[long_read]
Separated by just one place and two points, there are few Premier League teams more evenly matched than Southampton and Newcastle according to the top flight table, which adds an extra dose of intrigue to their encounter at 3pm this Saturday.
And that has lead to an interesting question up in FFC Towers – if we were to combine the resources of both teams, which side would have the most representatives in the resulting XI?
Check out Football FanCast’s picks below…
[snack_break title=”Goalkeeper”]
GK – Martin Dubravka: With the most saves of any Premier League goalkeeper this season and eight clean sheets to boot, you’ll struggle to find too many goalkeepers who’ve statistically outperformed Newcastle’s No.1. Add in the fact Alex McCarthy hasn’t even been an automatic starter for the whole season, with Angus Gunn making 10 Premier League starts, and this was a relatively straight-forward pick.
[snack_break title=”Defence”]
RCB – Jamaal Lascelles: By no means a stellar campaign for the Englishman whose Whoscored rating stands at a modest 6.7, but there’s a reason he’s Newcastle captain and that’s shown in the statistics. The Magpies’ win percentage drops by 7% when he’s not in the starting XI, while their loss rate jumps up by 10%. Clearly Lascelles is an influence even when he’s not playing to the best of his abilities, and this combined XI needs that kind of leadership.
CB – Jan Bednarek: Aged just 23, Bednarek is starting to emerge as one of the better young centre-halves in the Premier League. He’s been a near-ever-present for Saints this season, averaging an impressive 3.3 aerial duels won, 2 tackles, 2.2 interceptions and 5.8 clearances per match. A few more clean sheets would be nice, though.
LCB – Fabian Schar: He’s not quite been able to show his best form under Steve Bruce but Schar’s talents are in little doubt – last term he scored an impressive four goals and received a Whoscored rating of 7.3. Perhaps he doesn’t deserve a spot in this combined XI based on current form, not even being a guaranteed starter these days, but the Switzerland international is a class act when performing at optimum levels.
[snack_break title=”Midfield”]
RWB – James Ward-Prowse: Having played in every minute of Southampton’s Premier League campaign so far, Ralph Hasenhuttl clearly values Ward-Prowse’s influence and it’s not hard to see why. In addition to being one of Southampton’s very own, the academy product combines pure work rate with deadly set piece delivery – he ranks fifth for key passes from corners, and fourth from free kicks, throughout the Premier League.
CM – Jonjo Shelvey: During a difficult campaign for Newcastle, Shelvey has stood out as one of the players to make a real difference. In fact, he’s the Magpies’ top scorer in the Premier League with five goals, while he also ranks first amongst the squad for shots and key passes. Throw in the old cliche of him being able to unlock a defence, and Shelvey takes pride of place at the heart of this combined XI’s midfield.
CM – Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg: No Premier League player has won possession more times in the middle third than the Southampton captain this season, so perhaps it’s no surprise he’s now being linked with a summer move to Spurs. Incredibly industrious and defensively shrewd, he could be the perfect foil for the more creative Shelvey.
LWB – Ryan Bertrand: He’s not going to be a regular match-winner for our combined XI, but Bertrand has proved throughout the years that he’s a solid Premier League quality left-back, with over 200 top flight appearances under his belt. Now aged 30, the Englishman will need to roll back the years to provide the dynamism needed in a slightly more advanced wing-back role.
[snack_break title=”Attack”]
RW – Nathan Redmond: Another player who hasn’t been at his best this season with only three goals and one assist, but has the potential to be a real force when he’s in the mood. Redmond’s still averaged 1.2 key passes and 2.3 dribbles per match this term, and who knows – maybe he’s saving his goal contributions for the business end of the campaign.
CF – Danny Ings: Just three players have scored more Premier League goals than Danny Ings this season, which tells its own story of how impressive his 2019/20 campaign has been – and with Harry Kane and Marcus Rashford both injured, it could well end with a key role for England at Euro 2020. There are certainly few players in the Premier League right now that goalkeepers will fear more.
LW – Allan Saint-Maximin: The French winger may be enduring a mixed debut campaign at Newcastle, managing only one goal and one assist while being reduced to a mere 14 starts, but the potential is there for all to see. With an average of 4.3 dribbles per game, he’s an incredibly exciting player to watch on the counter-attack and while football is a results business, this combined XI wants to entertain the fans as well.
[snack_break title=”Combined XI”]
[/long_read]