Liverpool vs Manchester United: Combined XI
By Ethan Lowe
LAM- Juan Mata
I was pretty close to choosing the promising youngster, Jesse Lingard, but I couldn’t resist the allure of the skilful Spaniard. Juan Mata is an impressive player with the ability to cut teams open with his clever passing, or knock one in himself.
In 151 Premier League appearances for Chelsea and Manchester United, he has scored 36 and assisted 45. This type of record supports my reason for having him in the team, and that is so he can create for the players around him. Up until now, the centre-backs and defensive mid-fielders have been strong physically players who can win the ball and prevent the opposition from breaking through. The full-backs have the pace to move up and support the attacking players, and now Juan Mata makes it into the team because of his pin-point passing which can create chances for the rest of the side.
Juan Mata can also take set-pieces rather well, adding another element of attack to the team.
Next: Centre Attacking Mid