The Sports Lowdown For All Your News and OpinionsWe really enjoyed putting a combined XI of Arsenal/Liverpool players out for you so we have decided to put a series of these articles into place and today we take a look at last season’s Premier League champions and the runner’s up in Chelsea and Manchester City.
Here are our picks and see if you agree with who we have chosen. Let us know who you would have in your side by following us on Twitter @TheSportLowdown,
Goalkeeper – Thibaut Courtois – Chelsea
Talk about a tough choice first up, taking either the Belgian international keeper or England’s number one in Joe Hart. We wanted to be loyal to the our boy but we had to plump for Chelsea’s number one after his impressive debut season in the Premier League last year. That coupled in with the fact he had played a few seasons at the top of La Liga beforehand with Atletico Madrid meant we went with the tall goalkeeper.
Last season both were in top form with Hart conceding 34 goals, whilst Courtois conceded just 30. Both goalkeepers are still young in terms of hitting their goalkeeping peak and they both are improving each game. With Chelsea winning the title we felt Courtois just had the edge over Hart.
Right-Back – Pablo Zabaleta – Manchester City
A big part of Manchester City’s success over the last few seasons has been the consistency of their back four with Zabaleta a strong option as part of the back four. The Argentine has been one of the successes since joining the club in 2008 from Espanyol and edges out the reliable but ageing Branislav Ivanovic who was the other option from Chelsea.
Zabaleta has played in two title winning sides and offers an extra edge going forward and has often been sen galloping forward and assisting in many Man City attacks. Last season he featured in 36 games in total and though it resulted in a disappointing season for the club, Zabaleta could hold his head high with another consistent season at the Etihad Stadium.
Centre-Back – Vincent Kompany – Manchester City
The Belgian centre-back has been at the heart of the Manchester City defence now for the past 7 years and is the club captain and the main man. His experience and consistency played a huge part in their two title winning sides and he has been one of the best Premier League defenders of his era. When Kompany plays well, Manchester City do and both have started this season like a house on fire.
He was restricted to just 31 games in all competitions last season as a few injuries began to mount up and its no coincidence that Manchester City, despite finishing as runners-up, missed their rock at the back and had he been fit for more games, it could certainly have had a bigger effect on the Premier League outcome. For a combined side, having Vincent Kompany in the side is a no-brainer.
Centre-Back – John Terry – Chelsea
Perhaps THE greatest defender of this Premier League era, John Terry has been an immense figure for both club and country and has been the rock of this Chelsea side for over a decade. Now he doesn’t have his big mate Frank Lampard with him, he is the last of the 2004 Premier League winners left at the Bridge and now he no longer turns out for his country, he has been almost an ever present last season.
This season he has struggled and got hauled off at half-time against Manchester City in the 3-0 defeat and their are question marks beginning to loom but all players have a trough of form at some point and Terry is having his now. He still remains the integral part of the back-line for Jose Mourinho and will have a big part to play in the development of his eventual successor and grooming him to be the man to take on the mantle. Take note John Stones.
Left-Back – Cesar Azpilicueta – Chelsea
The Spanish left-back has been a decent signing for Jose Mourinho since joining in 2012 from Marseille. He has earned the trust of the ‘Special One’ and has been a consistent force in the position and one of the best in the league at just 25 years of age. With Manchester City having no consistent left-back through injuries, it has become a bit of a no-brainer to include the Azpilicueta.
Last season he featured in 40 games in all competitions for the Premier League champions and he is highly thought of both here and in his native Spain where he is about to make the left-back position for his country his own. There may come a time when a team from his country comes looking for him and the lure of playing for a Real Madrid or Barcelona could be tempting.
