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Chris Wright, Toe Poke writer
Traditional shirt numbers are seemingly less of a concern than ever in top-level football: in fact, no team has started a Premier League with players whose squad numbers run through 1-11 since 1998.
Gone are the days when you would see both teams line up with their goalkeeper wearing No. 1, the defence in Nos. 2-5, the two forwards at Nos. 9 and 10 and the midfielders making up the rest. Nowadays you are just as likely to see a starting midfielder wearing No. 41 (Declan Rice) or right-back at No. 66 (Trent Alexander-Arnold).
It begs the question: which of the Premier League’s so-called Big Six teams could field the strongest starting XI consisting solely of players with the numbers 1-11 on their backs?
Taking the squad numbers as listed on each respective club’s official website, we have compared the players available to Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur should the Premier League suddenly alter their rules and only allow teams of players wearing the first 11 shirts on the rack.
We also examine which big-named stars are forced to miss the cut due to their extravagant shirt numbers, which forgotten men are unexpectedly thrust back into the first-team picture, and which players with shirt numbers from 12 onwards would be next in line on the bench to fill in any prospective gaps.
Feel free to take it as either a damning indictment of the continued erosion of association football’s traditional values (i.e. “the game’s gone”), or as nothing more than a little bit of harmless fun.
1: N/A
2: William Saliba (DF)
3: Kieran Tierney (DF)
4: Ben White (DF)
5: Thomas Partey (MF)
6: Gabriel Magalhães (DF)
7: Bukayo Saka (FW)
8: Martin Ødegaard (MF)
9: Gabriel Jesus (FW)
10: N/A
11: Gabriel Martinelli (FW)
Formation: 4-2-3
Arsenal can just about piece together a strong, workable formation with only a couple of minor flaws.
Firstly they only have nine outfield players to call upon, deployed in a rough 4-2-3 formation. The Gunners are underpinned by a relatively stable back line of White (4), Saliba (2), Gabriel (6) and Tierney (3) — though left-back Tierney is still in the process of returning from a long-standing injury having spent last season on loan at Real Sociedad. They are particularly well stocked in defence, with Jurriën Timber (12) and Jakub Kiwior (15) the next two players listed numerically.
A two-man central midfield consisting of just Partey (5) and Ødegaard (8) looks threadbare but would likely punch above its weight, while a front three of Saka (7), Jesus (9) and Martinelli (11) would be a little more convincing (Arsenal haven’t had a No.10 since Emile Smith Rowe departed for Fulham this summer.)
But the overriding issue facing this starting lineup is the total lack of a goalkeeper. with both David Raya (22) and Neto (32) ruled out due to their unorthodox numbers.
This nine-man Arsenal 1-11 side would therefore be forced to kick off with no one in goal and a ridiculously expensive bench that includes Oleksandr Zinchenko (17), Leandro Trossard (19), Mikel Merino (23), Kai Havertz (29), Raheem Sterling (30), Riccardo Calafiori (33) and Declan Rice (41), the joint-most expensive English player in history at £100 million.
1: Robert Sánchez (GK)
2: Axel Disasi (DF)
3: Marc Cucurella (DF)
4: Tosin Adarabioyo (DF)
5: Benoît Badiashile (DF)
6: Levi Colwill (DF)
7: Pedro Neto (FW)
8: Enzo Fernández (MF)
9: N/A
10: Mykhailo Mudryk (FW)
11: Noni Madueke (FW)
Formation: 5-1-3
In an undeniably huge blow to morale, the most obvious absentee from Chelsea’s 1-11 side is Cole Palmer (20), which means they have to forgo the creative talents of a talismanic player who has amassed 29 goals in 43 Premier League games since joining the club last season.
However, first-choice goalkeeper Sánchez (1) guards the net (reserve Filip Jorgensen is No. 12), behind a sturdy five-man defence with wing-backs Disasi (2) and Cucurella (3) flanking a central three of Adarabioyo (4), Badiashile (5), and Colwill (6).
Enzo (8) would doubtlessly be absolutely run off his feet as a one-man central midfield, attempting to both shield and provide support for what could well be a horrendously disjointed front three of Neto (7), Mudryk (10), and Madueke (11).
Beyond Palmer, other notable exclusions Chelsea’s starting XI include main striker Nicolas Jackson (15), João Félix (14), Christopher Nkunku (18) and Jadon Sancho (19); a trio of full-backs in Ben Chilwell (21), Reece James (24), and Malo Gusto (27), along with the in-form midfield pairing of Moisés Caicedo (25) and Romeo Lavia (45).
When it comes to out-and-out strikers, the Blues haven’t had a No. 9 in their squad since Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang briefly took the shirt during the 2022-23 season. Yes, we’d forgotten he played for Chelsea too.
1: Alisson Becker (GK)
2: Joe Gomez (DF)
3: Wataru Endō (MF)
4: Virgil van Dijk (DF)
5: Ibrahima Konaté (DF)
6: N/A
7: Luis Díaz (FW)
8: Dominik Szoboszlai (MF)
9: Darwin Núñez (FW)
10: Alexis Mac Allister (MF)
11: Mohamed Salah (FW)
Formation: 3-3-3
They may not have had a No. 6 since the retirement of Thiago Alcantara in the summer, but league leaders Liverpool are otherwise able to field an impressively strong, 10-man side stocked full of first-team regulars.
Alisson (1) remains in goal behind a back three of Gomez (2), club-captain Van Dijk (4) and Konaté (5), who would be tasked with covering a narrow midfield trio of Endō (3), Szoboszlai (8) and Mac Allister (10).
The Reds would then be able to rely on their prominent front three of Diaz (7), Núñez (9) and Salah (11) to create havoc up front, with extra firepower in the shape of Federico Chiesa (14) offering the next lowest-squad numbered support from the bench.
