Lineup Lessons – Gameweek 34 – Part One

Jurgen Klopp rings the changes for Liverpool’s trip to Bournemouth. Petr Cech returns in goal for Arsenal’s home draw with Palace, Anthony Martial is benched for United’s clash with Villa, whilst Roberto Martinez makes several alterations as Everton draw with Southampton.

Arsenal

Starting XI: Cech; Bellerin, Koscielny, Gabriel, Monreal; Elneny (Walcott 84), Coquelin; Sanchez, Ozil, Iwobi (Ramsey 76); Welbeck (Giroud 76).

• Arsene Wenger only made one adjustment from the side that drew 3-3 against West Ham for the visit of Crystal Palace to the Emirates, with Petr Cech returning to the starting XI in place of David Ospina.
• That meant Alex Iwobi kept his spot in the team ahead of Theo Walcott and Joel Campbell, operating on the left of the three attacking midfield positions in Wenger’s standard 4-2-3-1 formation.
• Wenger made a double substitution after 76 minutes, with Olivier Giroud and Aaron Ramsey coming on for Danny Welbeck and Iwobi. Giroud slotted in as the lone striker, while Ramsey played in central midfield following the introduction of Walcott for Mohamed Elneny, who took over on the right wing, with Alexis Sanchez moving to the left, after the Gunners squandered their 1-0 lead.
• With matches against West Brom and Sunderland still to come this week, there could be a degree rotation. Cech perhaps could have done better for Yannick Bolasie’s goal, and while he should retain his place in goal, a recall for Ospina can’t be fully ruled out. Kieran Gibbs offers an alternative to Nacho Monreal at left-back, while Per Mertesacker could well start one of the next two matches, handing a rest to Gabriel. Ramsey is another who could start against either West Brom or Sunderland, either in central midfield, likely in place of Elneny, or possibly on the right wing, with Iwobi dropping out. Walcott and Campbell are other options in that position though, with Sanchez possibly switching back to the left wing. Giroud also looks to stand a decent chance of earning a start in one of the next two fixtures, with Welbeck missing out.

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

Aston Villa

Starting XI: Guzan; Hutton, Clark, Lescott, Cissokho; Sinclair, Bacuna, Westwood, Richardson (Gestede 82); Gueye; Ayew.

• Caretaker manager Eric Black made one alteration for the trip to Old Trafford, with Alan Hutton returning from suspension to replace Jordan Lyden in the starting XI.
• Hutton slotted in his usual position at right-back, with Leandro Bacuna moving into central midfield in a changed 4-4-1-1 formation alongside Ashley Westwood. Idrissa Gueye was used in the number ten role behind lone striker Jordan Ayew.
• Black only made one substitution, with Rudy Gestede coming on in place of Kieran Richardson with eight minutes remaining. That change meant Ayew ended the match on the left flank, leaving Gestede as the lone striker.
• Black has kept a fairly settled side since he took charge at Villa Park, but with their relegation confirmed on Saturday, he may look to blood a few youngsters for their remaining four matches. Lyden and Jack Grealish look the main options in that regard, while after causing the United defence a few problems during the final stages, Gestede may earn a recall for the home fixture against Southampton on Saturday.

Current Status: Fairly Settled
Risk Areas: Flanks, Strikers

Bournemouth

Starting XI: Boruc; Francis, Elphick, Cook, Daniels; Ritchie (Wilson 77), Gosling, Surman, Stanislas (Grabban 46), Gradel (Pugh 59); King.

• Eddie Howe made one change for the home fixture against Liverpool, with the fit-again Junior Stanislas coming for the Lewis Grabban.
• Stanislas replaced Grabban in the number ten role in the 4-2-3-1 formation for the Cherries, with Matt Ritchie (right) and Max Gradel (left) continuing out wide in support of lone striker Josh King.
• Stanislas was hauled off at half-time, with Grabban taking over the number ten role. Marc Pugh then came on for Gradel in a straight swap on the hour mark, with Howe’s final substitution seeing Callum Wilson continue his rehabilitation from a long-term knee injury, coming on for Ritchie down the right flank for the final 13 minutes.
• Should Adam Smith still be sidelined for Saturday’s home clash against Chelsea, the back four looks set to remain unchanged. Dan Gosling should keep his place in central midfield with Harry Arter unlikely to return from an Achilles injury, while Grabban and Pugh could push for recalls in the front four, with Stanislas’ place in the starting XI looking the most vulnerable. Wilson is unlikely to be fit enough to start against the Blues, but looks certain to see increased minutes coming off the bench.

