MAN UTD VS ARSENAL: COMBINED XI

Bobby Vincent
Dec 4, 2018
4 min read

The game of round 15 of the Premier League comes at Old Trafford for one of the league's most historic and famous fixtures.

It's produced multiple crackers over the seasons, and this one looks set to be another - with Arsenal, probably for the first time since many of their fans can remember, heading to Manchester as favourites for the battle.

We've tried our best to pick through some of these world-class players and combine the two squads into the best team possible.

Let us know what you think!

GK: David de Gea (Man Utd)

The easiest choice of the whole team. Genuinely. No disrespect to Petr Cech and Bernd Leno, but there are very few, if any, 'keepers we'd pick over David de Gea.

The man's established himself as a full-on goal-saving machine over the last few seasons and has saved United countless times in the process.

RB: Hector Bellerin (Arsenal)

This position wasn't the strongest. Hector Bellerin needs to start establishing himself as a senior member of the Arsenal team now.

Bellerin is still at the relatively young age of 23, but the number of years he's been in and around the Arsenal team. I think Arsenal fans need to see a player who unleashes his full potential. But over Antonio Valencia and Matteo Darmian any day of the week.

CB: Eric Bailly (Man Utd)

Again, not the strongest position. I think just the whole of the defence for both sides is rather disappointing.

However, Eric Bailly is a great central defender and has all the tools to really become an even better defender.

His speed, matched with his physical ability - with his only real issue being his incapability of staying fit for matches.

CB: Shkodran Mustafi (Arsenal)

Not the greatest defender. But by far, not the worst either. Shkodran Mustafi can be very frustrating to watch at times, and that's as a neutral.

His temper often gets the better of him and you'll often see the German make rash tackles, or do daft things.

I think his overall defending is good, and he looks calm and composed on the ball - which, under Unai Emery, is a necessity.

LB: Luke Shaw (Man Utd)

Luke Shaw's really come into his own this season. He's finally gained the trust of his manager Jose Mourinho, after some off-the-field issues between the pair last season.

Shaw's attacking ability, as well as his defensive play, is great to watch. He's established himself as a regular for the England national team and he's improving all of the time.

CM: Lucas Torreira (Arsenal)

This man's been an absolute star since moving to the Emirates in the summer. He's taken to the Premier League just like Santiago Munez did.

Lucas Torreira scored his first goal for Arsenal on Sunday, not what he's there for, but it always helps knowing that your defensive midfielders can also contribute going forward.

His pitbull-like approach to football makes his excellent for the purest of football fans to witness.

CM: Paul Pogba (Man Utd)

Paul Pogba certainly divides a lot of opinion. But his talent is undeniable, despite his brain not matching it at times.

Especially this season for United, where they haven't reached their set heights, he's been brilliant and without doubt their most dangerous player on his day.

One of the few genuinely world-class players in the Premier League.

RM: Jesse Lingard (Man Utd)

This one might seem quite controversial to some Arsenal fans, meaning that the likes of Henrikh Mkhitaryan missing out.

Jesse Lingard is a lot smarter than what people give him credit for; his footballing brain is very impressive.

Lingard's movement is similar to a top strikers, and his ability to find gaps between defenders to run into, he makes it look simple.

LM: Anthony Martial (Man Utd)

We're still waiting for Anthony Martial to fully explode. But he has been excellent this season and I'm unsure why he wasn't used too much on Saturday, as United struggled at Southampton.

His speed, with his finishing and aerial ability are all perfect attributes for a striker. A position I think a lot of United fans thought they signed him for.

But he's been playing on the wing, and his adaptation to the position has been effortless.

ST: Alexandre Lacazette (Arsenal)

This man's been superb this season. He made an immediate and devastating impact off the bench as they beat their arch-rivals on Sunday.

When he first moved to Arsenal, he looked good, but there was always something missing. But ever since he's been under the tutelage of Unai Emery - he looks a different beast.

His movement is absolutely brilliant and he makes himself a constant menace for defenders, who will constantly have an eye on him - or at least try to keep one on him.

ST: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Arsenal)

With Lacazette, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has found himself a lifelong friend. The two together have been ridiculous in Arsenal's season so far.

Like Laca, Aub's got the lot. The speed, the finishing, the movement, the jumping, the positioning. The two together are excellent.

The formation for this team was originally going to be just one up top; but you just couldn't leave out these two stars.