Lineup Lessons – Gameweek 16 – Part Two

Ronald Koeman trials a three-man backline for Southampton’s trip to Palace, with Sadio Mane fielded up front. Gylfi Sigurdsson is fielded as a “false nine” as Swansea pay visit to the Etihad, whilst Michail Antonio is afforded his first start for the Hammers as Slaven Bilic rolls out a 4-3-3 against Stoke.

After rolling out Part One yesterday, we now turn our attentions to the remaining ten Premier League sides to review the personal, formations and changes made, whilst speculating on the likely Gameweek 17 lineups…

Chelsea

Starting XI: Courtois; Ivanovic, Zouma, Terry (Fabregas 53), Azpilicueta; Ramires, Matic; Willian, Oscar (Remy 65), Hazard (Pedro 31); Diego Costa.

• Jose Mourinho made four changes for the trip to Leicester, with John Terry, Cesar Azpilicueta, Ramires and Diego Costa coming in for Gary Cahill, Baba Rahman, Cesc Fabregas and Pedro.
• Mourinho stuck with his preferred 4-2-3-1 system, with Ramires partnering Nemanja Matic in the double-pivot. Willian, Oscar and Eden Hazard formed the attacking trio behind lone striker Diego Costa. At the back, Terry partnered Kurt Zouma in central defence, with Azpilicueta returning at left-back.
• Hazard was forced off through injury, and was replaced by Pedro. Mourinho’s second substitution saw Fabregas take the place of Terry, while Loic Remy came on for Oscar in an attacking final change.
• After being substituted, Terry could come under pressure from Cahill for a place in the starting XI against Sunderland. Fabregas was left out last night, but may come back into the equation in central midfield. Should Hazard be ruled out, Pedro looks the obvious replacement. Remy’s goal off the bench could also bring the Frenchman in contention for a rare start. Azpilicueta was partly at fault for both goals, so Rahman could perhaps earn a recall at left-back.

Current Status: Unsettled
Risk Areas: Left-Back, Central Defence, Central Midfield, Attacking Midfield, Flanks, Central Striker

Leicester

Starting XI: Schmeichel; Simpson, Morgan, Huth, Fuchs; Mahrez (Inler 82), Drinkwater (King 17), Kante, Albrighton; Ulloa, Vardy (Okazaki 88).

• Claudio Ranieri named an unchanged side from the one that beat Swansea 3-0, with Leonardo Ulloa once again favoured as Jamie Vardy’s strike partner.
• Rainieri kept faith in the 4-4-2 system, with Riyad Mahrez stationed out wide on the right of a four-man midfield once again.
• Danny Drinkwater picked up a hamstring injury in the early stages, and was replaced by Andy King in a straight swap. Gokhan Inler was brought on for Mahrez to help shore things up, with Kante moving to the right. Shinji Okazaki provided fresh legs for the final few minutes, replacing Vardy.
• Given the success of the 4-4-2 formation in recent weeks, Ranieri may well opt for the same system when the Foxes travel to Goodison Park on Saturday. Ulloa could keep his place, then, with Okazaki the main alternative. Robert Huth will serve a one-match ban against the Toffees, though, so Yohan Benalouane could deputise, or if Jeffrey Schlupp is fit after missing out against Chelsea with a hamstring injury, he could start at left-back, with Christian Fuchs shifting to centre-back. Drinkwater will be hoping to recover in time for the Everton fixture, with King the likeliest to deputise, although Inler offers another option in central midfield.

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

Southampton

Starting XI: Gazzaniga; Van Dijk, Fonte, Yoshida (Tadic 67); Cedric Soares, Romeu (Ward-Prowse 79), Wanyama, Bertrand; S Davis (Pelle 67); Mane; Long.

• Ronald Koeman made four alterations for the trip to Selhurst Park, with Paulo Gazzaniga, Maya Yoshida, Oriol Romeu and Shane Long coming in for Maarten Stekelenburg, James Ward-Prowse, Dusan Tadic and Graziano Pelle.
• Having failed to win in their previous three matches, Koeman decided to change formations against Crystal Palace, deciding upon a 3-4-1-2 system. Virgil van Dijk, Jose Fonte and Yoshida formed the three-man backline, with Cedric Soares and Ryan Bertrand playing as wing-backs. Romeu partnered Victor Wanyama in the middle of the park, with Steven Davis in the central attacking midfield role behind a front two of Long and Sadio Mane.
• With Saints a goal down, Pelle came on in place of Steven Davis, while Tadic replaced Yoshida. That meant more of a 4-3-3 system, with Tadic the more advanced central midfield player alongside Wanyama and Ward-Prowse, who came on for Romeu shortly after, with Long and Mane flanking lone striker Pelle.
• Given the result again went against Southampton, Koeman could well experiment further with a different tactical approach for the home encounter against Tottenham. In terms of personnel, Tadic and Pelle could return to the starting XI, with Long perhaps missing out. Pelle is undergoing injection to a knee problem to boost his chances of a start. Should Koeman revert to four in defence, one of either Soares or Yoshida will start at right-back. Stekelenburg will be hoping to recover from a toe problem to return ahead of Gazzaniga in goal for the visit of Spurs.

