Liverpool v Manchester City: Who’d make it in to the ultimate starting XI?

Manchester City travel to Anfield this Saturday in arguably the biggest game of the weekend by far. Both clubs have their hearts set on finishing in the top four but with Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester United starting to create a gap at the top it looks like there will only be one spot up for grabs come May and this game will go some way in to deciding who will be in the Champions League next season.

Liverpool have made an awful start to the season, having lost five games in the league already, but surprisingly they are still just six points behind the champions Manchester United. Meanwhile, Manchester City made a blistering start to the campaign but since losing to their hated neighbours they have gone off the boil, drawing their past five league games. However, City, go into Saturday’s crunch game with Liverpool one point ahead of their Merseyside hosts with a game in hand.

Both Liverpool and Manchester City have their fair share of quality on the pitch but if you had to pick an ultimate starting XI from the two squads, who would make it into your team?

Here is my verdict for a standard 4-4-2 formation.

Goalkeeper

Both Pepe Reina and Shay Given are top class shot stoppers and could play for any team in the world, but in my mind Given just edges it. The former Newcastle United ace is agile, brave and great in one on one situations. He has saved City’s bacon on numerous occasions already this season and deserves to be playing in the Champions League.

Reina is one of the most consistent keepers in the game but he has conceded the same number of goals as bottom club Portsmouth this season and for that reason, he’s out!

Defence

Neither defence has covered themselves in glory in recent weeks but there is enough quality in both camps for them to turn it around. Manchester City’s back four have come in for a battering recently, despite keeping four clean sheets in the league. Alan Hansen ripped Wayne Bridge a new backside following his horror show against Burnley, and questions marks have been raised about the partnership of Toure and Lescott.

Liverpool have also been lambasted in the media for their decision to use zonal marking. Mr Liverpool, Jamie Carragher, has had a poor season by his high standards and looks to be a yard or so off the pace, while Glen Johnson, who has been brilliant attacking down the right flank, has been criticised for his defensive displays.

However, if I was to pick my back four from the two squads available my central partnership would be Toure, for his pace, and Carragher, for his sheer will to win. Liverpool’s Argentinean left-back Insua nicks the place ahead of City’s Wayne Bridge while Glen Johnson has to be my right-back, solely for the attacking options that he would offer me.

Midfield

Central defence is easy for me, it has to be the England pairing of Gareth Barry and Steven Gerrard. Barry and Gerrard have a superb understanding and could have been Liverpool’s midfield duo had Benitez been willing to cough up the cash Villa demanded.

On the left flank I’m going to stick former Liverpool man Craig Bellamy. The Welsh international is in the form of his life, but there’s no way he would dislodge my favoured front two so I have to fit him in somewhere. He is a hard-working professional who will chase back when necessary but I’d be looking for him to run at goal and cut in with his lethal right foot.

On the right of midfield I’d have go for Yossi Benayoun. The former West Ham United man has amazing ball control and has won over the doubters at Anfield with a string of impressive displays. However, the Israeli international is expected to be out of action for a month so in his absence I’d have to go for City’s Stephen Ireland. He may not have had the best of seasons so far but we all know that form is temporary, class is permanent, and he is definitely one of the classiest players at Eastlands. Ireland has bags of energy and two magical feet. He can split a defence with one simple ball and score from anywhere on the pitch, he just needs to rediscover his form from last season.

Strikers

Well let’s face it, this is the easiest call of them all. It simply has to be Fernando Torres and Emmanuel Adebayor. Torres is the league’s top scorer, despite being hampered by a groin problem, and Adebayor’s strength, height and power will trouble any defence in the world. The Togo international was unstoppable at the start of the season but that suspension following his OTT celebrations against Arsenal has upset his flow. However, it’s only a matter of time before he is back in amongst the goals again.

As for Torres, well what else can you say about the Spaniard that hasn’t been said before? He truly is a clinical striker and only needs half a sniff of a goal and it’s in the back of the net.

So here is my team.

Given

Insua

Toure

Carragher

Johnson

Bellamy

Barry

Gerrard

Ireland

Torres

Adebayor

· Calling all Liverpool and Manchester City fans. What do you think of that team? Would you find a space for Shaun Wright-Phillips or Dirk Kuyt in there or would you replace Johnson with Micah Richards or Pablo Zabaletta? Maybe you’d rather have Reina in between the sticks than Given. Whatever your views, we’d love to hear them.