Lineup Lessons – Gameweek 2 – Part Two

Having assessed the lessons learned from the first ten teams yesterday, we roll out the second instalment, casting an eye over the line-ups, tactics and injury situations that shape our Gameweek 3 thinking.

Man United

Starting XI: De Gea; Valencia, Bailly, Blind, Shaw; Pogba, Fellaini; Mata (Mkhitaryan 76), Rooney (Smalling 89), Martial; Ibrahimovic.

• Jose Mourinho made one change from the side that beat Bournemouth 3-1 for the visit of Southampton to Old Trafford, with world record signing Paul Pogba starting in place of Ander Herrera.
• Pogba partnered Marouane Fellaini in the double-pivot, with the Belgian stationed in front of the back four, while the Frenchman was afforded the freedom to push further forward.
• Henrikh Mkhitaryan entered the fray in place of Juan Mata in a straight swap with 14 minutes remaining. Chris Smalling was handed a brief run-out in the dying stages, replacing Wayne Rooney, with the defender stationed in a defensive midfield role as United withstood some late pressure from the Saints.
• Now back to fitness, Smalling may put pressure on Daley Blind for a starting berth alongside the impressive Eric Bailly at the heart of the defence. While Fellaini looks to have a new lease of life under Mourinho, the likes of Herrera, Morgan Schneiderlin and Michael Carrick do offer alternatives in midfield for Saturday’s trip to Hull. On the right wing, Mkhitaryan and Jesse Lingard can’t be ruled out as replacements for Mata.

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

Middlesbrough

Starting XI: Guzan, Nsue (Ayala 83) Gibson, Barragan, Friend; Clayton, Forshaw; Stuani, Ramirez (Adomah 59) Downing; Negredo (Nugent 90).

• Aitor Karanka made three changes for the trip to Sunderland, with Brad Guzan and Adam Forshaw coming in for the injured Victor Valdes and Marten de Roon, while Christhian Stuani started in place of Albert Adomah.
• Stuani started on the right of the three attacking midfield positions in the Spaniard’s favoured 4-2-3-1 formation, with Stewart Downing on the left and Gaston Ramirez in the number ten role. Forshaw joined Adam Clayton in central midfield.
• Karanka made his first substitution just before the hour mark, with Adomah coming on in place of Ramirez. The former Bristol City player moved onto the left, with Downing slotting into the number ten role. Daniel Ayala then replaced Emilio Nsue for the final seven minutes, seeing Antonio Barragan move over to right-back, with David Nugent then handed a brief run-out in place of Alberto Negredo.
• Valdes missed Sunday’s match due to a muscle injury, so he could return to face West Brom. Ayala’s return to fitness may mean he returns at centre-back, with Barragan then likely to be competing with Nsue for the starting spot at right-back. Karanka, as shown against Sunderland, likes to rotate his attacking midfield options, so Adomah may come back into the fold against the Baggies.

Current Status: Slightly Unsettled
Risk Areas: Goalkeeper, Right-Back, Central Defence, Flanks, Attacking Midfield

Southampton

Starting XI: Forster; Soares, Van Dijk, Fonte, Targett; Hojbjerg, Romeu (Clasie 12), Davis (Austin 67); Tadic; Long, Redmond.

• Claude Puel made two changes for the trip to Old Trafford, with Jose Fonte and Pierre Emile-Hojbjerg starting in place of Maya Yoshida and James Ward-Prowse.
• The Frenchman kept faith in his midfield diamond, with Oriol Romeu stationed at the base, with Hojbjerg and Steven Davis positioned slightly further forward. Dusan Tadic operated at the tip behind the front two pairing of Shane Long and Nathan Redmond. Fonte partnered Virgil van Dijk in central defence.
• Puel was forced into making an early change, with Romeu being forced off with a minor knock. Jordy Clasie replaced the Spaniard, with Hojbjerg dropping back into the holding midfield role. With his side two goals behind, Puel brought on Charlie Austin in place of Davis with 23 minutes remaining, with Long and Redmond moving into wider positions to allow Austin to play as the central striker.
• With Ryan Bertrand still struggling to shake off a knee problem, Matt Targett may retain his starting berth at left-back against Sunderland. Jeremy Pied could push Cedric Soares for the starting spot at right-back. While Romeu’s injury isn’t thought to be serious, he is a doubt for Saturday’s match, so one of Clasie or Ward-Prowse may come into the side, with Hojbjerg starting as the defensive midfielder. While Long did miss a few chances on Friday night, he may just about hang onto his starting berth in attack ahead of Austin, who has only been handed 32 minutes of playing time over the opening two Gameweeks.