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

Chelsea

Starting XI: Courtois; Azpilicueta, Cahill, Ivanovic, Rahman; Fabregas, Mikel (Begovic 79); Willian (Traore 70), Loftus-Cheek, Pedro (Kenedy 70); Costa.

• Guus Hiddink made four changes from the side that lost 1-0 to Swansea for the visit of Man City to Stamford Bridge, with Thibaut Courtois, Gary Cahill and the fit-again Willian coming in for Asmir Begovic, Matt Miazga and Oscar, while Diego Costa returned from suspension to replace Alexandre Pato.
• Costa led the line in the usual 4-2-3-1 formation, with Cahill coming in at centre-back alongside Branislav Ivanovic, leaving Cesar Azpilicueta at right-back and Baba Rahman at left-back. Willian returned on the right of the three advanced midfield positions.
• With his side trailing 2-0, Hiddink made two changes on the 70 minute mark, with Bertrand Traore and Kenedy replacing Willian and Pedro in straight swaps. Following Courtois’ sending off, Begovic was brought on for Mikel, with Ruben Loftus-Cheek dropping back into central midfield next to Cesc Fabregas for the final ten minutes.
• Courtois will now miss the matches against Bournemouth and Tottenham due to suspension, so Begovic will return in goal. Unless John Terry recovers from an Achilles injury, the back four may remain unchanged, with Kenedy perhaps an option to replace Rahman at left-back. Nemanja Matic was back on the bench against City, and could push for a recall in central midfield, while Oscar, Traore and Eden Hazard, should the latter fully recover from a hip problem, may push for starts in the attacking midfield positions. Loftus-Cheek could keep his starting spot though having impressed as a starter over the last three matches.

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

Crystal Palace

Starting XI: Hennessey; Ward, Dann, Delaney, Souare; Puncheon (Zaha 75), Cabaye, Jedinak (Sako 46), Ledley; Bolasie, Wickham (Adebayor 64).

• Alan Pardew made two alterations from the side that drew 0-0 against Everton for the trip to Arsenal, with Connor Wickham coming in for the injured Dwight Gayle, while Joe Ledley replaced Wilfried Zaha.
• Pardew switched from a 4-2-3-1 formation to a 4-3-3 system at the Emirates, with Jason Puncheon (right) and Yannick Bolasie (left) flanking central striker Wickham. Ledley slotted in alongside Yohan Cabaye and Mile Jedinak in central midfield.
• After falling behind on the stroke of half-time, Pardew made a change at the break, with Bakary Sako replacing Jedinak. That saw the Eagles revert back to the 4-2-3-1 system, with Sako operating on the left-wing, and Bolasie moving into the number ten role. Emmanuel Adebayor then came on in place of Wickham as the lone striker just after the hour mark, with Pardew’s final substitution seeing Zaha replace Puncheon on the right-wing with 15 minutes remaining.
• After moving another step closer to safety following the 1-1 draw, Pardew could look to rest many of his regular starters for Wednesday’s trip to Old Trafford, with one eye firmly on Sunday’s FA Cup semi-final against Watford. Scott Dann played on despite picking up a foot injury yesterday, and could be afforded a rare rest. Adrian Mariappa or Martin Kelly could earn recalls at the back then, while Cabaye could be another who is left out at Old Trafford having had a number of niggling injuries throughout the season. Lee Chung-yung could see some playing time then, while Zaha and Sako, both substitutes against Arsenal, may earn recalls. Wickham and Adebayor both need to build up their match fitness following injuries, and could share playing time in attack against United.

Current Status: Slightly Unsettled
Risk Areas: Central Defence, Central Midfield, Flanks, Lone Striker

Everton

Starting XI: Robles; Coleman (Connolly 54), Stones, Funes Mori, Oviedo; Gibson (Davies 83), Besic: Deulofeu (Barkley 64), Osman, Mirallas; Kone.

