Former Chelsea and Liverpool star Glen Johnson names his combined XI from the Carabao Cup finalists… with Sadio Mane AND Diogo Jota left out, as Edouard Mendy leads a five-man Blues contingent among the Reds’ six
- Two of three Premier League top scorers this season miss out in Johnson’s team
- The full-back opted for Liverpool new boy Luis Diaz over the established duo
- Johnson also chose to drop Liverpool keeper Alisson in favour of Edouard Mendy
Glen Johnson does not see a place for either Sadio Mane or Diogo Jota in his combined Chelsea and Liverpool XI as the two teams prepare to face each other in the Carabao Cup final.
The full back spent four years at Chelsea and six years at Liverpool, making a combined 201 appearances for the two sides, so has a foot in both camps ahead of Sunday’s showdown at Wembley.
He was asked by bettingexpert to put together a combined XI of the two teams ahead of Sunday’s final and made the controversial choice to leave both Mane and Jota out.
Glen Johnson dropped Sadio Mane and Diogo Jota in his combined Chelsea-Liverpool team
Only Mohamed Salah (centre) has scored more in the league than Jota (left) and Mane (right)
In their place, Liverpool new boy Luis Diaz starts up front in Johnson’s combined XI
Only Mohamed Salah has scored more goals than Jota and Mane in the league this season but Johnson still felt it best to drop them for Hakim Ziyech and Liverpool new boy Luis Diaz.
‘Up top I’d have Hakim Ziyech, Mohamed Salah and Luis Diaz [over Sadio Mane],’ he explained.
‘Diaz clearly has confidence and he’s hit the ground running and he doesn’t look fazed at all. You want all the confidence players playing in these big games. So on this occasion I’d start Diaz over Mane.
‘Mane is so explosive and if he comes on with 30 minutes to go, he could change the game.’
Another bold choice the 37-year-old made was to drop Alisson in favour of Edouard Mendy but said it could have gone either way.
‘I’d probably go for Edouard Mendy in goal, but I could’ve easily picked Alisson,’ he said.
‘They’re both world class and as good as each other, so that’s an easy decision as it doesn’t matter which goalkeeper it is.’
Chelsea winger Hakim Ziyech (left) was the other forward named by Johnson in his side
Johnson also decided against putting Alisson in goal in favour of Chelsea’s Edouard Mendy
Anotinio Rudiger was the sole Chelsea player to make it into the back four.
‘Back four, I’d go for Trent Alexander-Arnold, Virgil van Dijk, Antonio Rudiger and Andy Robertson.
‘I’d be quite happy to have Reece James in there, but in a final when it’s going to be tight, with Trent you’re going to get deliveries, set-pieces and free-kicks.
‘No one is going to win this game three or four nil. Someone is going to win by one goal and sometimes you’re going to need that extra bit of magic to unlock it, so that’s probably why I’d go for Trent.’