In Louis van Gaal’s final match at Manchester United he won the FA Cup, which was Arsene Wenger’s last trophy at Arsenal. The two most successful clubs in the competition’s history face off in the third round on Sunday, so we have knocked up a cheeky combined XI.
Instead of deciding between the current players, we have a different kind of combined XI consisting of the Gunners that beat Chelsea at Wembley in 2017 and the Red Devils squad victorious against Crystal Palace a year earlier.
Players not in the matchday squads for those finals have not qualified for selection.
GK: David de Gea (Manchester United)
We have a nice and easy one to get this combined XI rolling. De Gea was arguably in his prime in 2016, saving a mediocre Man United team from slipping even further down the Premier League table year after year. He was named in the PFA Team of the Year every season from 2014/15 to 2017/18 and was in the Europa League Squad of the Season in 2015/16, when Louis van Gaal’s side won the FA Cup.
He comfortably gets in this team ahead of David Ospina – who started in Arsenal’s triumphant final against Chelsea – and Petr Cech. The latter is arguably the greatest goalkeeper in Premier League history but he was well past his best during his Gunners years. This is a no-brainer.
RB: Antonio Valencia (Manchester United)
Right-back isn’t quite so nailed on. Valencia and Hector Bellerin were at very different stages of their respective careers when these finals came around, with the former moving back after making a name for himself as an energetic winger, while the Arsenal youngster was regarded one of the most promising full-backs in the world and seemed destined for a return to his boyhood club Barcelona. That never came to fruition due to injuries as Bellerin became nothing more than a foul throw extraordinaire ahead of permanent exit.
Valencia was older but had plenty left in the tank when the Red Devils beat Crystal Palace at Wembley and just edges out Bellerin here.
CB: Chris Smalling (Manchester United)
“Mike Smalling” was actually sent off in the 2016 final but we are giving him the benefit of the doubt and looking at the bigger picture, although we are about to do the opposite with his centre-back partner.
Smalling was under-rated during his Man United career and went on to be very successful at AS Roma.
CB: Per Mertesacker (Arsenal)
While Smalling was sent off, Mertesacker played an absolute blinder. Wenger’s decision to start him was a controversial one given the Big F**king German had been injured all season, playing his only 37 minutes of the season on the Premier League’s final day before starting and finishing the FA Cup final.
There were understandably concerns over his sharpness and whether he would be able to adapt to the pace of the game from the start, but pace was never his thing, so that was a pointless argument looking back.
We give the former Arsenal captain the nod ahead of Daley Blind and Rob Holding, who famously called Diego Costa a nutcase in Arsenal’s final. He wasn’t wrong.
LB: Nacho Monreal (Arsenal)
Some might think Monreal v Marcus Rojo is close but not us. The physical Argentinian was average for United, while Monreal was one of the most consistent players in Wenger’s squad. He was hardly world-class but he rarely gave you a performance worse than a seven out of ten.
CM: Wayne Rooney (Manchester United)
The Player of the Match for United in their extra-time victory over Alan Pardew’s Palace, Rooney was utilised as a central midfielder under Van Gaal and enjoyed the role, with his incredible passing range and playmaking ability on show.
Rooney’s evolution into a deep-lying midfielder came earlier than it ought to after he reached a world-class level as a teenager. Unfortunately, that resulted in him regressing a lot earlier than he would have liked. He was 30 when the Red Devils beat Palace, which is quite young to move into a pre-retirement playing role in this day and age.
CM: Aaron Ramsey (Arsenal)
There is some stern competition in the middle of the park but it was hard to overlook POTM Rooney and match-winner Ramsey. Ander Herrera, who started on the bench, Granit Xhaka, and most controversially, Michael Carrick miss out at the expense of the Welsh and English legends.
Ramsey scored a diving header to win Arsenal the cup, three years on from his famous extra-time winner against Hull City, which ended Arsenal’s nine-year trophy drought.
Carrick does deserve a mention because he played the full 120 minutes at the age of 34. He was a fantastic servant for United and someone Van Gaal leaned on.
RW: Juan Mata (Manchester United)
Choosing Mata over Theo Walcott was difficult as an Arsenal fan but it is the right call. Chelsea had Mata at his absolute best before Jose Mourinho decided he wanted rid, which came as a huge shock. He never reached that level again but was still a successful United signing.
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AM: Mesut Ozil (Arsenal)
Jesse Lingard won the match for United off the bench but he was no Mesut Ozil, was he? The German divided opinions during his time in England but there was no doubting his technical ability and football IQ. Ja Gunners Ja.
LW: Alexis Sanchez (Arsenal)
Alexis is a shoo-in. Seriously, what a player. If Arsenal could have any player from the past decade for their current team, it would have to be him. He would be absolutely perfect.
The Chilean gets in ahead of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain – who played left-wing-back – and Anthony Martial.
ST: Oliver Giroud (Arsenal)
Marcus Rashford started up top in the 2016 FA Cup final in his breakthrough season under Van Gaal. He had scored a brace against Arsenal on his Premier League debut months before and was one of the highest-rated youngsters to come through the club’s famous academy. He’s had his moments in a United shirt, but his time at Old Trafford looks like it will end acrimoniously in the January transfer window, and might just end up at Arsenal.
We have gone with Giroud ahead of him, Walcott and Martial. The Frenchman assisted Ramsey’s winner after coming off the bench.
👉 MORE: 16 conclusions: Palace 1-2 Man United | Arsenal 2-1 Chelsea: 16 FA Cup final conclusions
