Paul Merson branded a ‘joke’ after including two Arsenal players in Spurs combined XI and fans are furious

ARSENAL LEGEND Paul Merson has angered his former club’s fans by selecting just TWO Arsenal players in a combined North London derby XI.

Asked to make his selection on TV show The Debate, the former Highbury hero could only find room for a pair of Unai Emery’s men, alongside nine players from the Spurs squad.

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Merson picked striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and mercurial midfielder Mesut Ozil, but couldn’t bring himself to add any more of his old club’s players to the fantasy side .

The pundit, who played 384 times for Arsenal, winning the old First Division title twice, was asked to select a team made up of the best players from the two sides, ahead of the north London derby at the Emirates this Sunday.

Merson was scathing in his assessment of his former side's chances in the match, saying: "I think Arsenal are way off (Tottenham) at the moment – they need four (new) defenders. That’s a lot of defenders!"

And despite ex-Tottenham boss Tim Sherwood including NO Arsenal players in his XI, it was Merson’s picks that seemed to enrage Gunners fans the most on social media.

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Merson tried to justify his selections on the show, saying: "If Ozil turns up, on his day he walks into all the teams (in the league) in my opinion.

"You just gotta hope you push his bed against the wall on one side, and then he has to get out the right side of bed. And then we’ve got a chance!"

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He continued: "I’ve tried to get two Arsenal players in.  I can’t make a case at the back…you go with Dier, Dier gives them protection.

"I think Tottenham have got (what is) not far from being the best pair of centre halves in the world of football – I think they’re that good."

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Asked about his own selections, Sherwood explained: “I just couldn’t find any room for (Arsenal players), unfortunately. I’m not being biased.

"Hand on heart, I wanted to try and find room for one of them.  Maybe Aubameyang is knocking on the door, but the way (Spurs) are playing at the moment…"

Merson interjected to ask: “Couldn’t you have played Alli instead of Winks and put in an Arsenal player up front?”

Sherwood’s reply was blunt. “No. I couldn’t do it, Merse.”

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Tweeter R Sen may have had the best response to the pair, though....