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Liverpool Echo
Liverpool Echo
Sport
Connor Dunn

Former Premier League midfielder stuns Liverpool fans with combined Arsenal XI

Former Newcastle and West Ham midfielder Kevin Nolan has left Liverpool fans in disbelief with his combined Arsenal XI.

The Gunners will travel to Anfield on Saturday to face the Reds at 5.30pm in the Premier League.

Ahead of the match Sky Sports pundit Nolan was asked to select an XI from both Jurgen Klopp and Unai Emery's squads.

Kevin Nolan's combined Arsenal and Liverpool XI (Sky Sports)

His selections left some of the Liverpool fanbase questioning what was going through his head when he named his team.

Young Arsenal midfielder Joe Willock was chosen to start alongside new Gunners signing Dani Ceballos in the centre of the park - ahead of the likes of Champions League winners Jordan Henderson, Fabinho and Gini Wijnaldum.

Bernd Leno also got the selection between the sticks - and you can only guess that is a selection from players currently available and ahead of new Liverpool goalkeeper Adrian rather than Golden Glove holder Alisson Becker who is out injured.

The only other player from the London side to make it into the combined XI is Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang - and while there is no doubting the attacker's talent he is playing ahead of an attacking trio of Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane in what looks like a midfield that might get very overrun.

Liverpool's defence with Trent Alexander-Arnold on the right, Andy Robertson on the left and Virgil van Dijk in the middle with Joel Matip take up every position in the backline.

On Twitter Michael Healy wrote: "A combined Liverpool v Arsenal team would literally be a full Liverpool starting 11."

Emmett Jung said: "I am more or less alright with that. Except like replace Leno, Willock, and Ceballos with Alisson, Fabinho, and Keïta."

Meanwhile on Reddit, under a post of the combined XI, ash_ninetyone wrote: "In what world is Willock one of the best two midfielders out of both squads?

"Ceballos is talented but he's still unproven in the Prem."

We360u45 posted: "Willock over fab/gini is extremely bizarre. Even Ceballos is largely unproven in the PL."

And cheesehead20 added: "Ceballos had one good game and now he’s better than all of our midfielders...

"Not even going to address Willock, that’s just embarrassing."

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