and he sees the game the same way that midfield greats Xavi, Iniesta and Scholes have made famous. He can also provide cover at the back when Branislav Ivanovic insists on continuing his marauding forward runs so Carrick’s inclusion is a very practical one.
CM – Nemanja Matic
We wouldn’t have complained one little bit if we had seen Nemanja Matic’s name on the list of PFA Players’ Player of the Year nominees. It could be argued that the selection of Carrick and Matic is somewhat conservative given the pair’s propensity for holding deep positions in midfield but with the attacking force of Young, Hazard and our front two, cool heads are needed in the centre of the park.
LM – Eden Hazard
With no glaring stand-out players for this season’s player of the year award, the honour will likely go to Eden Hazard who has proved himself to be one of the most exciting young players in Europe. He has more than a little of the Lionel Messi about him with the way that the ball seems to stick to his foot as he dribbles and, with his low centre of gravity, he is almost impossible to knock off the ball.
Forwards
CF – Wayne Rooney
Wayne Rooney may not have found the net as many times as his strike partner Diego Costa this season but in terms of overall contribution to the team, the United captain couldn’t be left out. Louis van Gaal seems to have finally realised that Rooney’s best position is up top rather than in midfield and he has rewarded his manager with 14 goals in all competitions this season.
CF – Diego Costa
The league’s joint-top scorer had to be included didn’t he? It didn’t take long for Premier League fans to realise that Diego Costa is a complete centre-forward. He can hold the ball up for runners, he can beat his man, he’s good in the air and is always active in the box. He also has that mean streak that we think is important and, despite being well into his fifties, has scored 19 goals since his move from Atletico Madrid.
Subs bench: T Courtois, D Blind, C Smalling, C Fabregas, A Herrera, M Fellaini, R van Persie.
