Lineup Lessons – Gameweek 8 – Part Two

Jefferson Montero and Nacer Chadli come back into to the Swansea and Tottenham starting lineups. Matt Jarvis’ return for Norwich sees Robbie Brady shifted back into defence, whilst Steve McClaren keeps faith in a two-man frontline for Newcastle.

After publishing Part One yesterday, we roll out the second instalment of our look back on the teamsheets from Gameweek 8, assessing the personnel changes, the formations and tactics, plus the key risk areas for each team.

Newcastle United

Starting XI: Krul; Janmaat, Coloccini, Mbemba, Mbabu (Lascelles 53); Gouffran (Thauvin 66), Anita; Sissoko (Tiote 66), Perez, Wijnaldum: Mitrovic.

• Following the 2-2 draw against Chelsea, Steve McClaren only made one alteration for the trip to the Etihad, with Yoan Gouffran coming in for the injured Jack Colback.
• Gouffran, naturally a wide forward, surprisingly played alongside Vurnon Anita in central midfield as McLaren continued with a 4-4-2 formation. Georginio Wijnaldum and Moussa Sissoko played on the left and right respectively, with Ayoze Perez and Aleksandar Mitrovic were retained up top.
• As the match progressed, Kevin Mbabu was replaced by Jamaal Lascelles at left-back having picked up a minor knock. Cheick Tiote made his first appearance since Gameweek 3 in an attempt to shore up the midfield, while Florian Thauvin replaced Sissoko on the right flank.
• Colback should have a good chance of recovering in time for the Gameweek 9 clash against Norwich, so Gouffran may well drop to the bench. Tiote could also be set to come into the reckoning once again, while Paul Dummett and Massadio Haidara could be back to challenge Mbabu for the starting berth at left-back. Meanwhile, at right-back, Daryl Janmaat will be backed to recover from the knee knock that has seen him withdraw from the Dutch squad this week. Thauvin and Siem de Jong remain options in the attacking midfield positions but appear to be struggling to impose themselves on the starting XI.

Current Status: Unsettled
Risk Areas: Full-backs, Central Midfield, Flanks

Norwich City

Starting XI: Ruddy; Whittaker, Martin, Bassong, Brady; Tettey, Dorrans (Redmond 50); Howson, Hoolahan, Jarvis (Mbokani 59); Jerome (Lafferty 77).

• Alex Neil only made one change from the side which drew 2-2 at West Ham, with Matt Jarvis coming in for Martin Olsson, having been ineligible to play against the Hammers.
• The Canaries lined up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Jarvis’ inclusion meaning Robbie Brady dropped back to left-back. Jarvis played on the left of the three attacking midfield positions, with Wes Hoolahan as the number ten, and Jonny Howson on the right. Graham Dorrans operated alongside Alex Tettey in the double-pivot.
• With Norwich trailing 2-0, Neil brought Redmond on for Dorrans, with the former Birmingham man moved to the right wing, as Howson dropped back into central midfield. Dieumerci Mbokani was then thrust alongside Cameron Jerome in attack, with Matt Jarvis making way, while Kyle Lafferty made his first league appearance of the season, replacing Jerome.
• After netting his opening goal for the Canaries, Mbokani may be very close to earning his first league start at the expense of Jerome. Moving Brady back to left-back suggests that’s where the Republic of Ireland international could start on a regular basis, with competition for the wide roles among Redmond and Jarvis fierce. Howson isn’t a natural wide man, however, and could be under pressure for his place.

Current Status: Settled
Risk Areas: Left-Back, Flanks, Central Striker.

Southampton

Starting XI: Stekelenburg, Soares, Fonte, Van Dijk, Bertrand, Romeu (Ward-Prowse 45), Wanyama, Mane (Yoshida 92), Davis, Tadic (Rodriguez 78), Pelle.

• Ronald Koeman made one change from the team which beat Swansea 3-1, with Oriol Romeu coming in for James Ward-Prowse.
• Southampton lined up in their usual 4-2-3-1 formation, with Romeu partnering Victor Wanyama in the engine room. Steven Davis filled the central attacking midfield position, with Sadio Mane and Dusan Tadic filling the more attacking wide roles in support of Graziano Pelle.
• Koeman decided to take off Romeu at the break, with Ward-Prowse introduced, while Jay Rodriguez replaced Tadic late on.
• With Ryan Bertrand now fully fit, and with Virgil van Dijk settling in at St Mary’s, the Southampton side has a pretty familiar look to it now, with the only slight rotation seen in who partners Wanyama in central midfield, and who lines up alongside Mane and Tadic in the advanced midfield positions.

