Cole and Crouch pick Chelsea and Liverpool combined XI from stars they played with but fans fume at shock omission

10 months ago 54

JOE COLE and Peter Crouch named their combined Chelsea and Liverpool team – but fans were left fuming.

The former England team-mates are on punditry duty for TNT Sports at Anfield.

And they were tasked with putting together the ultimate combined XI from stars they played with.

Blues icon Petr Cech was picked over Pepe Reina but the back four was split down the middle.

Ashley Cole and John Terry – who played with both Crouch and Cole for England – were picked with Jamie Carragher and Steve Finnan.

And it was the inclusion of centre-half Carragher and right-back Finnan that outraged fans.

It meant the likes of Ricardo Carvalho, Paulo Ferreira and Branislav Ivanovic were all snubbed.

One fan said: “Carragher and Finnan??? Carvalho left out for Carra.”

Another fumed: “Finnan? Really? Paulo Ferreira was so far clear.”

One slammed: “Finnan over Ivanovic and Carragher over Carvalho?! What sort of rubbish is this.”

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Cech, Carvalho and Ferreira were part of the Chelsea defence that famously only conceded 15 goals in their 2004/05 Premier League winning season.

But Carragher and Finnan also lifted the Champions League the same year.

In midfield, it is no surprise Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard featured with Claude Makelele named in the holding position.

Luis Suarez managed to fit in the same forward line as Didier Drogba by being deployed on the left.

And Arjen Robben was placed on the right, which would enable him to cut in on his left foot.

Jose Mourinho, under whom Cole won two Premier League titles, was picked as manager.

And Xabi Alonso was preferred as assistant coach instead of in the starting XI.

The Liverpool legend, boss of Bayer Leverkuson, is now the front runner to succeed Jurgen Klopp next season after the German announced he will leave in the summer.

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