Paul Merson selects eight Liverpool stars in his team of the season

[TLW]

With general life grinding to a halt in the advent of the Covid-19 pandemic, you may have seen a fair share of “best of” lists being published all over the World Wide Web. 

Football is certainly no different in that regard. There have been all manner of 'Best XI's' and 'Combined XI's' and one of the most discussed was when Jamie Carragher and Roy Keane debated Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool Or Ferguson's United?
 

The latest premier league outright odds has the Reds at the shortest price any team has been at this stage of the season and that prompted some discussion as to how they compared with United's 1999 treble winners.

 

Comparing players from different eras is tricky, however, whereas a team of the season is more straight forward as it's easier to compare players.

 

With that in mind, Paul Merson has revealed his team of the Premier League season and it includes a extremely high number of Liverpool players.

The exact number is eight, which is an illustration of the dominance that the Reds have displayed over the rest of the league.

That figure is one more than his fellow Sky Sports analyst Jamie Carragher who included seven Liverpool players.

In goal, Carragher included the impressive Sheffield United Dean Henderson while Merson went with Alisson.

In terms of the back four, Carra went with all Liverpool players,, while Merson selected Crystal Palace central defender Gary Cahill over Joe Gomez.

The Mirror reported Merson explained his reasoning for going with the former Chelsea man.

"He's been outstanding for Crystal Palace.

"He came in last summer and you've got to remember he didn't play much football at all last season for Chelsea.

"He was completely frozen out at Stamford Bridge and he really shouldn't have been considering what he did for the club and what a good player he was.

"To then go to Palace where you are playing in a team that only gets 35 to 40 per cent possession, compared to Chelsea's 60 per cent, and to defend as well as he has, he deserves credit. 

“He has marshalled that defence and he's a key reason Palace aren't deep in a relegation battle."

Both pundits went for the same three In midfield in Jordan Henderson, Gini Wijnaldum and Kevin De Bruyne.

Merson explained his admiration for the Dutchman.

 

"He's got to go in for me - Another outstanding performer for Liverpool.

"I put him down as a big-game player.

"He gets big goals in big games. 

“There are a lot of players around who score a lot of goals, but if you weigh their goals up, they'll get the third or fourth in a 4-0 win, or they'll get the consolation goal in a 5-1 defeat.

 

"Another really top player, who goes under the radar."

While Sadio Mane and Mo Salah were no brainers in the front three for both Carragher and Merson, there was one difference in their choice for the final forward spot.

Carragher went with the talismanic Man City frontman Sergio Aguero but Merson went for Jamie Vardy, a player whose importance to the fortunes of his team is indisputable.

“It's freakish what he's done for Leicester this season. He took a big gamble by saying he wouldn't play for England again to look after himself and extend his career.

"After doing that, though, he has produced at the highest level.

"He's recaptured his form and is back to the Vardy we all knew, and that Vardy is an absolute nightmare to play against.”

These lists are always a bit of fun and certainly bound to start discussion and debate.

But when it comes to Liverpool this season, no discussion is needed.




 

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[Mark M]

Cahill haha! fucking hell he’s still pissed 

[Guest]

I didn't know Gary Cahill went to Crystal Palace. Paul Merson obviously doesn't drink alcohol anymore. He must have moved onto crack. 

[aRdja]

4-3-3
D. Henderson

Trent

Soyuncu

Van Dijk

Robertson

J. Henderson

Maddison

De Bruyne

Salah

Mane

Vardy

[sir roger]

He's a bit daft is Merson , but he appears to have no real side to him and he loves us.

[Colt Seavers]

Hasn't Carra picked 8 too not 7?

Back 4, 2 midfielders and 2 up front.

[Lario]

They can all fuck off if they don't include Bobby.

[Harry Squatter]

The best ones are Dave Prentice trying to shoehorn a couple of Everton players onto his team of the season so the Echo doesnt get accused of bias towards tge redshite.