Ray Parlour has selected his combined Liverpool and Arsenal XI as the two sides prepare to face-off at Anfield on Sunday.
Mikel Arteta’s side are flying this season and currently find themselves eight points clear at the top of the Premier League table while the Merseysiders have been consistently inconsistent and are 10 points adrift of the Champions League spots.
This weekend’s clash is therefore a hugely important game for both sides for very different reasons and based on this season’s performances Parlour could only include two Liverpool players in the combined XI.
The Gunners legend told NetBet (as quoted by Liverpool World): “Looking at current form, it has to be all Arsenal, except for Virgil van Dijk. I know he isn’t playing great, but you would get him in alongside Gabriel, no disrespect to Rob Holding, and with William Saliba currently out injured.
“You would also still have to find a spot for Mohamed Salah, but you can’t leave Bukayo Saka out and Gabriel Martinelli is playing well so it is an awkward one. But with Gabriel Jesus having recently come back from injury, I would put Salah up front over the Brazilian. You’ve got to get Salah in there somehow – he could play as a false number nine up front with Saka and Martinelli on the wing – as Jesus has only just come back.
“Liverpool don’t get many spaces. You’ve got Aaron Ramsdale in goal, I am happy with Ben White at right-back, he’s a good defender and has done so well this season, and at left-back Oleksandr Zinchenko has been brilliant. I love Andy Robertson, he’s a good player, but Zinchenko has been one of Arsenal’s best players in recent weeks. I’d certainly rather have White and Zinchenko over Trent Alexander-Arnold and Robertson.
“And in midfield, Thomas Partey has been excellent, and you can’t leave Martin Odegaard out the way he’s been playing. Nobody from Liverpool’s midfield gets in. Partey, Granit Xhaka and Odegaard, as a three, they work so well together, and I can’t see how the likes of Jordan Henderson or Fabinho get in the way they are playing.”
It really is hard to have any arguments with Parlour’s comments but we are extremely surprised by his decision to omit Alisson Becker from the combined XI.
He’s the one player from Jurgen Klopp’s squad that has retained his high standards this season.
Aaron Ramsdale has kept one more clean sheet than the Brazilian, but without the former AS Roma man between the sticks we’d dread to think about what position we’d find ourselves in.
Let’s hope the Redmen can prove Parlour wrong on Sunday by showing their quality and helping us to a huge three points in our pursuit of a top four finish.