Liverpool, Man Utd, Chelsea: The best five-a-side team has been picked for each PL club | OneFootball

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·23 June 2022

Liverpool, Man Utd, Chelsea: The best five-a-side team has been picked for each PL club

Article image:Liverpool, Man Utd, Chelsea: The best five-a-side team has been picked for each PL club

The best five-a-side team for each Premier League club has been named.

The Athletic’s journalists for each of the 20 clubs have selected five players to form the best possible five-a-side team to participate in an imaginary tournament.


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Five-a-side football is very different to what we see in the Premier League.

For starters, there’s a lot less space meaning players need to be technically brilliant, while pace isn’t quite as important.

  • The ball is not allowed over head height
  • Slide tackles are forbidden
  • Each team must have a goalkeeper and they can’t come out of the area
  • Outfield players are not allowed in the area
  • They can score from anywhere outside the area

So, which five players make up their club’s five-a-side team?

Let’s take a look:

Arsenal

  • Aaron Ramsdale
  • Thomas Partey
  • Bukayo Saka
  • Emile Smith Rowe
  • Gabriel Martinelli

Ramsdale would no doubt operate as a ball-playing goalkeeper, while Partey will be responsible for winning back the ball. The three of Saka, Smith Rowe and Martinelli would cause any five-a-side team all sorts of problems.

Article image:Liverpool, Man Utd, Chelsea: The best five-a-side team has been picked for each PL club

Aston Villa

  • Emi Martinez
  • Tyrone Mings
  • Emi Buendia
  • Philippe Coutinho
  • Danny Ings

Martinez is more than capable with his feet, while Mings is tough in the tackle. Buendia and Coutinho offer the flair while Ings is an accomplished finisher.

Article image:Liverpool, Man Utd, Chelsea: The best five-a-side team has been picked for each PL club

Bournemouth

  • Mark Travers
  • Lloyd Kelly
  • Lewis Cook
  • Siriki Dembele
  • Dominic Solanke

Travers is an excellent shot-stopper and Kelly is comfortable on the ball. Cook has the energy needed for five-a-side and Dembele provides the skill. Solanke will be the one grabbing all the goals – much like he did last season.

Article image:Liverpool, Man Utd, Chelsea: The best five-a-side team has been picked for each PL club

Brentford

  • David Raya
  • Christian Norgaard
  • Christian Eriksen
  • Yoane Wissa
  • Ivan Toney

Considering Raya grew up playing Futsal, he’s more than capable of being a five-a-side goalkeeper. Norgaard may be a midfielder but he’s an accomplished tackler. Eriksen is still technically a Brentford player and alongside Wissa will look to provide Toney.

Article image:Liverpool, Man Utd, Chelsea: The best five-a-side team has been picked for each PL club

Brighton

  • Robert Sanchez
  • Joel Veltman
  • Alexis Mac Allister
  • Moises Caicedo
  • Leandro Trossard

The way in which Brighton like to play, they have players suitable for five-a-side football. Sanchez is a good goalkeeper with his feet, while Veltman is a fairly suprising choice in defence. The creativity and energy of Mac Allister and Caicedo will work well with the versatile Trossard.

Article image:Liverpool, Man Utd, Chelsea: The best five-a-side team has been picked for each PL club

Chelsea

  • Kepa Arrizabalaga
  • Reece James
  • Mateo Kovacic
  • Mason Mount
  • Kai Havertz

Kepa is the surprise choice in goal ahead of Mendy – who is perhaps questionable with the ball at his feet. James gets the nod ahead of Thiago Silva in defence, while N’Golo Kante misses out to Kovacic and Mount. Havertz would thrive in an attacking role.

Article image:Liverpool, Man Utd, Chelsea: The best five-a-side team has been picked for each PL club

Crystal Palace

  • Joe Whitworth
  • Marc Guehi
  • Michael Olise
  • Eberechi Eze
  • Wilfried Zaha

Under-23 goalkeeper Whitworth has been selected thanks to his ability to play out from the back. Guehi may have a tough task on his hands in defence because the other three outfield players are the attacking trio of Olise, Eze and Zaha. How good would they be to watch at five-a-side!?

Article image:Liverpool, Man Utd, Chelsea: The best five-a-side team has been picked for each PL club

Everton

  • Jordan Pickford
  • Yerry Mina
  • Alex Iwobi
  • Richarlison
  • Dominic Calvert-Lewin

Pickford would fancy his chances of coming out of goal to play with his feet. In front of him is the commanding figure of Mina. Iwobi may not flourish 11-a-side but he has the footwork to get him out of tight spaces. A striking duo of Richarlison and Calvert-Lewin would get buckets of goals.

Article image:Liverpool, Man Utd, Chelsea: The best five-a-side team has been picked for each PL club

Fulham

  • Marek Rodak
  • Tosin Adearabioyo
  • Tom Cairney
  • Harry Wilson
  • Neeskens Kebano

What? No Alexandar Mitrovic after his record-breaking season? Instead, the more skillful Kebano gets the nod. Wilson and Cairney will look to provide him, while the towering Adearabioyo ‘has great feet for a big guy’. Rodak is in goal.

Article image:Liverpool, Man Utd, Chelsea: The best five-a-side team has been picked for each PL club

Leeds

  • Ilan Meslier
  • Kalvin Phillips
  • Mateusz Klich
  • Raphinha
  • Joe Gelhardt

Meslier is the obvious choice in goal while Phillips would be expected to play a defensive role with the ability to play out from the back. Klich offers more protection allowing Rahinha the license to express himself with Gelhardt also having the technical ability to cause problems.

