Danny Mills’ combined United/Liverpool 11

[Infordin]

???

TAA - Maguire - VVD - Robertson

Wijnaldum - Fabinho - Pogba

Salah - Firmino - Mane​

I don’t think there’s much between Alisson and DDG. Alisson has better distribution and command of his box, while DDG is a better natural shotstopper. What goalkeeper you prefer depends on your style of play.

 

[PickledRed]

De Gea(Alison)
TAA(AWB) - Maguire(Smalling) - Van Dijk - Robertson
Fabinho
Mctominay(Wiljunaldum) - Pogba
Salah - Martial(Firmino) - Mane

Mills is taking the piss. It is just his personal preference.

Extraordinary stuff

 

[el3mel]

Firmino is x10 times the striker Martial is it is not even a contest.

 

[caid]

Ex Leeds and City player doesn't think United are as good as CL winners atm. Shocking

 

[Ban]

Danny f. Mills. Literally anyone can be a pundit at Skysports these days it seems.

Danny f. Mills.

 

[Adcuth]

He would still be lazy off the ball. That's not his game. No manager is going to change that, and Klopp likes his midfield to keep pressing. Anyway combined XI aren't about the manager but how well these group will work together and Liverpool midfield act as a unit together which Pogba will disturb imo.

Bit of a contradiction. The Liverpool players act as a unit because of their manager. Would they play that well under Ole? Fact is pogba is a lot better than Henderson head to head. Henderson is shite

 

[Sir Scott McToMinay]

Maguire over Matip and Pogba over Henderson for me.

Henderson wouldn’t look any better than Scott McTominay if he played for us.

 

[OverratedOpinion]

Meh, let them enjoy being better than us after 25 years.

 

[Canagel]

Allison/De Gea - can't go wrong with either really

TAA, Maguire, VVD, Robertson

Fabinho, Pogba

Salah, Firmino, Mane

Martial​

This is the correct line up.

 

[tomaldinho1]

No issues with that XI, on form is accurate.

 

[Eric7C]

Whether Danny Mills is right or wrong about this is *possibly* debatable.

There's no argument, however, that Danny Mills is a c*nt.

 

[The Urban Goose]

Pogba walks into that team.

Well he was hardly going to sprint into it, was he.

 

[sherrinford]

Van Dijk, Robertson, Mane and Salah are all standouts and walk in to a combined team. Pogba would be the first pick in midfield and Maguire is a comfortable choice for the second centre back. Fabinho is the clear choice for holding midfield.

The other selections are less obvious. De Gea or Allison. I would have Wan-Bissaka over Alexander-Arnold but think that’s just me. Firminho over Martial, but there’s a dip in quality for the final spot between Wijnaldum and Henderson if it’s to be a third midfielder. Playing Firminho off Martial instead gets the most from a combined squad.

I think it would be very easy to pick a team consisting of nine Liverpool players so Mills’ selection isn’t as ridiculous as you would initially think. Conversely though, I think you could pick a side with five United players in it which would be stronger than Liverpool’s starting eleven.

He could have just put Pogba and Maguire in the Liverpool lineup and enjoyed how few United players made it without going over the top.

 

[GazTheLegend]

He'll look pretty stupid if we beat them on Sunday.

He's not wrong though, we're pretty shite.

 

[AFC NimbleThumb]

How many times did we storm the league only to see ‘combined’ teams with multiple players from teams that were far worse than ours.

The ‘selection’ has done exactly what Sky wanted, why our fanbase continue to support the outlet will never cease to amaze me.

Just bottle up the emotion from crap like this to throw back in people’s faces when we come good again [might be a while mind].

 

[VorZakone]

Matip's a bit underrated here. He's quality and as good as Maguire IMO.

 

[el3mel]

Bit of a contradiction. The Liverpool players act as a unit because of their manager. Would they play that well under Ole? Fact is pogba is a lot better than Henderson head to head. Henderson is shite

Henderson is underrated just like the majority of Liverpool midfield.

