Could a Premier League All-Star team beat Manchester City?
Manchester City travels to Old Trafford for a meeting with hated rival Manchester United on Sunday, and a victory would see Pep Guardiola's lot go 11 points clear of its second-placed metropolitan nemesis.
A draw against Everton remains the sole blip on a staggering run of 14 wins in 15 attempts for City, fuelling talk of replicating Arsenal's "Invincibles" campaign of 2003-04. Or, perhaps a more realistic discussion is which of United, Chelsea, Tottenham, Arsenal, or Liverpool pose the biggest threat to City's shot at a third league title in five years?
That said, a discussion steeped in logic and probability can be a bore, prompting a more abstract question: could a combined XI of the Premier League's best beat Manchester City? Don't forget to have your say in the poll.
More so than a collection of the division's top players, this hypothetical starting XI is a selection of footballers most likely to stymie City and its style of play. As such, the demand is for players who are both physical and imposing, and able to play the ball with ease and in tight confines.
GK: David De Gea (Manchester United); DF: Antonio Valencia (Manchester United), Cesar Azpilicueta (Chelsea), Toby Alderweireld (Tottenham), Sead Kolasinac (Arsenal); MF: Nemanja Matic (Manchester United), N'Golo Kante (Chelsea), Paul Pogba (Manchester United); FW: Mohamed Salah (Liverpool), Harry Kane (Tottenham), Eden Hazard (Chelsea)
Bench: Thibaut Courtois (Chelsea), David Luiz (Chelsea), Jan Vertonghen (Tottenham), Mesut Ozil (Arsenal), Philippe Coutinho (Liverpool), Sadio Mane (Liverpool), Alexis Sanchez (Arsenal)
GK notes: Pretty straightforward stuff here. The Premier League's best 'keeper is undoubtedbly De Gea, whose penchant for obstructing close-range shots is a nightmare for forwards. Look no further than the rangy Spaniard's 14 stops against Arsenal for proof of his many virtues.
DF notes: Valencia and Kolasinac get the nod for offering a melange of defensive-minded positioning, tough tackling, and a knack for getting forward. City's wingers - Raheem Sterling and Leroy Sane - are pace merchants, but relatively small in comparison, and if the All-Star side is to win this matchup, it will be the result of a tenacious approach. Alderweireld's inclusion is a no-brainer, and to the Belgian's right is the versatile Azpilicueta, who's as adept at getting out of danger as any defender in England's top flight.
(Photo courtesy: Getty Images)
MF notes: With Valencia and Kolasinac narrowing the wide channels, David Silva and Kevin De Bruyne may fancy a direct route through the middle, prompting the inclusion of a familiar defensive-midfield tandem, Kante and Matic. With a midfield pyramid favouring the deep-lying pair, the onus will be on Pogba to be the creative force in the side. It helps that the towering Frenchman can also fire precise strikes from distance and excel with aerial duels should things go pear-shaped on a City set piece.
FW notes: If the other eight players on the All-Star XI are in place to curb City's attacks, the front-three have been selected to provide an offensive impetus. Kane offers the presence of a traditional No. 9 capable of clinical finishes, while Hazard and Salah provide equal parts trickery and creativity. A fit Benjamin Mendy is facing an eternal 90 minutes of marking Hazard, and should the All-Star side require late goals, there's plenty of attacking options on the bench.