Before they meet for the first time this weekend, we have picked Pep Guardiola’s and Tony Pulis’s managerial XIs to ask what would happen if they met.
Pep’s XI
There is no shortage of world-class options for Pep Guardiola’s XI. With his Manchester City reign still in its infancy, the team is compiled of six Barcelona players and five Bayern Munich players.
Bayern goalkeeper Manuel Neuer marshals a back four featuring Philipp Lahm, David Alaba, Gerard Pique and Carles Puyol.
The Barcelona trio of Xavi, Andreas Iniesta and Sergio Busquets make up the midfield. Guardiola’s XI is rounded off by the formidable front three of Arjen Robben, Lionel Messi and Robert Lewandowski.
Pulis XI
Pulis XI’s has a ‘slightly’ less favourable pool of players to choose from. Ben Foster and Jonny Evans have been brilliant in Pulis’ West Brom side and are the only Baggies to make the XI. Yannick Bolasie was pivotal in helping Pulis complete a remarkable turnaround at Crystal Palace, and he adds some flair to the XI.
The rest of Pulis’s XI are made up of players from his time with Stoke City. Andy Wilkinson, Ryan Shawcross and Danny Higginbottom all represent the disciplined and physical defenders that the Welshman loves to have in his team.
It would not be a Pulis XI without the long throws of Rory Delap, while Glenn Whelan and Liam Lawrence add some technical ability to the midfield. Ricardo Fuller and Peter Crouch form a combative front pairing.
Key Battles
Messi v Wilkinson
Lionel Messi has won eight La Liga titles, four Champions League trophies and four Ballon d’Or’s and will go down as one of the greatest footballers of all time, but he never faced off against Andy Wilkinson. People have often questioned whether Messi could perform on a cold windy night in Stoke; add in the nonsense defending of Wilkinson, and the Argentinian might decide to take the night off.
Crouch v Puyol
Carles Puyol may have come up against the giant figure Nikola Zigic in La Liga, but the Serbian was nothing compared to the threat of Peter Crouch. A tough aerial contest for Puyol would only be compounded by the barrage of direct balls and crosses aimed at Crouch by Pulis’s side.
Xavi v Whelan
The master of possession, Glenn Whelan, has come up against Xavi before, when Spain beat the Republic of Ireland 4-0 at Euro 2012. With the physicality of Pulis’ side, Xavi might struggle to keep up with the neat and tidy work of Whelan.
Pep v Delap long throws
It would have been fascinating to see Guardiola set up his side to combat the darting long throws of Rory Delap. Many Premier League sides were left rattled by one of Pulis’s most iconic managerial ploys, and even Pep’s Champions League and World Cup winners might struggle to deal with Delap’s delivery.
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