Pogba will never work in Klopp system plain and simple. He'll never bring himself to press and work hard back and forth the pitch and will disturb their system. The guy is lazy off ball. It's not something manager related, and the likes of Klopp and Pep won't endure this shite from their midfielder even if he's god-like on the ball. The game moved on from these kind of players to be totally honest.

 

[0le]

I can't argue with the team he selected to be honest.

 

[snowkarl]

De Gea(Alison)
TAA(AWB) - Maguire(Smalling) - Van Dijk - Robertson
Fabinho
Mctominay(Wiljunaldum) - Pogba
Salah - Martial(Firmino) - Mane

Mills is taking the piss. It is just his personal preference.

Seriously?

De Gea in the past 16 months had been nowhere near Alisson to be honest and Maguire is preference I guess but you are not seriously picking Scott over Wijnaldum or Martial over Firmino right??

 

[Seb burrow]

All delusional if you think any united player deserves to be in that team.

Credit where credit is due all those Liverpool players are playing at the top of their game.

You could probably suggest on current form Adrian should be in it. Matip has been playing very well.

Picking players on individual ability is exactly what wrong with United at the moment. It’s about playing as a team.

 

[Amadaeus]

Seriously?

De Gea in the past 16 months had been nowhere near Alisson to be honest and Maguire is preference I guess but you are not seriously picking Scott over Wijnaldum or Martial over Firmino right??

Yes, Mctominay gives the mid more balance and allows Pogba to play in a free role. Wijnaldum is not as solid defensively as Mctominay, so from a tactical perspective the Mctominay addition is to allow Pogba to play to the best of abilities. And when that happens, there is no midfielder in the world better.

Martial over Firmino because I don’t need a false 9 in my attack. The front three is fluid and all capable of scoring loads of goal. Firmino might compliment Mane and Salah better, but he is not known as a clinical striker.

 

[Dec9003]

I don't really disagree with the team selection.
Is it just me though, or do Sky wheel out Danny mills to do this exact thing at least once a season?

 

[Adcuth]

Henderson is underrated just like the majority of Liverpool midfield.

Pogba will never work in Klopp system plain and simple. He'll never bring himself to press and work hard back and forth the pitch and will disturb their system. The guy is lazy off ball. It's not something manager related, and the likes of Klopp and Pep won't endure this shite from their midfielder even if he's god-like on the ball. The game moved on from these kind of players to be totally honest.

Not every midfielder needs to be a massive presser, players with limited quality can make up for that with their work rate but when you have a player with proven world class quality then placing him in a midfield with 2 players who press and work hard, are you saying this wouldn't work? You put pogba in this Liverpool team would it not improve it?

 

[el3mel]

Not every midfielder needs to be a massive presser, players with limited quality can make up for that with their work rate but when you have a player with proven world class quality then placing him in a midfield with 2 players who press and work hard, are you saying this wouldn't work? You put pogba in this Liverpool team would it not improve it?

Nope. You can't afford a passenger in midfielder in current football world anymore. Each player must to do his work off the ball or he will end up disturbing the midfield and hanging his teammates to dry when the team loses the ball.

Problem with Pogba isn't just that he's a passenger off the ball, it's that even on the ball he's extremely inconsistent and you never enter a match being sure he's going to perform today or won't be in the mood. I mean you can be willing to sacrifice having a functional unit or a balanced team for the sake of a player putting ridiculous numbers like say, Messi or Ronaldo. These are the kind of players you can make sacrifices for. Pogba isn't worth that though. He's very inconsistent on the ball, of course top tier on his day but his low level is pretty bad when he's a having a day off. Thus if he's not doing his off ball work at least he's not worth disturbing your working midfield for him.

Pogba has enough physique to actually run, tackle and press. He's not a weak player. He has every physical ability needed to do the dirty work off the ball. The question why he's not willing to do it regularly is up to him I guess.

He has all the ingredients talent and physique wise to become a complete midfielder but he doesn't look interested in achieving that all honestly. For the current state I doubt Klopp or Pep will want him near their favorite midfield.

 

[NoPace]

Picking Henderson over Pogba is disrespectful to Klopp, who would find a way to use Pogba well, to Pogba, who was the best midfielder for the World Cup winners and to common sense. Jordan fecking Henderson. Ridiculous.