Current Status: Settled
Risk Areas: Central Midfield

Stoke

Starting XI: Butland; Johnson, Cameron, Wollscheid, Pieters; Whelan, Adam; Walters, Bojan (Afellay 58), Arnautovic (Van Ginkel 69); Diouf (Joselu 86).

• Make Hughes made one change for the trip to Villa Park, with Mame Biram Diouf coming in for the injured Xherdan Shaqiri.
• Hughes retained the 4-2-3-1 system, with Diouf starting in the lone striker role, while Jon Walters playing on the right of the three attacking midfield positions.
• Bojan was again hauled off around the hour mark, highlighting he is still some way short of full match fitness. He was replaced by Ibrahim Afellay, while Marco van Ginkel took the place of Marko Arnautovic.
• Shaqiri (hamstring) could well return for the trip to Swansea in Gameweek 9, so Walters probably looks the most likely to miss out. Van Ginkel looks to have lost his starting berth to Charlie Adam for the time being. Diouf and Arnautovic picked up slight knocks against Villa, but both players are expected to return to action over the upcoming internationals.

Current Status: Settled
Risk Areas: Centre-Half, Flanks, Central Midfield, Central Striker

Sunderland

Starting XI: Pantilimon; Yedlin, O’Shea, Coates, Jones; Cattermole, M’Vila (Gomez 90); Lens, Toivonen (Larsson 84), Borini; Fletcher (Rodwell 84).

• Dick Advocaat made three alterations from the side which lost 3-0 at Man United. DeAndre Yedlin came in for Patrick van Aanholt, with Billy Jones switching to left-back. Sebastian Coates started in place of the injured Younes Kaboul at centre-back, while Steven Fletcher replaced Adam Johnson.
• The Dutch boss stuck with the 4-2-3-1 formation, with Fletcher taking the lone striker role, and Fabio Borini playing on the left of the three attacking midfield positions.
• He brought Jack Rodwell and Sebastian Larsson on to help shore up the midfield following Jeremain Lens’ sending off, as Sunderland looked to hold on for a point.
• Lens will now miss the trip to West Brom in Gameweek 9, so the likes of Larsson, Rodwell, Jordi Gomez or Johnson could all come into the reckoning for a start, while a change of formation could bring Jermain Defoe into the equation. Much will depend on who is in charge for the encounter at the Hawthorns, following Advocaat’s departure. Coates will also miss the next match after picking up his fifth booking of the campaign, so with Kaboul expected to recover from a minor knock over the next two weeks, the Frenchman may come straight back into the team. Yedlin’s first start at right-back could see Van Aanholt facing a spell out of the side with Jones continuing on the left. Again, much depends on the new regime.

Current Status: Very Unsettled
Risk Areas: All Positions

Swansea

Starting XI: Fabianski; Rangel, Fernandez, Williams, Taylor; Ki Sung-yeung, Shelvey (Cork 86); Ayew, Sigurdsson (Barrow 75), Montero; Gomis.

• Garry Monk made two changes for the visit of Tottenham at the Liberty Stadium, with Angel Rangel making his first start of the season as Kyle Naughton missed out for personal reasons. The other alteration saw Jefferson Montero start in place of Jack Cork.
• Monk switched back to the more familiar 4-2-3-1 formation, having started with the midfield diamond at Southampton. Ki Sung-yeung was stationed alongside Jonjo Shelvey in the double-pivot, with Montero taking his usual position on the left wing.
• Modou Barrow was introduced with 15 minutes to go for Gylfi Sigurdsson, and lined up on the right wing, with Andre Ayew switching to the number ten role. Cork replaced Shelvey late on to solidify the midfield.
• Rangel filled in well for Naughton, and could perhaps keep his place for the clash against Stoke in Gameweek 9. Cork may well be named among the substitutes once again, with Ki and Shelvey forming a strong midfield partnership.

Current Status: Settled
Risk Areas: Central Midfield, Right-back.

Tottenham

Starting XI: Lloris; Walker, Alderweireld, Vertonghen, Davies; Alli, Dier; Chadli (N’Jie 64), Eriksen, Lamela (Townsend 57); Kane (Dembele 81).

