Lineup Lessons – Gameweek 2 – Part One

Next up this Monday, we assess the team sheets and tactical set-ups from Gameweek 2’s ten fixtures. As always, we’ll roll out the second instalment of this two-part series tomorrow afternoon.

Arsenal

Starting XI: Cech; Bellerin, Holding, Koscielny, Monreal; Xhaka (Wilshere 73), Coquelin; Walcott, Cazorla (Ozil 73), Oxlade-Chamberlain (Giroud 78); Sanchez.

• Arsene Wenger made four changes from the side that lost 4-3 to Liverpool for the trip to champions Leicester, with Santi Cazorla and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain replacing the injured Aaron Ramsey and Alex Iwobi, while Laurent Koscielny and Granit Xhaka came in for Calum Chambers and Mohamed Elneny.
• Cazorla was stationed in the number ten role in Wenger’s standard 4-2-3-1 formation, with Oxlade-Chamberlain operating on the left wing. Xhaka partnered Francis Coquelin at the base of midfield, while Koscielny and Rob Holding formed the centre-back partnership.
• With 17 minutes remaining, Wenger made a double substitution, bringing on Jack Wilshere and Mesut Ozil in place of Xhaka and Cazorla in straight swaps. Five minutes later, Olivier Giroud replaced Oxlade-Chamberlain, with the Frenchman operating as the lone striker, with Sanchez moving to the left wing.
• Having looked solid at the back against the Foxes, Wenger may name an unchanged back four for Saturday’s trip to Watford. Wilshere and Elneny offer viable alternatives to Xhaka and Coquelin in the middle of the park, while after making their first appearances of the season off the bench on Saturday, Ozil and Giroud may be fit enough to start at Vicarage Road. Cazorla may face a battle to keep his place in the starting XI, then, although he could also drop back into a double-pivot; one of Walcott or Oxlade-Chamberlain may also miss out. Sanchez would appear likely to move back to a wide position should Giroud be chosen to lead the line as expected.

Current Status: Unsettled
Risk Areas: Centre-Half, Central Midfield, Attacking Midfield, Flanks, Lone Striker

Bournemouth

Starting XI: Boruc; Smith, Francis, Cook, Daniels; Surman, Arter; Ibe (Ake 79), King, Fraser (Gosling 86); Wilson (Grabban 74).

• Eddie Howe only made one change for the trip to London Stadium, with Ryan Fraser handed a surprise starting berth, replacing the injured Lewis Cook.
• Fraser started on the left wing in what was more of a 4-4-1-1 formation, with Jordon Ibe stationed on the opposite flank, leaving Josh King in a support striker role behind Callum Wilson.
• With the match still goalless, Howe introduced Lewis Grabban in place of Wilson in a straight swap with 16 minutes remaining. Following Harry Arter’s dismissal, Howe turned to Nathan Ake, who replaced Ibe, as the Cherries looked to hold onto a point. Grabban quickly moved to the right wing, leaving King as the lone striker. Dan Gosling then came on as the final substitute in place of Fraser.
• After being at fault for West Ham’s winning goal, Charlie Daniels may come under some pressure from summer signing Brad Smith at left-back. Having once again struggled to create chances, Howe may look to mix up his attacking options, with Grabban, Benik Afobe and Max Gradel possible options to come into the side, with the starting roles of Wilson, Fraser and King appearing most at threat. Arter will be available to face Crystal Palace on Saturday, serving his one-match suspension against Morecambe in the League Cup on Wednesday.

Current Status: Slightly Unsettled
Risk Areas: Flanks, Lone Striker

Burnley

Starting XI: Heaton: Lowton, Keane, Mee, Ward: Arfield, Marney, Defour (Gudmundsson 56), Boyd: Gray (O’Neill 90), Vokes (Jutkiewicz 82).

• Burnley manager Sean Dyche only made one adjustment for the home clash against Liverpool, with new signing Steven Defour replacing David Jones, who joined Sheffield Wednesday last week.
• Defour partnered Dean Marney in central midfield in Dyche’s usual 4-4-2 system.
• The Belgian could only last 56 minutes on his Premier League debut, though, and was replaced by Johann Berg Gudmundsson. The Iceland international played on the left wing, with Scott Arfield moving into central midfield. With the Clarets holding a 2-0 lead, Dyche chose to take off Sam Vokes and Andre Gray during the final few minutes, with Lukas Jutkiewicz and Aiden O’Neill handed brief run-outs.
• Following such an impressive victory, Dyche will be expected to name an unchanged starting XI for the trip to Stamford Bridge on Saturday. Gudmundsson does offer an alternative to Arfield and George Boyd in the wide positions, but may have to wait to make his first league start for the club.

Current Status: Very Settled
Risk Areas: Flanks

Chelsea

Starting XI: Courtois, Ivanovic, Terry, Cahill, Azpilicueta; Matic (Fabregas 77), Kante; Pedro (Moses 70), Oscar (Batshuayi 71), Hazard; Costa.

