Believe it or not, the last game before Christmas 2016 is Liverpool making the short trip across Stanley Park to take on their bitter rivals, Everton. What a treat that is for football fans up and down the country in this season of giving.
Moving away from the festive theme, this match is one that both sides will be desperate to win for reasons other than local bragging rights. They may be in very different battles in the Premier League table, but Ronald Koeman and Jurgen Klopp will surely have their sides geared up to take the top prize away from Goodison Park.
The travelling side have the chance to keep pace with Chelsea at the summit of the division after a few recent poor performances from the Reds saw them fall from the top and behind their London counterparts, while Everton will be keen to put back-to-back wins together after overcoming Arsenal last week to move themselves back into the conversation surrounding Europa League qualification.
Both teams are fairly evenly matched nowadays in terms of quality in their first-team squads, so we thought it’s about time we merged the two halves of the Merseyside divide to make one exceptional XI… and here are the results!
GK – Simon Mignolet
We kick off with, perhaps, the most difficult call in this whole XI. It’s not that there’s an abundance of quality in this position, in fact, it’s the polar opposite, with none of the options open to Klopp or Koeman really up to scratch.
Maarten Stekelenburg, although excellent on occasions this term, really isn’t good enough to be starting week in, week out for a team with European qualification ambitions, while Loris Karius, who was bombed out of the Liverpool XI for the Boro win on the back of some worrying errors, is still a work in progress player.
Somewhat by default, Mignolet gets the nod, with the Belgian the most reliable of the candidates…
RB – Nathaniel Clyne
Although Seamus Coleman has shone since his bargain move to Everton from his native Ireland, the bombarding right-back is not quite in Clyne’s league. Although not a standout player, the England international goes about his job in an effective manner and is adding an attacking verve to his game – as shown by his cross for Adam Lallana’s opening goal vs. Boro last week.
CB – Ashley Williams
In at centre-back, we have Williams. The Welshman may have lost a yard of pace in the last year or so, but he’s a real leader at the back and looks to be slowly adapting to life at Everton following his move from Swansea over the summer.
The 32-year-old is composed on the ball and aerially dominant, making him the sort of defender most managers would find a place for in their sides.
CB – Joel Matip
A free summer signing, Matip is really shaping up to be the bargain of the season. It gets lost in the hyperbole of Liverpool’s defensive issues that Klopp’s men have actually conceded the fewest shots of any team in the Premier League this season, and their composed Cameroonian is a big part of this solidity.
Elegant on the ball and quick across the turf, he looks like the complete modern-day centre-back.
LB – Leighton Baines
Like the goalkeeper situation, it’s slim pickings at left-back. James Milner, although impressive in his latest role, can be exposed by wingers with real quality, so we’ll give the nod to Baines. The former Wigan man is not the physical specimen he was a few years ago, but his delivery from wide is among the most effective in the whole division, while he’s a genuine threat from set-pieces.
DM – Idrissa Gueye
Among the best midfielders in the league in terms of interceptions and the very best when it comes to tackles (he’s made 58 in 15 games, winning 48% of those) Gueye is proving himself to be a very capable defensive midfielder. The ex-Aston Villa man is similar to N’Golo Kante in that he covers the pitch and breaks up opponents’ attacks early, and he’s by far the best player at this on Merseyside.
CM – Jordan Henderson
No Premier League midfielder has completed more than Henderson’s 1,232 passes this season, with his closest competitor, Chelsea’s N’Golo Kante, almost 300 behind him. The Liverpool skipper seems to be flourishing in his new, slightly deeper role, and finally looks settled in his own skin as the Reds’ skipper.
CM – Adam Lallana
Reinvented this season under Klopp as part of the central midfield rather than his previous role on the flank, Lallana’s form has been great of late. He took his goals and assists counts to six apiece vs. Midddlesbrough in midweek (stats above) and is certainly a more effective option in his current position than Everton’s mercurial talent, Ross Barkley.
LAM – Philippe Coutinho
Currently sidelined with a nasty ankle injury, Coutinho is arguably the best footballer on Merseyside. The Brazilian operates on almost a different level to most he’s on the same pitch with, seeing passes that don’t come onto the radars of many while also weighing in with the sort of work rate managers like Klopp demand.
RAM – Sadio Mane
A sensation since he moved from Southampton to Liverpool. The Senegal international arrived at Anfield with some doubting his level of consistency, but it’s hard to think of many matches this term in which the versatile attacker hasn’t been effective. He’s the Reds’ top scorer in the Premier League with seven goals and has also chipped in with four assists.
ST – Romelu Lukaku
And finally, leading the line we have Romelu Lukaku. The highest-scoring player in the league across the two teams with nine goals to his name, the burly Belgian is, when fit and motivated, the complete centre-forward with power, pace and a deadly eye for goal. The once Chelsea man is still just 23-years-old, must be a worry for defenders across Europe.