Current Status: Unsettled
Risk Areas: Right-Back, Central Midfield, Flanks, Attacking Midfield, Central Striker

Stoke

Starting XI: Butland; Johnson, Shawcross, Wollscheid, Pieters; Cameron (Adam 68), Whelan, Van Ginkel (Diouf 56); Afellay (Walters 66), Bojan, Arnautovic.

• Mark Hughes only made one alteration from the starting XI that beat Man City 2-0, with Marco van Ginkel coming in for the injured Xherdan Shaqiri.
• Hughes continued with the 4-3-3 used against Man City last week, with Van Ginkel slotting in alongside Geoff Cameron and Glenn Whelan in the three-man midfield. Ibrahim Afellay (right) and Marko Arnautovic (left) flanked lone striker Bojan.
• Van Ginkel was hauled off before the hour mark, with Mame Biram Diouf coming on in his place. That saw the Potters return to their more familiar 4-2-3-1 formation, with Bojan stationed in the number ten role behind Diouf. Afellay was replaced in a straight swap by Walters, while Geoff Cameron was forced off with a hamstring problem, with Charlie Adam taking his place in the double-pivot alongside Whelan.
• Should Cameron be unavailable for the home fixture against Crystal Palace on Saturday, Adam or Van Ginkel look set to battle it out for a starting berth alongside Whelan. If Hughes starts with a 4-2-3-1 at the Britannia, Diouf may earn a recall to the starting line-up, with Bojan returning to the number ten role. Afellay could also be under pressure for a starting position should Shaqiri be passed fit.

Current Status: Fairly Settled
Risk Areas: Central Midfield, Attacking Midfield, Flanks, Central Striker

Sunderland

Starting XI: Pantilimon; Coates, O’Shea, Jones; Yedlin (Rodwell 19), Borini (Johnson 57), M’Vila, Toivonen, van Aanholt; Fletcher (Defoe 72), Watmore.

• Sam Allardyce was forced into making one change from the team that lost 3-1 to Arsenal for the visit of Watford to the Stadium of Light, with Billy Jones coming in for Younes Kaboul, who missed out because of illness.
• Big Sam stuck with the 3-4-3 formation used at the Emirates, with Jones coming in alongside John O’Shea and Sebastian Coates in the three-man defence.
• Allardyce clearly wasn’t happy with the start the Black Cats made to the match, taking off DeAndre Yedlin after just 19 minutes. The American was replaced by Jack Rodwell, with Allardyce switching to a 4-3-3 formation. Jones shifted across to right-back, with Rodwell alongside Yann M’Vila and Ola Toivonen in central midfield. Fabio Borini was replaced by Adam Johnson before the hour mark in a straight swap, with the final substitution seeing Jermain Defoe come on for Steven Fletcher.
• Big Sam bemoaned the lack of quality in front of goal as Sunderland fell to a 1-0 defeat against Watford, so Defoe looks to be in with a good chance of earning a recall when the Black Cats travel to Chelsea on Saturday. Defoe doesn’t fit in so well in either a 3-4-3 or 4-3-3 formation though, so we could see yet another formation used by Allardyce. Rodwell could push for a start against the champions, while Lee Cattermole should come straight back in should he have overcome a back problem. Toivonen, Borini and possibly Duncan Watmore appear the most vulnerable. At the back, Jones may start at either right-back or right wing-back ahead of Yedlin, while Kaboul should return to the starting XI if he’s fully fit.

Current Status: Unsettled
Risk Areas: Right-Back, Central Defence, Central Midfield, Flanks, Strikers

Swansea

Starting XI: Fabianski; Rangel, Fernandez, Williams, Taylor; Britton (Barrow 76), Ki Sung-yeung, Cork; Sigurdsson, Ayew (Gomis 82); Routledge (Montero 76).

• Caretaker manager Alan Curtis made three changes from the side that lost 3-0 to Leicester in what was to be Garry Monk’s last match in charge, with Angel Rangel, Federico Fernandez and Jack Cork returning to the starting XI in place of Kyle Naughton, Kyle Bartley and Bafetimbi Gomis.
• Curtis opted for a 4-3-3 formation at the Etihad, with Wayne Routledge and Andre Ayew flanking Gylfi Sigurdsson in the “false nine” role. Cork and Ki Sung-yeung played just ahead of defensive midfielder Leon Britton, while in defence, Rangel started in his usual position at right-back, with Fernandez partnering Ashley Williams in central defence.
• With the Swans chasing a late equaliser, Curtis threw on Jefferson Montero and Modou Barrow in place of Britton and Routledge, going with a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Cork and Ki at the base of midfield. Barrow played on the right with Montero on the opposite flank. Gomis was introduced for Ayew in the final change, with Sigurdsson dropping back to his usual number ten role.
• With the Welsh side hoping to have a new permanent manager in place before Sunday’s home encounter against West Ham, changes in all positions appear possible. Based on the performance at City, there shouldn’t be too many changes, with Gomis the only obvious alteration having scored for the first time since Gameweek 4. That would see Sigurdsson drop back to his usual number ten position should the usual 4-2-3-1 system to restored. Routledge’s position in the side could be in doubt, then, while Jonjo Shelvey may be back in contention if he’s recovered from a minor calf problem.

