Lineup Lessons – Gameweek 26 – Part One

Jurgen Klopp switches to a 4-2-3-1 to accommodate the fit-again Daniel Sturridge. Chelsea’s Eden Hazard is afforded a first start since Gameweek 19 and Connor Wickham is shifted onto the flank for Palace’s clash with Watford.

Arsenal

Starting XI: Cech, Bellerin, Mertesacker, Koscielny (Chambers 45), Monreal, Coquelin (Walcott 60), Ramsey, Oxlade-Chamberlain (Welbeck 82), Ozil, Sanchez, Giroud.

• Arsene Wenger made two changes to the side that beat Bournemouth 2-0 ahead of the visit of league leaders Leicester to the Emirates, with Francis Coquelin coming in for Mathieu Flamini, while Per Mertesacker returned in place of the injured Gabriel.
• Coquelin started alongside Aaron Ramsey in the double-pivot in Wenger’s standard 4-2-3-1 formation, with Mertesacker resuming his central defensive partnership next to Laurent Koscielny.
• Koscielny picked up a dead leg in the first-half though, and had to be replaced by Calum Chambers at half time. With Arsenal trailing 1-0 and following Danny Simpson’s sending off, Wenger made an attacking second change, with Theo Walcott coming on for Coquelin, helping form more of a 4-1-3-2 formation, with Walcott partnering Giroud in attack. Wenger’s final roll of the dice saw Danny Welbeck introduced for his first league appearance of the season in place of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.
• With Arsenal’s next league match in 13 days’ time, there looks to be a good chance that Koscielny will be fit to face Man United at Old Trafford. Gabriel may still be a slight doubt due to a hamstring problem, though, so Mertesacker could keep his place in the starting XI. Coquelin should keep his place in the side against United, but after scoring off the bench, Walcott could challenge Oxlade-Chamberlain for the starting berth on the right flank. Welbeck’s return to fitness also provides Wenger with further options both in the wide areas and up front.

Current Status: Fairly Settled
Risk Areas: Central Defence, Central Midfield, Right Wing

Aston Villa

Starting XI: Bunn, Richards (Hutton 84), Okore, Lescott, Cissokho, Bacuna (Lyden 66), Westwood, Gueye, Veretout, Carles Gil, Agbonlahor (Sinclair 58).

• Remi Garde named an unchanged side from the one that beat Norwich 2-0 for the home encounter against Liverpool.
• Villa lined up in the 4-2-3-1 formation once again, with Leandro Bacuna (right), Carles Gil (number ten) and Jordan Veretout (left) forming the attacking midfield trio behind lone striker Gabriel Agbonlahor.
• Agbonlahor was the first player to be replaced after the forward complained of dizziness, with Scott Sinclair taking his place in a straight swap. Youngster Jordan Lyden then came on for Bacuna down the right flank, with Garde’s final substitution seeing Alan Hutton replace Micah Richards at right-back.
• Following Hutton’s return to first-team action, he could challenge Richards for a place at full-back. Should Rudy Gestede recover from a hamstring injury to face Stoke, Agbonlahor could be an option to start out wide in place of either Bacuna or Veretout. Sinclair offers another option across the forward line.

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

Bournemouth

Starting XI: Boruc; Smith, Francis, Cook, Daniels; Surman; Stanislas (Iturbe 75), Gosling (Ritchie 46), Arter, Pugh (King 46); Afobe.

• Eddie Howe only made one change for the home clash against Stoke, with Junior Stanislas earning a recall in place of Matt Ritchie.
• Stanislas returned on the right of the four-man midfield for the Cherries, with Marc Pugh keeping his place on the opposite flank.
• With Bournemouth trailing 1-0 at the break, Howe decided to make a double substitution, with Ritchie and Josh King replacing Dan Gosling and Pugh. Those changes saw the Cherries line up in more of a 4-4-1-1 formation, with King playing “in the hole” behind lone striker Benik Afobe, while Ritchie and Stanislas operated out wide. Juan Iturbe then took the place of Stanislas in a straight swap with 15 minutes left.
• Howe is continuing to be cautious with the fitness of Tommy Elphick, but with 12 days until his side travel to Watford, the centre-back could be ready for a first-team return. That change could see Simon Francis switch to right-back with Adam Smith dropping out of the starting XI. Ritchie could earn a recall after scoring in Saturday’s 3-1 defeat, with Pugh’s starting position perhaps looking the most in doubt. King and Iturbe do offer further options in attack, though, as does Lewis Grabban.