• Roberto Martinez made six changes from the team that drew 0-0 against Crystal Palace for the home encounter against Southampton, with Bryan Oviedo, Darron Gibson, Muhamed Besic, Gerard Deulofeu, Leon Osman and Kevin Mirallas coming in for Leighton Baines, Gareth Barry, Ross Barkley, Aaron Lennon, Romelu Lukaku and the suspended James McCarthy.
• Those changes saw Martinez change his usual 4-2-3-1 formation, opting for a 4-3-3 system, with Deulofeu (right) and Mirallas (left) flanking central striker Arouna Kone. Gibson, Besic and Osman formed the three-man midfield, while Oviedo slotted in at left-back for the Toffees.
• Martinez’ first substitution was an enforced one, with Seamus Coleman being replaced by Callum Connolly at right-back nine minutes into the second-half after picking up a hamstring injury. Barkley was then introduced in place of Deulofeu shortly after the hour mark, meaning a switch back to the 4-2-3-1 system, with Barkley in the number ten role, Mirallas on the right flank and Osman on the left. The final change came with seven minutes left on the clock, with youngster Tom Davies handed his Premier League debut in place of Gibson in a straight swap.
• While the Merseyside derby takes place on Wednesday night, Martinez’ priority will surely be on Saturday’s FA Cup semi-final against Man United. The Spaniard will have to balance up the fitness of players such as Barkley and Lukaku, who have picked up minor injuries over the past week, and decide if they’re worth risking against Liverpool. Lennon certainly looks unlikely to feature due to a hamstring problem, so the likes of Mirallas, Osman and Kone look to have a strong chance of retaining their starting berths, while Gibson and Besic could start once again should Martinez look to save his first-choice midfield partnership of Barry and McCarthy for the semi-final. Coleman is another who looks unlikely to be risked against the Reds, so Connolly may start at right-back, with the former Wigan boss perhaps having less options in defence to rotate, meaning John Stones, Ramiro Funes Mori and Oviedo may all keep their starting berths. If Baines is fit, though, Oviedo could switch to the right flank to cover Coleman’s expected absence.

Current Status: Very Unsettled
Risk Areas: All Positions

Leicester

Starting XI: Schmeichel, Simpson, Morgan, Huth, Fuchs, Mahrez (Amartey 78), Kante, Drinkwater, Albrighton (Schlupp 54), Okazaki (Ulloa 59), Vardy.

• Claudio Ranieri once again named an unchanged side for the home clash against West Ham.
• It was the 4-4-1-1 system once again for the Italian, then, who has little need to change his side’s successful formation as they continue their title charge.
• Ranieri made some early substitutions in the second-half, with Jeffrey Schlupp introduced in place of Marc Albrighton down the left flank, while Leonardo Ulloa then took over from Shinji Okazaki just before the hour mark. With his side then trying to hold onto their 1-0 lead playing with just 10-men following Jamie Vardy’s sending off, the Italian made a defensive change, with Daniel Amartey replacing Riyad Mahrez on the right side of midfield.
• The Foxes will be without the suspended Vardy for the visit of Swansea to the King Power Stadium on Sunday, so Ulloa looks set to replace the England international in attack. Should Ranieri look to further change his attacking options, Schlupp or Demarai Gray could challenge Albrighton for the position on the left side of midfield.

Current Status: Settled
Risk Areas: Lone Striker

Liverpool

Starting XI: Ward; Randall, Toure (Sakho 67), Lucas, Smith; Stewart, Allen; Ojo, Firmino (Origi 75), Ibe (Lallana 78); Sturridge.

• Jurgen Klopp rang the changes for the trip to Bournemouth, with only five players remaining from the side that beat Stoke 4-1. In came Danny Ward, Connor Randall, Lucas Leiva, Brad Smith and Jordon Ibe, replacing Simon Mignolet, Nathaniel Clyne, Martin Skrtel, Alberto Moreno and James Milner.
• Ibe (left), Roberto Firmino (number ten) and Sheyi Ojo (right) formed the attacking midfield trio behind lone striker Daniel Sturridge in the 4-2-3-1 formation, with Lucas partnering Kolo Toure in central defence. Smith and Randall came in at left-back and right-back respectively, while Ward made his Premier League debut in goal for the Reds.
• After picking up a muscular injury, Toure made way for Mamadou Sakho in a straight swap after 67 minutes. Divock Origi then replaced Firmino shortly after, slotting into a support striker role behind Sturridge, with Klopp’s final change seeing Adam Lallana take over from Ibe down the left flank for the final 12 minutes.
• After resting the majority of his first-choice XI against Bournemouth, it’s expected that Klopp will name his strongest side for Wednesday night’s Merseyside derby, before reverting back to a similar line-up to the one we saw yesterday for the home clash against Newcastle on Saturday, before their Europa league semi-final first leg against Villarreal a week on Thursday. Mignolet, Clyne, Dejan Lovren, Sakho and Moreno should start at the back against the Toffees then, but big question marks surround whether they’ll be included against Newcastle. Joe Allen and Milner could operate in central midfield, with Lallana, Philippe Coutinho and Origi – providing he overcomes a minor back problem – likely to earn recalls in attack. Firmino may keep his place in the side. Klopp may look to start both Sturridge and Origi up front but after all the rotation seen over the last two league matches, very few players look set to play 180 minutes over the next two matches.

