Chelsea vs Liverpool combined XI: Evenly split team in 4-3-3

It’s another top of the table clash so you know it’s time for another extremely controversial combined XI. Thomas Tuchel has ruled Chelsea out of a title race and to be fair to him, he never actually discussed his side as a title contender. The Blues have accumulated a growing injury list in key positions and there’s no one better placed to understand Chelsea’s predicament than their Merseyside opponents in red. This combined XI gives a clue as to the differences in quality between the two sides. Considering Chelsea has many players unavailable, will this be Liverpool dominated? Let’s see who gets into the Blues and Reds’ combined XI:

Goalkeeper: Edouard Mendy, Chelsea

Edouard Mendy surpasses Alisson in many metrics this season except clean sheets. The Senegal international makes more saves per game (2.7) than Alisson (2.0) and saves a higher proportion of his shots faced in the Premier League, 78 percent to Alisson’s 69 percent. Mendy has also conceded two less goals than Alisson in one more game played. Mendy’s ability to claim crosses out of the air before they become a threat is perhaps second-to-none in the league. The height gives him an advantage over the Brazilian too. I bet you thought I’d mention the Champions League trophy, eh?

Right back: Trent Alexander-Arnold, Liverpool

No, it’s not just because Reece James is injured either. Trent Alexander-Arnold has been at the highest level this season and has surpassed James in many important metrics. The talk about Alexander-Arnold being poor defensively is overblown. Liverpool has had more possession on average than Chelsea, yet Alexander-Arnold still beats James in interceptions and tackles per game. Alexander-Arnold has also won more possession in the final third and made more clearances. The Liverpool No. 66 also clears James in chance creation and goal involvements, creating 3.2 chances per game to James’s 1.9. The Liverpool man has also created five more big chances in one more game, registering three more assists and overall one more goal involvement than his compatriot in blue.

Centerback: Virgil van Dijk, Liverpool

Virgil van Dijk got injured on matchday five of the 2020/21 Premier League season, which set off a number of injuries that literally had Jurgen Klopp having to play central midfielders at centerback. Liverpool fought to claw its way into third place regardless. Van Dijk is back and truth be told, the Red have not looked as defensively formidable as they looked in the 2018/19 season, but van Dijk has comfortably been one of the best centerbacks in the English top flight. He has won a whopping 70 percent of his duels, and Liverpool has not kept a clean sheet in the Premier League when he hasn’t played.

Centerback: Joel Matip, Liverpool

Joel Matip has been one of the Premier League’s most under-appreciated players in the past two seasons. He has been the reason van Dijk has been able to play his sweeper role comfortably, as he does most of the dirty work. It’s easy to overlook anyone playing alongside the Dutch talisman, but Matip has silently worked hard and contributed tremendously to Liverpool’s fortunes. He beats Antonio  Rudiger in long ball accuracy. He also beats out the German in duel success rate, and considering that Liverpool keeps more of the ball than Chelsea, Matip’s interception and tackle numbers being higher than Rudiger’s counts significantly.

Left back: Marcos Alonso, Chelsea

Marcos Alonso performs slightly better than Konstantinos Tsimikas, so he gets into this team. Alonso wins 51 percent of his duels, compared to Tsimikas’s 43 percent. The Spaniard also narrowly outperforms the Liverpool left back defensively, winning 67 percent of his tackles but also making as high as 1.9 interceptions per game. Tsimikas wins 87 percent of his tackles but only records 0.8 interceptions per game. Alonso makes slightly less key passes per game though, 1.6 to Tsimikas’s 1.8, but both have registered two big chances each. Alonso has three goal involvements, Tsimikas has one. Alonso also records more passes into the final third per 90 compared to total passes per 90, but Tsimikas makes slightly more shot creating actions per 90.