• Mauricio Pochettino only made one change from the team which beat Man City 4-1, with Nacer Chadli recalled in place of Heung-Min Son, who was ruled out with a foot injury.
• Tottenham lined up in their usual 4-2-3-1 formation, with Dele Alli continuing alongside Eric Dier at the base of midfield. Chadli played on the left of the three advanced midfield positions, with Christian Eriksen in the number ten role and Erik Lamela on the right.
• Lamela was replaced before the hour mark by Andros Townsend after an ineffectual display. Clinton N’Jie came on for the similarly disappointing Chadli, while with N’Jie impressing in attack, Harry Kane was replaced by Mousa Dembele late on.
• Son may not be back for the Gameweek 9 match against Liverpool, so Pochettino could name a fairly similar side, although Dier will miss out because of a one-match ban after picking up five yellow cards. The Argentine will hope Nabil Bentaleb (ankle) and Ryan Mason (knee) will be available to fill the void; Dembele is the other option. N’Jie played as the lone striker, with Kane in the number ten, and that is something which could be further explored down the line as N’Jie continues to find his feet in English football.

Current Status: Unsettled
Risk Areas: Flanks, Central Midfield

Watford

Starting XI: Gomes; Nyom (Ibarbo 70), Prodl, Cathcart, Ake; Abdi (Guedioura 90), Watson, Capoue, Anya (Paredes 79); Ighalo, Deeney.

• Quique Sanchez Flores only made one change for the trip to Bournemouth, with Nathan Ake replacing Jurado, who missed out because of a hamstring injury.
• Flores retained his usual 4-2-3-1 formation, but with Ake coming in at left-back, Ikechi Anya was moved forward to the left of the attacking midfield trio.
• The Hornets first substitution was an attacking one, with forward Victor Ibarbo coming on for right-back Allan Nyom. It was Anya who switched back to the full-back position, though, while the Scot himself was replaced shortly after by Juan Carlos Paredes after picking up a minor knock.
• The Watford starting XI has had a pretty settled look to it in recent weeks, and while Ibarbo and fellow new striker Mamadou Oulare will continue to build up their match fitness, they may well struggle to oust Odion Ighalo and Troy Deeney from their starting berths. Valon Behrami will be back from suspension though, and should replace Ben Watson in midfield. Ake may now be ahead of Jose Holebas in the pecking order at left-back.

Current Status: Settled
Risk Areas: Left-back, Central Midfield

West Brom

Starting XI: Myhill; Dawson, McAuley, Evans (Chester 24), Brunt; Morrison (McManaman 69), Yacob, Fletcher, McClean; Berahino (Gardner 46), Rondon.

• Gareth McAuley returned at centre-back in the only change from the side which lost 3-2 to Everton, replacing Jonas Olsson.
• Tony Pulis maintained the 4-5-1 formation, with Saido Berahino again playing wide on the left.
• Jonny Evans was forced off with a hamstring injury in the first-half, and was replaced by James Chester. Berahino was surprisingly substituted at the break, with Craig Gardner brought on, while Callum McManaman came on for James Morrison, with Gardner moving to a central role.
• Although McAuley has been passed fir over the international break, there remains injury doubts over Evans and Jonas Olsson, so Pulis may have to make some changes at the back against Sunderland in Gameweek 9 if those injuries don’t clear up. Berahino should keep his place, given he’d scored two in his previous two appearances before the weekend.

Current Status: Settled
Risk Areas: Central Defence

West Ham

Starting XI: Adrian; Jenkinson, Reid (Collins 66), Tomkins, Cresswell; Kouyate, Noble (Zarate 79); Lanzini, Payet, Moses (Jelavic 58); Sakho.

• Slaven Bilic named an unchanged side from the one which drew 2-2 against Norwich.
• The Croatian stuck with the 4-2-3-1 formation, with Pedro Obiang having to settle for a place among the substitutes.
• Victor Moses was again hauled off around the hour mark, this time for Nikica Jelavic, as he continues to build up his match fitness. Winston Reid picked up a slight back injury, so James Collins replaced the New Zealand international in central defence, while Mauro Zarate was introduced for Mark Noble as the Hammers chased a winning goal against 10-man Sunderland.
• Bilic looks to know his best starting XI, and provided Reid is fit for the trip to Southampton after the international break, there shouldn’t be many changes. Angelo Ogbonna could be back from a hamstring injury, but he faces a battle with James Tomkins for a starting spot. Andy Carroll should continue to build up his match sharpness from the bench.

Current Status: Settled
Risk Areas: Central Defence, Central Midfield