Maguire is better than Matip (who's been great lately) and Gomez but honestly it would be all about who Van Dijk pairs best with as he's that good.

De Gea vs Allison is a good question, I'd go De Gea but they're both excellent.

Give me Alexander-Arnold over Wan-Bissaka 9/10 with the 10th time being a game where the team's best player was their LW like Chelsea with Hazard last year then I'd be tempted to use Wan-Bissaka.

And we don't have anyone else who merits consideration for a starting spot. The drop-off after those 4 players to our 5th best player, who is I guess Rashford, Martial or Shaw is tremendous.

 

[Adcuth]

Nope. You can't afford a passenger in midfielder in current football world anymore. Each player must to do his work off the ball or he will end up disturbing the midfield and hanging his teammates to dry when the team loses the ball.

Problem with Pogba isn't just that he's a passenger off the ball, it's that even on the ball he's extremely inconsistent and you never enter a match being sure he's going to perform today or won't be in the mood. I mean you can be willing to sacrifice having a functional unit or a balanced team for the sake of a player putting ridiculous numbers like say, Messi or Ronaldo. These are the kind of players you can make sacrifices for. Pogba isn't worth that though. He's very inconsistent on the ball, of course top tier on his day but his low level is pretty bad when he's a having a day off. Thus if he's not doing his off ball work at least he's not worth disturbing your working midfield for him.

Pogba has enough physique to actually run, tackle and press. He's not a weak player. He has every physical ability needed to do the dirty work off the ball. The question why he's not willing to do it regularly is up to him I guess.

He has all the ingredients talent and physique wise to become a complete midfielder but he doesn't look interested in achieving that all honestly. For the current state I doubt Klopp or Pep will want him near their favorite midfield.

Don't be daft, pogba played in a midfield 3 that was very effective and it contained Pirlo, was he a work horse? It's not having a midfield that runs about the place it's about how they do their job effectively. Otherwise Alan Smith would be a United legend. Liverpool's midfield works because their front and back lines are full of players working effectively. You put that midfield in our squad and it's shite.

 

[Adcuth]

Picking Henderson over Pogba is disrespectful to Klopp, who would find a way to use Pogba well, to Pogba, who was the best midfielder for the World Cup winners and to common sense. Jordan fecking Henderson. Ridiculous.

Maguire is better than Matip (who's been great lately) and Gomez but honestly it would be all about who Van Dijk pairs best with as he's that good.

De Gea vs Allison is a good question, I'd go De Gea but they're both excellent.

Give me Alexander-Arnold over Wan-Bissaka 9/10 with the 10th time being a game where the team's best player was their LW like Chelsea with Hazard last year then I'd be tempted to use Wan-Bissaka.

And we don't have anyone else who merits consideration for a starting spot. The drop-off after those 4 players to our 5th best player, who is I guess Rashford, Martial or Shaw is tremendous.

I don't take it as a true reflection of Danny Mill's thoughts. To me it's another Liverpool arse sucking tactic by the pundits and this one happens to be an ex player of 2 of our rivals. Granted Liverpool are a better team right now, but to day their entire team is better is ludicrous. It's just to build the game, not a genuine opinion

 

[el3mel]

Don't be daft, pogba played in a midfield 3 that was very effective and it contained Pirlo, was he a work horse? It's not having a midfield that runs about the place it's about how they do their job effectively. Otherwise Alan Smith would be a United legend. Liverpool's midfield works because their front and back lines are full of players working effectively. You put that midfield in our squad and it's shite.

That wad a different league with less intensity than PL. In Serie A or even La Liga you can get away with that to a degree but Premier League is far more intense and requires far more hard work from the midfielders (and actually yeah I think he was working harder anyway back then when he was still trying to establish himself as a top player). You can look around you and you will see the successful teams in PL don't have passengers off the ball. If you don't like Liverpool example you can look at City with all their quality and still their players are working their arse off back and forth in the game. Most passenger players in the league got slaughtered. Jorginho was criticized last season, Ozil is getting slaughtered all the time and even Fabregas with all his quality got dropped by Chelsea managers for few years before leaving when he started to become useless off the ball even when his quality on it was still existent. Which successful team in the league has a passenger midfielder off the ball?