• Antonio Conte was forced into making one change from the side that beat West Ham 2-1 for the trip to Vicarage Road, with Pedro coming in for the injured Willian.
• The Spaniard came in on the right wing in what was once again a 4-1-4-1 formation used by the Italian.
• With his side trailing 1-0, Conte turned to Victor Moses and Michy Batshuayi off the bench, with the pair replacing Pedro and Oscar with 20 minutes remaining. Those changes saw Chelsea switch to a 4-2-4 formation, with Batshuayi partnering Diego Costa in attack, while Moses came on down the left wing, with Hazard switching to the right. Cesc Fabregas then replaced Nemanja Matic for the final 13 minutes, partnering N’Golo Kante in central midfield.
• After making a positive contribution off the bench, Fabregas is pushing for a recall, with either Oscar or Matic perhaps making way when Chelsea host Burnley on Saturday. Willian missed out with a minor calf injury against the Hornets, but could well be okay to face the Clarets – we expect Pedro to drop back to the bench. Batshuayi has twice impressed as a substitute, and offers Conte the option of switching to a two-man frontline.

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

Crystal Palace

Starting XI: Hennessey; Ward, Dann, Delaney (Tomkins 81), Souare; Puncheon, Ledley (Cabaye 46); Zaha, Lee Chung-yong (Mutch 81), Townsend; Wickham.

• Alan Pardew only made one adjustment for the London derby against Tottenham, with Joe Ledley coming in for Mile Jedinak, who joined Aston Villa last week.
• Ledley partnered Jason Puncheon in the double-pivot in the 4-2-3-1 formation, with the Welshman sat in front of the back four. Andros Townsend (right), Lee (number ten) and Wilfried Zaha (left) formed the attacking midfield trio behind lone striker Connor Wickham.
• Ledley was replaced at half-time by Yohan Cabaye in a straight swap. Then, after falling a goal behind, Pardew brought on James Tomkins and Jordon Mutch for Damien Delaney and Lee.
• While Wayne Hennessey played well at White Hart Lane, the Wales international is under pressure from Steve Mandanda, who is building up his match sharpness by featuring for the club’s under-23s. Delaney picked up an ankle injury on Saturday, so Tomkins, another who is building up his fitness, could be ready to make his first Eagles start at home to Bournemouth this weekend. Cabaye should also be ready to start, replacing either Ledley or Lee in the starting XI, with Puncheon able to slot into the number ten role if necessary. Club-record signing Christian Benteke may also be lacking match fitness, but on the back of two defeats, should be ushered into the starting XI in place of Wickham.

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

Everton

Starting XI: Stekelenburg; Funes Mori, Jagielka, Holgate; McCarthy (Lukaku 38), Barry, Gueye, Barkley, Baines; Mirallas (Williams 81), Deulofeu (Bolasie 61).

• Ronald Koeman named an unchanged starting XI for the trip to the Hawthorns, with Romelu Lukaku and summer signings Ashley Williams and Yannick Bolasie named among the substitutes.
• The former Southampton boss stuck with the 3-4-2-1 formation then, with Ross Barkley and Kevin Mirallas occupying central attacking midfield positions behind Gerard Deulofeu in the “false nine” role. James McCarthy started at right wing-back once more.
• After falling a goal behind, Koeman decided to make an early substitution, with Lukaku replacing McCarthy after 38 minutes. That change saw the Toffees switch to a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Mason Holgate moving to right-back. Deulofeu moving to the right wing, with Barkley (number ten) and Mirallas (left) forming the attacking midfield trio behind lone striker Lukaku. Bolasie was then handed his Toffees debut on the hour mark, replacing Deulofeu in a straight swap. Holding a 2-1 lead heading into the final 10 minutes, Koeman sent on Williams for his Everton debut in place of Mirallas, ending the match with a five-man defence.
• After getting nearly an hour under his belt, Lukaku looks set to return to the starting XI for Saturday’s home clash against Stoke. If Koeman opts to start with the 4-2-3-1 formation that was so successful on Saturday, the Spaniard could be battling it out with Bolasie for a starting berth on the right, with Mirallas perhaps slightly more secure after scoring the equaliser on Saturday. A four-man backline would likely see Holgate start at right-back in place of McCarthy, leaving Williams to tussle with Ramiro Funes Mori and Phil Jagielka for a spot in central defence. If Koeman sticks with a three-man backline, Holgate could still start at right wing-back after impressing against the Baggies, allowing Williams to start alongside Funes Mori and Jagielka.

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

Hull

Starting XI: Jakupovic, Elmohamady, Livermore, Davies, Robertson, Meyler, Huddlestone, Clucas, Snodgrass, Hernandez, Diomande (Maloney 73).