Current Status: Very Unsettled
Risk Areas: All Positions

Man City

Starting XI: Hart; Zabaleta (Sagna 67), Otamendi, Mangala, Kolarov; Toure, Fernandinho; Navas, De Bruyne, Nasri (Delph 75); Aguero (Iheanacho 85).

• Manuel Pellegrini made three changes for the trip to Stamford Bridge, with Fernandinho, Yaya Toure and Kevin de Bruyne coming in for Fernando, Fabian Delph and Wilfried Bony.
• Fernandinho and Toure formed the double-pivot as Pellegrini returned to his favoured 4-2-3-1 formation, with De Bruyne taking up the number ten role. Samir Nasri operated down the left flank for the Citizens.
• Pablo Zabaleta was the first player to be replaced, with Bacary Sagna taking over at right-back in a straight swap after 67 minutes. Nasri was then forced off with a muscular injury, with Delph taking his place, while Pellegrini’s final substitution saw Kelechi Iheanacho replace hat-trick hero Sergio Aguero for the final five minutes.
• As is a similar case with Liverpool, we look set to see very few players play all 180 minutes over the next two league matches. Clichy and Sagna have been ruled out, which allows Pablo Zabaleta and Aleksandar Kolarov to continue as full-backs, though the fit-again Vincent Kompany could return in a bid to prove his fitness for the Champions League semi-final first leg against Real Madrid a week on Tuesday following a calf injury. Toure, Fernandinho, Delph and Fernando could all share playing time in the middle of the park, but with Nasri out of the Newcastle match with a muscle problem, Jesus Navas may keep his starting place, while Pellegrini also has Raheem Sterling available if he opts to rest De Bruyne and hand Iheanacho or Wilfried Bony a starting role in a 4-4-2 either tomorrow at Newcastle or at home to Stoke this weekend.

Current Status: Unsettled
Risk Areas: All Positions

Man United

Starting XI: De Gea; Valencia, Smalling, Blind, Rojo; Schneiderlin, Fellaini; Mata (Fosu-Mensah 89), Rooney (Lingard 67), Depay; Rashford (Martial 76).

• Louis van Gaal made four changes from the side that lost 3-0 to Tottenham in United’s last league match, with Antonio Valencia, Marouane Fellaini, Memphis Depay and Wayne Rooney coming in for Timothy Fosu-Mensah, Michael Carrick, Jesse Lingard and Anthony Martial.
• Rooney made his first start following a spell on the sidelines in the number ten role in the familiar 4-2-3-1 system, with Juan Mata (right) and Depay (left) completing the attacking midfield trio behind lone striker Marcus Rashford. Fellaini slotted in alongside Morgan Schneiderlin at the base of midfield, while Valencia came in at right-back.
• Rooney lasted 67 minutes before being replaced by Lingard in a straight swap, with Rashford then coming off eight minutes later as Martial entered the fray. Fosu-Mensah came on for Mata in a defensive minded move late on in a bid to see out the 1-0 victory.
• Although Van Gaal will have his mind on Saturday’s FA Cup semi-final against Everton, the fact his side are still in with a shout of securing Champions League football next season means he may not make wholesale changes for Wednesday night’s home encounter against Crystal Palace. He’s admitted to having few alternatives to Chris Smalling and Daley Blind in central defence, so they may keep their places, with Fosu-Mensah and Matteo Darmian perhaps providing fresh legs in the full-back positions. Carrick could return in central midfield, although Ander Herrera is struggling to overcome a leg injury. Lingard could earn a recall in the attacking midfield positions, while Martial would also seem likely to return to the starting XI, either out wide on the left or in place of Rashford as the lone striker. Rooney offers another option as the focal point of the United attack though. Ashley Young offers another option should Van Gaal look to rest the majority of his key players for that crucial cup clash against Everton.

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