Current Status: Fairly Settled
Risk Areas: Right-Back, Central Defence, Flanks

Chelsea

Starting XI: Courtois; Ivanovic, Cahill, Terry (Baba Rahman 37), Azpilicueta; Fabregas, Matic; Pedro, Willian (Loftus-Cheek 80), Hazard; Costa (Traore 60).

• Guus Hiddink made three alterations to the side that drew 1-1 against Man United, with Gary Cahill and Pedro coming in for the injured Kurt Zouma and Oscar, while Eden Hazard started in place of John Obi Mikel.
• That meant Cesc Fabregas dropped back alongside Nemanja Matic in central midfield in the familiar 4-2-3-1 formation, with Hazard, Willian and Pedro forming the attacking midfield trio. Cahill partnered John Terry in central defence.
• Terry was forced off with a muscle injury in the first-half, and was replaced by Baba Rahman. The substitute came on at left-back, with Branislav Ivanovic moving to centre-back and Cesar Azpilicueta to right-back. Diego Costa then made way for Bertrand Traore on the hour-mark in a straight swap, with Ruben Loftus-Cheek handed a 10-minute cameo at the end in place of Willian.
• Terry is expected to recover in time for the next Gameweek, whilst Oscar is back in training ahead of the Blues’ Champions League clash with PSG tonight. Mikel could come into contention for a recall, although after the emphatic nature of the 5-1 win, Hiddink may keep faith in the majority of the same starting XI.

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

Crystal Palace

Starting XI: Hennessey, Ward, Dann, Delaney, Souare, Mutch (Campbell 73), Cabaye, Jedinak, Zaha, Wickham (Lee Chung-yong 45), Adebayor.

• Alan Pardew only made one adjustment from the side that drew 1-1 at Swansea, with Connor Wickham returning from his three-match ban to replace Lee Chung-yong.
• The former Newcastle boss kept faith in his usual 4-2-3-1 system, with Wickham coming in on the left of the attacking midfield trio, with Jordon Mutch in the number ten role and Wilfried Zaha on the right.
• Despite picking up an assist in the first-half, Wickham was replaced at the break, with Lee taking his place. The South Korean was put on the right flank, with Zaha switching to the opposite wing. Frazier Campbell was brought on for Mutch in an attacking change as the Eagles searched for a late winner with 17 minutes remaining, forming a 4-4-2 formation until Pape Souare’s late dismissal.
• Souare will miss the match against West Brom due to suspension, so Martin Kelly could deputise at left-back. Joel Ward could also be moved over to left-back, with Kelly starting at right-back. After scoring his first goal for Crystal Palace, Emmanuel Adebayor should keep hold of his starting berth as the lone striker. Wickham will likely battle it out with Lee for a place out wide, then, although Yannick Bolasie and Bakary Sako could be close to returning for the trip to the Hawthorns in 12 days’ time.

Current Status: Fairly Settled
Risk Areas: Left-Back, Flanks, Attacking Midfield

Everton

Starting XI: Robles; Coleman, Funes Mori, Jagielka, Oviedo; Barry, McCarthy (Osman 82); Lennon (Deulofeu 74), Barkley, Cleverley (Kone 58); Lukaku.

• Roberto Martinez once again named an unchanged starting XI following the impressive 3-0 wins against Newcastle and Stoke.
• That meant it was the 4-2-3-1 formation again for the Toffees, with Aaron Lennon (right), Ross Barkley (number ten) and Tom Cleverley (left) forming the attacking midfield trio.
• Martinez’ first change saw the more attack-minded Arouna Kone replace Cleverley down the left flank. Gerard Deulofeu then came on for Lennon on the opposite wing with 16 minutes remaining. The Spaniard’s final substitution saw Leon Osman take the place of James McCarthy.
• After a surprising 1-0 defeat, Martinez could hand a recall to Tim Howard in goal, who was on the bench at the weekend. Leighton Baines could push Bryan Oviedo for a starting berth at left-back, while the likes of Kone, Deulofeu and Kevin Mirallas could come into contention in the wide areas. John Stones should also stand a good chance of replacing Ramiro Funes Mori in central defence providing he is fit following a hamstring problem.

Current Status: Slightly Unsettled
Risk Areas: Goalkeeper, Left-Back, Central Defence, Flanks

Leicester

Starting XI: Schmeichel, Simpson, Morgan, Huth, Fuchs, Mahrez (Wasilewski 58), Drinkwater, Kante, Albrighton (King 82), Okazaki (Gray 61), Vardy.