Article image:Liverpool, Man Utd, Chelsea: The best five-a-side team has been picked for each PL club

Leicester

  • Kasper Schmeichel
  • James Justin
  • James Maddison
  • Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall
  • Jamie Vardy

Schmeichel will prove hard to beat in smaller goals, while Justin gets picked ahead of Wesley Fofana and Richardo Pereira. Maddison would flourish in five-a-side alongside the energetic Dewsbury-Hall. Vardy may struggle without being able to go inside the penalty box but he’ll still be a nightmare.

Article image:Liverpool, Man Utd, Chelsea: The best five-a-side team has been picked for each PL club

Liverpool

  • Alisson
  • Trent Alexander-Arnold
  • Thiago
  • Luis Diaz
  • Mohamed Salah

Alisson is tough to beat in a normal-sized goal so imagine him in a smaller goal. Alexander-Arnold will be required to defend in this team but he’ll be brilliant with the ball at his feet. Thiago is made for five-a-side, while Diaz and Salah would form an incredible duo.

Article image:Liverpool, Man Utd, Chelsea: The best five-a-side team has been picked for each PL club

Manchester City

  • Ederson
  • Rodri
  • Bernardo Silva
  • Kevin De Bruyne
  • Erling Haaland

Imagine turning up at your local five-a-side and seeing these five players on the opposite side of the pitch. Ederson is probably the best ball-playing goalkeeper in world football while Rodri is more than capable of defending by himself. Silva and De Bruyne are incredible in tight spaces while the thought of Haaland sprinting around the small pitch and smashing in goals is hilarious.

Article image:Liverpool, Man Utd, Chelsea: The best five-a-side team has been picked for each PL club

Manchester United

  • David de Gea
  • Harry Maguire
  • Jadon Sancho
  • Marcus Rashford
  • Cristiano Ronaldo

De Gea’s main weakness is with the ball at his feet but he’ll be extremely tough to beat. Maguire is pretty handy as a ball-playing defender but he’ll definitely struggle in this team. Because it consists a front-three of Sancho, Rashford and Ronaldo.

Article image:Liverpool, Man Utd, Chelsea: The best five-a-side team has been picked for each PL club

Newcastle

  • Martin Dubravka
  • Dan Burn
  • Bruno Guimaraes
  • Allan Saint-Maximin
  • Callum Wilson

Guimaraes and Saint-Maximin in five-a-side? Where can we watch? They will provide all the flair for Wilson to bang in the goals. Burn may not seem like a five-a-side player but he did win a national Futsal tournament as a youngster. Dubravka is pretty solid in goal.

Article image:Liverpool, Man Utd, Chelsea: The best five-a-side team has been picked for each PL club

Nottingham Forest

This Nottingham Forest side may struggle against some of the other teams in this five-a-side tournament. But Samba is the king of sh*thousery and will be hard to get the better of. McKenna is a fan favourite, while Yates and Cafu provide all the energy in midfield. Johnson gives the team firepower.

Article image:Liverpool, Man Utd, Chelsea: The best five-a-side team has been picked for each PL club

Southampton

  • Gavin Bazunu
  • Mohammed Salisu
  • Oriol Romeu
  • Kyle Walker-Peters
  • Adam Armstrong

A surprise there’s no James Ward-Prowse – although his free-kick-taking ability won’t be particularly useful in five-a-side. Instead, it’s the industrious Romeu and the tricky Walker-Peters in midfield, ahead of Salisu and Bazunu in goal. Armstrong isn’t shy of shooting and will be asked to get the goals.

Article image:Liverpool, Man Utd, Chelsea: The best five-a-side team has been picked for each PL club

Tottenham

  • Hugo Lloris
  • Cristian Romero
  • Tanguy Ndombele
  • Son Heung-min
  • Harry Kane

Lloris isn’t the best with his feet but is a good enough shot-stopper. Romero would be pretty crazy as a defender in a small space. A wildcard selection of Ndombele in midfield is a surprise but the Frenchman’s technical ability may be suited to five-a-side. Then, Kane and Son would be almost unstoppable as a pairing.

Article image:Liverpool, Man Utd, Chelsea: The best five-a-side team has been picked for each PL club

West Ham

  • Lukasz Fabianski
  • Kurt Zouma
  • Declan Rice
  • Said Benrahma
  • Jarrod Bowen

Fabianski is decent enough but Zouma and Rice would prove extremely difficult to get past. Then, you’ve got the creativity and goals of Benrahma and Bowen in attack.

Article image:Liverpool, Man Utd, Chelsea: The best five-a-side team has been picked for each PL club

Wolves

  • Jose Sa
  • Max Kilman
  • Joao Moutinho
  • Ruben Neves
  • Pedro Neto

Kilman has represented England at Futsal so you’d think he’d be class in this tournament. He plays ahead of Wolves’ No.1, Sa. Moutinho and Neves form a brilliant midfield with Neto getting the nod ahead of Raul Jimenez.

Article image:Liverpool, Man Utd, Chelsea: The best five-a-side team has been picked for each PL club

1 of 20

Article image:Liverpool, Man Utd, Chelsea: The best five-a-side team has been picked for each PL club

We’ll start with an easy one – who provided the assist for Ilkay Gundogan’s title winning goal?

Fernandinho Kevin De Bruyne Bernardo Silva Rodri

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