No one said we should have headless chicken midfielders only. I don't get why this point keeps jumping when we say Pogba is a passenger off the ball and should work harder. Each midfielder must have a role to do off the ball. Just because you have quality on the ball doesn't excuse you from doing your tactical work off the pitch.

Why is it so hard for Pogba to do his job that we need so much excuses and so much set up for him to play? There's an easy solution to this situation and that's for him to go and work his arse off on the pitch when we don't have the ball. Is that so hard for him to do?

 

[Ronaldo's ego]

Who gives a shit. Football is a team game and as a team Liverpool piss all over us. The end.

 

[Sky1981]

If this doesnt sets fire on our squad then nothing will.

 

[NewGlory]

Allison/De Gea - can't go wrong with either really

TAA, Maguire, VVD, Robertson

Fabinho, Pogba

Salah, Firmino, Mane

Martial​

De Gea even during his best wasn't nearly as good as Allison, and De Gea these days is a shadow of himself, so he's miles behind Allison. Did you even notice that De Gea lost his starting position, in the Spain squad, to Kepa? Nobody in their sane mind would prefer De Gea to in-form Allison.

Henderson and Wijnaldum are in a better form than Pogba. Liverpool has no need for Pogba, right now. Maybe potentially, if he moved into Liverpool squad, after several months he'd show the talent his fanatics have faith in, but right now - nobody would pick Pogba over midfielders that Liverpool has.

Martial? Seriously? For one, Liverpool doesn't play 4-2-3-1, and secondly, who needs Martial when you have Salah, Firmino and Mane up front? Seriously? He'd be just getting in their way.

Let's face it - the only player we have that Liverpool would even consider is Maguire. And since he's kinda VVD-light, it actually may make sense to prefer VVD-Matip pair over Maguire. Either way - nobody else would even get a consideration. AWB is the only other great player but Liverpool already has TAA so they don't need AWB. TAA is better in attack.

 

[Gandalf Greyhame]

Maguire over Matip. That's it.

Pogba has been poor this season, and DDG is terrible with distribution, so neither make the cut.

 

[Sky1981]

I don't take it as a true reflection of Danny Mill's thoughts. To me it's another Liverpool arse sucking tactic by the pundits and this one happens to be an ex player of 2 of our rivals. Granted Liverpool are a better team right now, but to day their entire team is better is ludicrous. It's just to build the game, not a genuine opinion

which version of pogba? United pogba can't give a rats arse about teamwork he'll disrupt their midfield more than actually strenghtening it. He'd do a dribble to nowhere just to show he still got it and ruin a move.

France Pogba on the other hand.

 

[Eric7C]

If this doesnt sets fire on our squad then nothing will.

Exactly.

You imagine if something like this came out in previous years, Liverpool would have no chance of winning the game. Fergie would have fired up the boys. Will Ole? Doubt it.

 

[Bobcat]

When playing their best then Pogba and DDG obviously makes the combined XI, but on current form im not so sure

 

[TwoSheds]

It's all Ole's fault that our players are shite though...

 

[kouroux]

Allison/De Gea - can't go wrong with either really

TAA, Maguire, VVD, Robertson

Fabinho, Pogba

Salah, Firmino, Mane

Martial​

Martial ???

 

[el3mel]

Martial ???

He shoehorned Firmino into number 10 to put Martial by any means. Sorry @ILC but that's stretching it.

 

[kouroux]

He shoehorned Firmino into number 10 to put Martial by any means. Sorry @ILC but that's stretching it.

The longer he stays out, the better he becomes. I've noticed some high expectation of him and the predictable disappointment when he will take time to get back to a good level

 

[ILC]

He shoehorned Firmino into number 10 to put Martial by any means. Sorry @ILC but that's stretching it.

I was going only on talent and Martial is much more talented that any midfielder other than the two I put in.

As far as Firmino goes - he plays as a F9 already and before Klopp put him there he was a natural 10 his whole career.