• With a lack of options available, and on the back of the 2-1 win over champions Leicester, it was no surprise to see Mike Phelan name an unchanged starting XI for the trip to Swansea.
• That meant he rolled out the 4-1-4-1 formation once again, with Robert Snodgrass (right) and Adama Diomande (left) providing support to lone striker Abel Hernandez.
• Phelan only made one substitution, with Shaun Maloney replacing Diomande in a straight swap with 17 minutes remaining. It turned out to be an inspired move, with the former Wigan man grabbing a goal and an assist off the bench, helping his side record a 2-0 away victory.
• With the Tigers having won two from two, Phelan looks set to once again name an unchanged starting XI for the home encounter against Man United on Saturday. His only real dilemma concerns whether handing a starting berth to Maloney after the impact he made on Saturday, with Diomande’s place under slight threat.

Current Status: Very Settled
Risk Areas: Left Wing

Leicester

Starting XI: Schmeichel; Simpson, Huth, Morgan, Fuchs; Mahrez, Mendy (King 53), Drinkwater, Albrighton (Musa 87); Vardy, Okazaki (Ulloa 67).

• Claudio Ranieri made four alterations from the side that lost 2-1 to Hull for the visit of Arsenal to the King Power Stadium, with Robert Huth replacing Luis Hernandez after completing his suspension. Elsewhere, Nampalys Mendy, Marc Albrighton and Shinji Okazaki came in for Andy King, Demarai Gray and Ahmed Musa.
• Okazaki and Albrighton returned to the side in their usual positions of support striker and left winger respectively, while Mendy partnered Danny Drinkwater in central midfield. Huth partnered captain Wes Morgan in central defence.
• After picking up an ankle injury, Mendy had to be replaced eight minutes into the second half, with King entering the fray in a straight swap. With 23 minutes remaining, Leonardo Ulloa was called upon to replace Okazaki, while Musa was sent on in place of Albrighton for the final few minutes on the left wing as Leicester tried to find a late winner.
• Mendy is doubtful for Saturday’s home clash against Swansea, so King may earn a recall in the middle of the park. While the Foxes put in an improved performance against the Gunners, the balance in attack still appeared slightly off, so Musa, Gray and Ulloa may all come into consideration to face the Welsh side, with Albrighton and Okazaki’s places in the starting XI appearing far from certain.

Current Status: Slightly Unsettled
Risk Areas: Central Midfield, Left Wing, Support Striker

Liverpool

Starting XI: Mignolet: Clyne, Lovren, Klavan, Milner (Moreno 78): Lallana (Grujic 78), Henderson, Wijnaldum: Sturridge (Origi 64), Firmino, Coutinho.

• Jurgen Klopp was forced into making one change for the trip to Turf Moor, with Daniel Sturridge coming in for the injured Sadio Mane. Meanwhile, the fit-again James Milner came in for Alberto Moreno at left-back.
• Sturridge started on the right of a three-man frontline, alongside Roberto Firmino in the “false nine” role, and Philippe Coutinho on the left. In midfield, Adam Lallana and Georginio Wijnaldum were stationed in front of holding midfielder Jordan Henderson.
• It was Sturridge who was the first player to be substituted having endured a quiet afternoon, with Divock Origi replacing the England international just after the hour mark. With 12 minutes remaining, Moreno and Marko Grujic were introduced in place of Milner and Lallana in straight swaps as a final roll of the dice by Klopp.
• Should Mane be fit to face Tottenham on Saturday, he looks a sure thing to come straight back into the starting XI on the right wing, leaving Firmino, Sturridge and Origi battling for the lone striker spot if Klopp keeps faith in the 4-3-3 formation. Emre Can has been named on the bench in both matches thus far, but he could challenge for a place in central midfield, while in defence, Joel Matip offers an alternative to Ragnar Klavan. Klopp’s main problem appears to be the left-back position, with neither Moreno or Milner convincing at this early stage of the season.

Current Status: Slightly Unsettled
Risk Areas: Left-Back, Right Wing, Central Striker

Man City

Starting XI: Caballero; Zabaleta, Otamendi, Stones, Kolarov; Fernandinho; Navas (Nolito 69), De Bruyne (Delph 88), Silva, Sterling; Aguero (Iheanacho 83).

• Pep Guardiola made three alterations for the trip to Stoke, with Pablo Zabaleta, Nicolas Otamendi and Jesus Navas coming in for Bacary Sagna, Gael Clichy and Nolito.
• Zabaleta came in at right-back for the Citizens, while Otamendi partnered John Stones in central defence. Navas’ inclusion on the right wing saw Raheem Sterling switch over to the left in the 4-1-4-1 formation.
• Guardiola’s first substitution saw Nolito replace Navas after 69 minutes, with the former Celta Vigo attacker stationed on the left wing, seeing Sterling switch back to the right. Kelechi Iheanacho and Fabian Delph were introduced late on in place of Sergio Aguero and Kevin De Bruyne in straight swaps with the match won.
• Options in the full-back positions means Guardiola may again rotate against West Ham on Sunday, with Sagna and Clichy both viable starters, providing the former shakes off a slight knock. After scoring twice as a substitute, Nolito appears likely to be handed a recall on the left wing, with Sterling the favourite to start on the opposite flank. Navas will be expected to drop out of the starting XI.

Current Status: Fairly Settled
Risk Areas: Full-Backs, Flanks