Current Status: Very Unsettled
Risk Areas: All Positions

Tottenham

Starting XI: Lloris; Walker, Alderweireld, Vertonghen, Rose; Dier, Carroll (Son 69); Lamela (Chadli 86), Alli, Eriksen; Kane.

• Mauricio Pochettino had to make one alteration from the side that drew 1-1 against West Brom, with Tom Carroll coming in for Mousa Dembele, who missed out due to illness.
• The former Southampton boss stuck with his favoured 4-2-3-1 system, with Carroll stationed alongside Eric Dier in the double-pivot.
• Carroll struggled to impose himself for much of the match, and was replaced by Heung-Min Son in the second-half. That change saw Dele Alli drop back alongside Dier at the base of midfield. Pochettino’s final change saw Nacer Chadli return to Premier League action, with the Belgian coming on for Erik Lamela out wide in his first appearance since Gameweek 9 due to an ankle injury.
• Dembele looks fairly certain to slot straight back into the starting XI should he recover from illness. Carroll would miss out, should that be the case, while Son and Chadli could put pressure on Lamela for a starting berth out wide when Spurs travel to Southampton on Saturday.

Current Status: Settled
Risk Areas: Central Midfield, Flanks

Watford

Starting XI: Gomes; Nyom, Britos, Cathcart, Ake; Abdi (Guedioura 69), Capoue, Watson, Jurado (Anya 76); Deeney, Ighalo.

• Quique Sanchez Flores only made one adjustment for the trip to the Stadium of Light, with Almen Abdi replacing Ikechi Anya.
• Abdi was stationed on the right of the three advanced midfield positions in Flores’ usual 4-2-3-1 system, with Jurado on the opposite flank and Troy Deeney tucked in behind lone striker Odion Ighalo.
• Abdi was the first player to be replaced, making way for Adlene Guedioura with 20 minutes remaining. The final change saw Anya come on for Jurado as the Hornets looked to hold onto their 1-0 lead.
• Flores continues to rotate his wide men, with Anya missing out this time. The Scotland international, Abdi and Jurado look the first-choice options out wide, with Juan Carlos Peredes further down the pecking order.

Current Status: Fairly Settled
Risk Areas: Flanks

West Brom

Starting XI: Myhill: Dawson, McAuley, Olsson, Evans: McLean, Gardner, Fletcher, Morrison, Brunt: Rondon (Lambert 90).

• Tony Pulis was forced into making one change for the trip to Anfield, with Stephane Sessegnon, ruled out with a hamstring injury, replaced by Craig Gardner.
• Pulis stuck with the 4-1-4-1 system that gained a point against Tottenham, with Jonny Evans continuing in a defensive midfield position. Gardner operated on the right side of midfield, with James McClean on the left. Darren Fletcher and James Morrison played in the middle of the park.
• The former Stoke boss only made one substitution, and that came in stoppage time, with former Liverpool striker Rickie Lambert coming on for Salomon Rondon in a straight swap.
• Should Yacob be unavailable once again because of personal reasons, Pulis may continue to use Evans in front of the back four. If the Argentine does return, Evans could replace Jonas Olsson in central defence. Sessegnon remains doubtful for Saturday’s home encounter against Bournemouth, so should Pulis want a more attacking option on the right than Craig Gardner, Saido Berahino, Callum McManaman or Serge Gnabry could come into contention.

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

West Ham

Starting XI: Adrian; Tomkins, Collins, Ogbonna, Cresswell; Song (Valencia 64), Noble; Antonio (Jelavic 83), Kouyate, Zarate; Carroll.

• Slaven Bilic was forced into making two changes for the home clash against Stoke, with injured pair Winston Reid and Victor Moses replaced by James Collins and Michail Antonio.
• Bilic made a slight tactical adjustment for the visit of the Potters, perhaps partly due to the lack of attacking options available to him, going with a 4-3-3 formation. Mark Noble, Alex Song and Cheikhou Kouyate formed the three-man midfield, with Antonio (right) and Mauro Zarate (left) playing either side of central striker Andy Carroll. Collins partnered Angelo Ogbonna at the heart of the defence.
• Song is still lacking match fitness, and was replaced in an attacking substitution by Enner Valencia. That saw the Hammers revert back to their usual 4-2-3-1 formation, with Valencia on the left of the three attacking midfield positions, Zarate in the central attacking midfield role and Antonio on the right. Antonio made way for Nikica Jelavic in the final 10 minutes with West Ham throwing caution to the wind in search of a late winner.
• Should Manuel Lanzini remain out for Sunday’s trip to Swansea, Bilic doesn’t look to have many alternatives in attack. Valencia could come into the starting XI, although his fitness levels may limit his pitch time. Carl Jenkinson has been left our for the last two matches, and following back-to-back clean sheets, we could see Bilic name an unchanged back four.

Current Status: Fairly Unsettled
Risk Areas: Right-Back, Flanks