It’s also worth noting that Liverpool’s other two senior goalkeeping options share a combined squad number of 118, with Vitezslav Jaros and Caoimhín Kelleher holding Nos. 56 and 62 respectively, comprehensively ruling both out of contention.
1: N/A
2: Kyle Walker (DF)
3: Rúben Dias (DF)
4: Kalvin Phillips (MF)
5: John Stones (DF)
6: Nathan Aké (DF)
7: N/A
8: Mateo Kovacic (MF)
9: Erling Haaland (FW)
10: Jack Grealish (FW)
11: Jérémy Doku (FW)
Formation: 4-2-2-1
For all City’s spending power and squad depth, they are still only able to field a nine-man team with no incumbent No. 1 or No .7 to call upon at the moment — Claudio Bravo and João Cancelo were the last two players to wear those particular shirts at the Etihad.
With both goalkeepers Stefan Ortega (18) and Ederson (31) taking high shirt numbers well outside of the first 11, City will have to start with an unavoidable vacancy in goal. Veteran shot-stopper Scott Carson (33) is once again included in City’s official first-team squad this season despite the 39-year-old having not made a Premier League appearance since May 2021 (his one and only league appearance in five years at the club). Walker (2) has done a job in goal in times of need for City before, but in this 1-11 team he has to take his place in defence alongside Dias (3), Stones (5) and Aké (6) who are all more than capable of holding the fort.
Against all the odds, forgotten man and perpetual loanee Phillips (4) is available to come in from the cold and take a spot in central midfield alongside Kovacic (8), with Grealish (10) and Doku (11) scampering up and down the flanks either side of ever-dependable goal machine Haaland (9). The Norway striker is the only senior forward listed on the squad page of City’s website, which perhaps highlights Pep Guardiola’s reliance on both him and his supporting army of skilful, wily attacking midfielders to create chances.
Regrettably for Guardiola, City will be forced to relinquish the considerable presence of Kevin De Bruyne (17) and his Ballon d’Or-winning companion Rodri (16) in midfield, with the likes of Ilkay Gündogan (19), Bernardo Silva (20), Savinho (26) and Phil Foden (47) also similarly paying the price of a place on the bench.
1: Altay Bayindir (GK)
2: Victor Lindelöf (DF)
3: Noussair Mazraoui (DF/MF)
4: Matthijs de Ligt (DF)
5: Harry Maguire (DF)
6: Lisandro Martínez (DF)
7: Mason Mount (MF)
8: Bruno Fernandes (MF)
9: Rasmus Højlund (FW)
10: Marcus Rashford (FW)
11: Joshua Zirkzee (FW)
Formation: 4-3-3
The only Big Six club able to cobble together a full starting XI of 1-11 numbers here, Manchester United can at least rely on having the numerical advantage over their rivals.
With first-choice goalkeeper André Onana (24) ruled out, his back-up Bayindir (1) will be handed a rare opportunity to deputise having made only a handful of appearances for United across all competitions.
The back line would be far more familiar with Lindelof (2), Mazraoui (3), Maguire (5) and Martínez (6) forming the core and De Ligt (4) pushed up into defensive midfield to anchor alongside Fernandes (8) and Mount (7), who is the latest player to suffer under the weight of arguably the most historically revered shirt number at Old Trafford.
United’s 1-11 front three consists of Højlund (9), Rashford (10) and Zirkzee (11), who have produced a grand total of three Premier League goals between them so far this season, leaving the club’s leading scorer in all competitions, Alejandro Garnacho (17), relegated to the bench.
Garnacho will be sharing the dugout with a number of first-team regulars in Christian Eriksen (14), Amad Diallo (16), Casemiro (18) and Diogo Dalot (20), whereas the likes of Antony (21), Manuel Ugarte (25) and Kobbie Mainoo (37) are also on the sidelines.
1: Guglielmo Vicario (GK)
2: N/A
3: Sergio Reguilón (DF)
4: N/A
5: N/A
6: Radu Dragusin (DF)
7: Son Heung-Min (FW)
8: Yves Bissouma (MF)
9: Richarlison (FW)
10: James Maddison (MF)
11: N/A
Formation: 2-2-2
The most depleted team of any of the Big Six entries, Tottenham have just seven players in situ, which is indicative of the club’s recent bouts of personnel turnover.
Indeed, Spurs do not have a No. 2, No. 4, No. 5, or a No. 11 on their books having seen those numbers vacated by Matt Doherty, Oliver Skipp, Pierre-Emile Højbjerg and Bryan Gil respectively (though that final pair are away from the club on loan).
As such, they are forced to deploy a scant 2-2-2 formation with Vicario (1) looking on forlornly as his two-man defence of Reguilón (3) and Dragusin (6) attempt to keep the attacking threat at bay in conjunction with an equally sparse two-man midfield of Bissouma (8) and Maddison (10). Reguilón hasn’t made a single first-team appearance for Spurs in the last three seasons, having spent most of that time out on loan.
We can’t imagine for a moment that many (if any) goal-scoring chances will be forthcoming but if so, forwards Son (7) and Richarlison (9) will have to be absolutely clinical despite only having two Premier League goals between them (both scored by Son) so far this season.
Meanwhile, regulars such as Destiny Udogie (13), Archie Gray (14), Timo Werner (16), Cristian Romero (17) and Dominic Solanke (19) will be forced to watch on in horror from the bench as Dejan Kulusevski (21), Brennan Johnson (22), Pedro Porro (23), Rodrigo Bentancur (30) and Micky van de Ven (37) are all firmly denied a place in the matchday squad.
Graphics created by ESPN’s Kirk Asiedu