This evening in the Football Transfer Tavern, our resident Manchester United and Chelsea fans are discussing the weak spots in their respective sides and who they wouldn’t want to get injured for any length of time.
It was evident on Sunday in the Community Shield that Chelsea are significantly weaker up top when they cannot call upon the services of Diego Costa.
In Loic Remy and Radamel Falcao, neither covered themselves in glory and so much so that some Chelsea fans are wondering whether the club should go in for QPR’s Charlie Austin late in the transfer window.
As for Manchester United, they have most recently got rid of the deadwood in the form of Rafael who has agreed a deal to join Lyon but elsewhere, the likes of Ashley Young and Antonio Valencia actually got better last season and will thus give Louis van Gaal something of a selection headache.
But with our resident Red Devils and Blues supporters having an idea of their respective best starting elevens in their head, there are some players who we know may not necessarily make the cut.
That’s why today by the bar, we’ve devised what we believe to be the worst combined eleven made up of both Manchester United and Chelsea players.
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Click on the image below to reveal the worst combined Manchester United and Chelsea XI.
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Anders Lindegaard
Some of our Manchester United fans in the tavern forgot that their club still boast Anders Lindegaard on their books, such has been the length of time in which Red Devils fans haven’t seen him in the net.
With David De Gea being a model of consistency, both in terms of his performances and fitness, Danish international Lindegaard is the epitome of a reserve but he still remains at the club this summer.
Right now, Sergio Romero has arrived at Old Trafford and will probably be Victor Valdes’ replacement but with the club still being linked with Ajax’s Jasper Cillessen as a possible replacement for De Gea, Lindegaard’s hopes of getting in the team are just as grim as ever.
Having been at the club since 2010, Lindegaard has made jus 19 Premier League appearances for the Red Devils and hasn’t blown anybody away in that time.
Phil Jones
Strangely starting England’s last competitive fixture against Slovenia in the right back position ahead of Nathaniel Clyne, most Three Lions fans were shouting at their box sets, ‘Phil Jones is not a full back’.
Despite having made over 100 appearances in the Premier League, Jones is still considered a work in progress and when you consider what the likes of Raphael Varane and Jose Maria Gimenez have already done in their respective age groups, everybody would admit that Jones’ progress has been too slow.
Perhaps United fans are expecting too much of Jones given the glowing praise he received from Sir Alex Ferguson on bringing him to Old Trafford back in 2011 but make no mistake, the England international needs to improve in his favoured position at centre back.
Chris Smalling
Much like Phil Jones, fellow England international Chris Smalling is still considered a work in progress despite having been on the scene for a long while now.
Having improved towards the latter end of last season, United fans have grown used to a more consistent Smalling and not the one who pettily gets sent off against Manchester City.
That said, no Manchester United fan can definitely say they’re totally comforted by the fact Smalling is currently marshalling their back line.
After all, the fact that United fans wanted either Sergio Ramos and Nicolas Otamendi so badly this summer serves to suggest Smalling still can’t be relied upon entirely.
Gary Cahill
In one of the more stranger football statistics, Gary Cahill has now won all there is to win at club level with Chelsea but despite being the best defender in our back four here, some Chelsea supporters still think he’s suspect on some occasions.
Not particularly good on Sunday against Arsenal alongside a few other Chelsea players, Cahill is obviously not as sharp as he would be in the league season right now but the fact the club still want Everton’s John Stones speaks volumes.
While some will claim Stones is being targeted as a long-term replacement for John Terry, Chelsea fans need to ask themselves who they would start in their strongest starting eleven right now, Stones or Cahill.
Luke Shaw
Having been the subject of a highly public pursuit by Manchester United last summer, most Red Devils supporters were left disappointed by Luke Shaw’s debut season at Old Trafford.
While he did miss portions of the season through injury, you feel Shaw’s stock fell last season following an incredible breakthrough campaign with Southampton a season earlier.
The onus will be on the England international to improve this time around while thrusting himself back into the plans of Roy Hodgson ahead of Euro 2016 this summer.
Juan Cuadrado
Since arriving from Fiorentina in the January transfer window, Chelsea fans have looked upon Juan Cuadrado as a figure of fun but in truth, there has been nothing funny about his performances on the field.
Lamented for a lack of impact from the bench and on the rare occasions on which he has started under Jose Mourinho, the Colombian international has displayed a bad first touch and a lack of confidence when going forward.
The fact is made all the more disappointing after Cuadrado was scintillating in last summer’s World Cup for Colombia, attacking opposition full backs with pace and trickery.
He will need to pick up his form quickly in an attempt to avoid becoming the new Mohamed Salah.
John Obi Mikel
John Obi Mikel still remains at Stamford Bridge with just a week to go until the start of the new Premier League season but this is at odds with the fact that earlier in the summer, his agent suggested the Nigerian international would be on the move.
The long serving Blues midfielder always gets on with his job but has been unfortunate given the fact Nemanja Matic has set the bar so high in regards to his defensive midfield performances.
The simple matter of fact is that when Matic is missing for the Blues, Jose Mourinho’s side are that much weaker for it with John Obi Mikel looking immobile compared to the Serb.
Marouane Fellaini
While Marouane Fellaini proved the critics wrong that he couldn’t be an important cog in Louis van Gaal’s plans last season, his task will be made so much more harder this term given the fact the Red Devils boss has brought his own midfield signings in Bastian Schweinsteiger and Morgan Schneiderlin this summer.
Add to the equation that Ander Herrera, Daley Blind and Michael Carrick are already at the club and Manchester United boast one of the most competitive midfield’s in the Premier League.
van Gaal received a lot of stick last season for the way in which Fellaini was used as a target man in a hoof ball style so with more options available to the Dutchman this time around, we expect him to employ a more favourable style of play for longer periods this term.
Victor Moses
While he has received something of a reprieve under Jose Mourinho for this season, Victor Moses is still looked upon as something of a below par member of this Chelsea squad.
Having not ripped up any trees in loan spells with Liverpool and Stoke City, Moses is returning to Stamford Bridge as a squad player who may be a wildcard option off the bench in games in which Chelsea are struggling in away from home.
It’s somewhat strange that he’s remaining in West London this summer with it looking like like Stoke may have signed him on a permanent deal earlier this summer but that will now not be the case.
Radamel Falcao
Chelsea fans thought his loan signing was a mistake from the start and his performance in the Community Shield on Sunday won’t do much to alter that mindset.
Having dramatically lost his way through both injuries and form over the last couple of seasons, it is actually rather sad to see the fall from grace in which Radamel Falcao has endured – depending on which club you support of course.
Expected to be a super sub behind Diego Costa when the Spanish international is fit this term, we don’t think the super sub role suits the Colombian the best but only time will tell of course.
James Wilson
Perhaps we’re being rather harsh to James Wilson given the fact that he is still breaking through as a first team professional at Manchester United but the fact he is currently the third choice out and out forward at Old Trafford right now is slightly worrying.
With second choice Javier Hernandez unfancied by Louis van Gaal, Wilson is dangerously close to the Red Devils’ starting eleven if Wayne Rooney is out injured and in fairness to the youngster, he shouldn’t be shouldering this responsibility at his age.
While van Gaal has claimed Memphis Depay can play as a centre forward, United fans would feel far more comfortable with Wilson back as a fourth choice with a brand new top name striker arriving this summer.
The problem is that these striker’s are a rare commodity this transfer window.
