Just 10 more days remain before the highly anticipated UEFA Champions League final between Real Madrid and Liverpool. The anxiety keeps kicking in as we move closer to the biggest game of the 2021/22 season.
Both teams have had a fantastic journey to the final, with Real Madrid having a journey filled with multiple twists and turns like a thriller film. The teams have had a good season in their respective nations, with Real Madrid having won the LaLiga and the Supercopa de Espana, while Liverpool has won the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup, and is hoping to win the Premier League on the final matchday.
Let us have some fun in the build-up to the big game, by making a combined XI of these two teams, which are two of the strongest teams in Europe.
GK Thibaut Courtois
I have absolutely no doubt about picking the goalkeeper for this lineup, and Thibaut Courtois has to be No.1 on this team. The Belgian is the best goalkeeper in Europe at the moment, and it is a shame that his exploits have gone unnoticed by the footballing fraternity, including the people that have voted for the Lev Yashin trophy. If anyone judges footballers based on their in-game performances, and not based on the league in which they play or their reputation on social media, it is pretty easy to conclude that Courtois is the best in the business.
Liverpool’s goalkeeper Alisson Becker is one of the best goalkeepers in Europe, and he is also having a brilliant season, having come back well from a tough 2020/21 season. He’s an incredible shot-stopper, but he misses out plainly because of Courtois’ brilliance. Even the stats show the same, with Courtois having a better save percentage and PSxG-GA when compared to Alisson.
LB Andy Robertson
The left-back position has to be occupied by Andy Robertson, who’s the best left-back in the world in my opinion. He’s the perfect example for a two-way full-back though he’s mostly found attacking, and his work rate is unbelievable. His contribution in the final third has been invaluable to the English club, with 2 goals and 15 assists to his name. Real Madrid does have a defensively solid left-back in Ferland Mendy, but he has to make way for a more well-rounded full-back.
CB David Alaba
A leader, an elite ball-progressor, a master at reading the game, a versatile and calculated player, the inventor of new celebrations, and I am running out of adjectives to describe David Alaba. He has to be there in this lineup comprising the best players from both teams. I had picked Militao over Alaba in my combined XI of Real Madrid and Manchester City, but Alaba’s growing influence with each game and Militao’s recent struggles have made this choice easier.
CB Virgil van Dijk
Yet another obvious choice, and this time it’s Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk. The Dutchman is having a great comeback season after missing the majority of last season due to an ACL injury and is reminding people why he’s considered to be one of the best defenders currently (though sometimes pundits like Michael Owen take the praise too far). He’s in the 99th percentile for dribbled past per 90, with just one player managing to dribble past him once in 900 minutes. And his ball-playing abilities make him an unmissable choice
RB Trent Alexander-Arnold
If this was 2018, a year in which the finalists were these two teams, Dani Carvajal in his prime would have walked his way into the lineup, against a young inexperienced Trent Alexander-Arnold. Even now the choice is an easy one, but it’s the opposite one. Alexander-Arnold is the best attacking full-back in the world at this moment, and there’s no way we can leave him out. He’s simply inevitable in attack, with 2 goals and 19 assists to his name. Carvajal hasn’t had the best of the times in the last two years with various fitness issues and has to miss out.
CM Luka Modric
On one side, there are young and energetic midfielders who can keep pressing for 90 minutes, and here I am, selecting a 36-year-old player. But this isn’t any other normal player who’s nearing the end of his career at his age. It is Luka Modric, one of the greatest footballers of all time, a player who has sent a message to the entire world stating that he isn’t done yet, with his performances in the Champions League. If the man isn’t ready to give up, then how can I give up on him and ignore him while making a combined XI of Real Madrid and Liverpool.
DM Casemiro
The heart of Real Madrid’s defensive structure, Casemiro has to make it to this team. Well, one can go arguing how Casemiro isn’t the most perfect No.6 out there, but he is the best at what he does, and the difference between Real’s defending in the first and second legs against Manchester City shows us the Brazilian’s importance. Liverpool’s Fabinho is another brilliant defensive midfielder and he will make the combined XI of Liverpool with any other team apart from Real Madrid. Fabinho has been Casemiro’s deputy with the Brazilian national team as well, and the situation here isn’t going to be any different. Even the numbers speak for themselves.
CM Toni Kroos
Liverpool’s pressing is the scariest pressing scheme of all European teams, but if there’s one player who can beat that press with ease, it is Toni Kroos. The German Sniper is one of the best midfielders and most press-resistant players out there, and even Liverpool has an idea of his abilities, having an experience of Toni Kroos’ genius last year itself.
Some people, especially those fans who have bought the narrative that Kroos is having a bad season, might not be okay with my choice of selecting three Real Madrid players for the three spots. The same midfield trio got the better of Liverpool last season, and individually, no midfielder at Liverpool is better than these players, in their respective positions. Thiago Alcantara of Liverpool is a world-class midfielder and is having a good season, but I would still choose Kroos over him.
RW Mohamed Salah
Another obvious choice, and there’s no way we can exclude Mo Salah from this list. He’s currently the best in his position on the right, a position in which there has been no fixed starter for Real Madrid this season, Salah had a fiery start to the season and has considerably slowed down since then, but he still has 30 goals and 16 assists in all competitions to his name, which are outstanding numbers.
CF Karim Benzema
Should I really explain this choice? I’ll do one thing, I’ll simply remind you of his magnificent season using some stats.
Benzema has 44 goals and 15 assists in 3739 minutes in all competitions and is the leading goal-scorer in LaLiga and UEFA Champions League. He has three hat-tricks this season, with two of them coming against Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea, and has scored three goals against Manchester City. He is also the current favourite for Ballon d’Or 2022.
All these show only one thing. He is the best footballer on the planet at the moment.
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LW Vinicius Junior
Vinicius Junior until 20/21 was a player who was subjected to massive criticism, and was indeed a player who needed to improve. But the Vinicius of 2021/22 has been the player everyone wanted him to be – consistent goal-contributor and an unstoppable force down the left flank. He has 21 goals and 20 assists this season, and we can only see him improving with time.
Some of you might be surprised to see him being picked over Liverpool’s left-winger Sadio Mane, who’s also a Ballon d’Or contender. But the numbers speak for themselves, as Vinicius’ domination isn’t just visible in the goals and assists stats, but in every other metric too.