So is this the cream of Manchester’s crop? Pooling the best of the talent currently playing at the city’s top two clubs produces an impressive‑looking attacking side but one with some familiar defensive frailties. This combined United/City XI was selected with recent performances as the key barometer. So a player who began the season brightly but has since faded may have lost out to a rival who has found his best form as Sunday’s derby neared. The other key criterion: the team must be precisely that – 11 footballers who, when blended together in this 4‑1‑1‑3‑1 formation, complement each other to become a formidable force.
Every choice will be questioned – that’s inevitable but welcome, too. Football is all about opinions, after all. Let the fun – and debate – begin …
GOALKEEPER
JOE HART
City and England’s 27-year-old keeper edges out David de Gea with a combination of his fine season and the Spaniard’s recent slips, specifically: allowing a Daniel Sturridge shot through from a tight angle against Liverpool, and failing to keep out Christian Benteke’s shot against Villa. Hart is not in by default, however: his recent series of stellar displays included last month’s phenomenal night at the Camp Nou against Lionel Messi and company.
RIGHT-BACK
PABLO ZABALETA
It’s hard to remember the last time the Argentinian put in a sub-eight out of 10 performance – though for some reason he does not appear to have earned Manuel Pellegrini’s trust. Yet despite the manager dropping him for Easter Monday’s 2-1 defeat at Crystal Palace and alsonot using him against Bayern Munich in the Champions League, there is still an argument for him being the Premier League’s best in his position. He is certainly a finer operator than Antonio Valencia.
CENTRE-BACK
MARTÍN DEMICHELIS
Even in a combined XI, central defence looks unconvincing. At City, Vincent Kompany is having as close as he gets to a nightmare of a season and the £42m Eliaquim Mangala struggles to get a start. At United Chris Smalling, Marcos Rojo and Jonny Evans have had indifferent campaigns. So the first pick here is Demichelis, who generally turns in solid displays. At 34 his legs may creak but his rich experience and ability to read play compensate.
CENTRE-BACK
PHIL JONES
Jones edges out Kompany and Rojo after a run of consistent form, with the sense that the player lauded as potentially being United’s “best ever” footballer by Sir Alex Ferguson is indeed a class act who will prove himself in the seasons to come, if he can just stay fit.Fearless, muscular and a leader – he may well captain United one day – the 23-year-old competes with Zabaleta for the title of the finest natural defender at either club.
LEFT-BACK
DALEY BLIND
Pellegrini’s long-standing indecision over Aleksandar Kolarov and Gaël Clichy – he just cannot settle on who should be the permanent left-back – and Luke Shaw’s disrupted first year at United clear the way for the cultured Blind to start in this side. Despite being a holding midfielder by instinct, Blind has proved a success in this position with a blend of accomplished defending and an ability to initiate attacks – a quality of great import to Van Gaal.
HOLDING MID
MICHAEL CARRICK
Even City fans would surely want this prince of schemers in their best XI – there’s no doubt he makes a United-City fantasy side. Calm, assured, capable of thwarting attacks, controlling the tempo and unloading a defence-splitting pass, at 33 Carrick is also an experienced leader. If he’d been born Spanish, he would have been at home in the Marcos Senna/Sergio Busquets role, winning European Championships and the World Cup.
ATTACKING MID
ANDER HERRERA
So where is Yaya Touré? The Ivorian has just been too indifferent recently to make this lineup, going awol in matches too often, while Herrera has shown backbone by fighting his way back into Van Gaal’s favour. The Spaniard scored twice in the 3-1 win over Villa, the first of which drew a half-time kiss from his manager, and there have been seven goals in total – as Van Gaal has pointed out, not a bad return for a man who was not a regular until recently.
RIGHT MID
DAVID SILVA
The Premier League’s champagne-and-caviar footballer – a wizard of both timing and angles who undoes opponents before they have realised what he has in mind. With Silva in the side, playing to the right of Rooney in the advanced trident, he would drop deeper than the England man to tease and probe. And, as the 29-year-old has 11 goals for City so far this season, he would also carry a vital threat whenever ghosting in and around the area.
LEFT MID
MAROUANE FELLAINI
The transformation from being the focus of fan fury under David Moyes to becoming a key part of Van Gaal’s team is an admirable one. The Belgian’s recent form has been close to stunning, featuring some truly complete performances of midfield/forward play. With Silva and Rooney as this XI’s resident artists, Fellaini provides a vital balance that includes height, strength and a sheer awkwardness factor. But make no mistake: he can play football, too.
NO 10 & CAPTAIN
WAYNE ROONEY
The United captain also wears the armband for this dream team. In his first season leading the side – and England – Rooney has completed the journey from angry prodigy to (in-the-main) controlled menace who these days gives speeches at the team hotel before match day. His goal count stands at 14 for United so this is not a vintage season(yet) but the 29-year-old continues to be the star player at his club, and among the very best in the land
CENTRE-FORWARD
SERGIO AGüERO
The 26-year-old has again raised his game, with 23 goals in 35 appearances despite injury. When he is flying Agüero is in a different class to any other finisher in Europe and, although he has not scored now since 24 February, his six goals in previous derbies suggest the drought will be broken onSunday. City’s Stevan Jovetic, Wilfried Bony and Edin Dzeko, and United’s Radamel Falcao, James Wilson and even Robin van Persie have no chance of being chosen ahead of him