• Claudio Ranieri named an unchanged starting XI for the sixth consecutive match for the big clash at the Emirates.
• The Italian kept faith his usual 4-4-1-1 formation that has proved so successful, particularly over recent weeks.
• Danny Simpson’s sending off at the start of the second-half prompted Ranieri’s first substitution, with the Italian having to sacrifice Riyad Mahrez to bring on defender Marcin Wasilewski. Shinji Okazaki was then replaced by Demarai Gray shortly after, with the Foxes lining up in a 4-4-1 formation. Ranieri’s final substitution saw Andy King come on for Marc Albrighton out wide, with the winger having put in a big defensive shift following Simpson’s dismissal.
• Simpson will miss the home clash against Norwich due to suspension, so Wasilewski or Daniel Amartey should deputise at right-back.

Current Status: Very Settled
Risk Areas: Right-Back

Liverpool

Starting XI: Mignolet, Clyne, Toure, Sakho, Moreno, Milner, Henderson, Can, Coutinho (Stewart 66), Sturridge (Origi 62), Firmino (Benteke 74).

• Jurgen Klopp made three alterations for the trip to Villa Park, with Kolo Toure coming in for the injured Dejan Lovren, while Philippe Coutinho and Daniel Sturridge started in place of the injured Joe Allen and Adam Lallana.
• Klopp switched back to a 4-2-3-1 formation yesterday, with the attacking midfield trio consisting of James Milner on the right, Roberto Firmino in the number ten role and Coutinho on the left behind lone striker Sturridge.
• In his first start since Gameweek 8, Sturridge played 62 minutes before being replaced by Divock Origi in a straight swap. Kevin Stewart was then handed his Premier League debut, coming on for Coutinho, forming a 4-3-3 formation with the youngster alongside Jordan Henderson and Emre Can in the middle of the park. Klopp’s final substitution saw Christian Benteke come on for Firmino.
• Lovren or Martin Skrtel could well be back in action by the time Liverpool face Man City in Gameweek 28, meaning Toure is likely to drop out of the starting XI. Lucas Leiva missed out yesterday with a hamstring problem, but he does offer another option in central midfield, while Jordon Ibe and Lallana could challenge Milner for a starting berth. Providing he stays fit, Sturridge should continue as the lone striker for the Reds.

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

Man City

Starting XI: Hart, Zabaleta, Kompany, Otamendi, Clichy (Kolarov 75), Fernando (Iheanacho 66), Fernandinho, Silva, Toure, Sterling, Aguero.

• Manuel Pellegrini made three adjustments to his starting XI for the visit of Tottenham to the Etihad, with the fit-again Vincent Kompany replacing Martin Demichelis. Elsewhere, Gael Clichy and Fernando came in for Aleksandar Kolarov and the injured Fabian Delph.
• City lined up in their usual 4-2-3-1 system, with Fernando partnering Fernandinho at the base of midfield, allowing Yaya Toure to start further forward in the central attacking midfield role. Clichy slotted in at left-back for the Citizens, with Kompany starting alongside Nicolas Otamendi in central defence.
• With City a goal down, Pellegrini made an attacking first substitution, bringing on Kelechi Iheanacho in place of Fernando. Kolarov then replaced Clichy at left-back, with City then lining up in a 4-3-1-2 formation, with Raheem Sterling operating “in the hole” behind the front pairing of Iheanacho and Sergio Aguero.
• Sagna missed out yesterday due to a knee injury, but is likely to be available for the trip to Liverpool in Gameweek 28. Rotation looks set to continue in the full-back positions, then, while should Pellegrini look to find a place for Iheanacho in the starting XI, he could switch to a 4-4-2 formation, meaning Fernando could lose his place in the side.

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

Man United

Starting XI: De Gea, Darmian (Love 38), Smalling, Blind, Borthwick-Jackson, Schneiderlin (Keane 86), Carrick, Lingard (Memphis 62), Mata, Martial, Rooney.

• Louis van Gaal made just one change for the trip to Sunderland, with Morgan Schneiderlin earning a recall in place of Marouane Fellaini.
• Schneiderlin slotted in alongside Michael Carrick at the base of the midfield in the standard 4-2-3-1 formation.
• A dislocated shoulder brought an early end to Matteo Darmian’s afternoon, with youngster Donald Love taking over from the Italian at right-back. Memphis Depay then replaced Jesse Lingard out wide, with the final change seeing striker Will Keane come on for Schneiderlin in an attacking change as United looked to find a late equaliser.
• Van Gaal will hope to have either Phil Jones and Guillermo Varela fit to replace Darmian at right-back for the home clash against Arsenal in 13 days’ time. Fellaini could come back into contention in central midfield after being rested on Saturday.

Current Status: Fairly Settled
Risk Areas: Right-Back, Central Midfield

Part two of Lineup Lessons, covering the remaining ten teams, will be published later this week.