Current Status: Fairly Settled
Risk Areas: Full-Backs, Central Midfield

Stoke

Starting XI: Given; Bardsley, Shawcross, Wollscheid, Pieters; Whelan, Imbula (Walters 72); Bojan, Allen, Arnautovic (Ramadan 88); Diouf.

• Mark Hughes only made one adjustment for the home clash against Man City, with Joe Allen making his first Potters start in place of the injured Xherdan Shaqiri.
• Allen started alongside Giannelli Imbula in central midfield in what was more of a 4-1-4-1 formation used by Hughes, with Glenn Whelan stationed in front of the back four. Bojan moved to the right of midfield, with Marko Arnautovic operating on the opposite flank.
• Imbula was the first player to be substituted by Hughes, being replaced by Jon Walters after 72 minutes. That change saw Stoke move to a 4-2-3-1, with Allen alongside Whelan in central midfield, and Waters (right), Bojan (number ten) and Arnautovic (left) forming the attacking midfield trio. Ramadan Sobhi was handed a brief run-out late on in place of Arnautovic.
• Jack Butland could recover from an ankle injury in time to face Everton on Saturday. Glen Johnson is struggling to overcome a thigh injury though, so Phil Bardsley may keep his spot at right-back. If Shaqiri can shake off a minor calf problem, Hughes may opt to use Bojan as a “false nine” against the Toffees, with Shaqiri returning on the right, meaning Mame Biram Diouf could drop out. Walters is another option in attack if Shaqiri remains out.

Current Status: Slighty Unsettled
Risk Areas: Goalkeeper, Right-Back, Central Midfield, Flanks, Lone Striker

Sunderland

Starting XI: Mannone; Love, O’Shea (Pienaar 37), Djilobodji, Van Aanholt; McNair (Lens 46), Rodwell; Januzaj, Watmore (Asoro 81), Gooch; Defoe.

• David Moyes made three changes for the home fixture against Middlesbrough, with Papy Djilobodji, Paddy McNair and Adnan Januzaj coming in for Lamine Kone, Younes Kaboul and Fabio Borini.
• Januzaj came in on the right of the three advanced midfield positions in the 4-2-3-1 formation, with Duncan Watmore in the number ten role and Lynden Gooch stationed on the left. Djilobodji partnered John O’Shea in central defence, with McNair alongside Jack Rodwell at the base of midfield.
• O’Shea’s afternoon only lasted 37 minutes though, with the defender being forced off due to a knock. He was replaced by Steven Pienaar, who slotted into central midfield, with Rodwell drooping back into central defence. McNair was then substituted at half-time, with Jeremain Lens taking his place, which led to Gooch shifting into central midfield, allowing the Dutchman to play out wide. Moyes’ final change saw Joel Asoro come on for Watmore in a straight swap for the final nine minutes.
• Doubts over O’Shea and Billy Jones (hip) mean Donald Love and Rodwell may keep their places in defence for the trip to Southampton, with McNair the other obvious option to feature in those positions. With Jan Kirchhoff still unavailable, Moyes appears to have few options in the middle of the park, leaving Pienaar and Gooch as the prime contenders to start in those spots. Wahbi Khazri appears out of favour under the new boss, so it’s Lens who perhaps may earn a starting spot at St Mary’s. Jordan Pickford is on standby to replace Vito Mannone if the Italian fails to recover from an elbow concern.

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

Swansea

Starting XI: Fabianski, Naughton, Amat, Fernandez, Kingsley, Cork, Sigurdsson, Fer (Ki Sung-yeung 68) Routledge (Montero 55), Llorente, Barrow (Dyer 85).

• Francesco Guidolin made one adjustment from the side that beat Burnley 1-0 for the visit of Hull City to the Liberty Stadium, with Gylfi Sigurdsson coming in for Leon Britton, who missed out due to illness.
• Sigurdsson’s return to the starting XI saw Guidolin revert back to the 4-2-3-1 formation having used a 4-3-3 against Burnley. The Iceland international occupied his preferred number ten role, flanked by Modou barrow (right) and Wayne Routledge (left), while Jack Cork and Leroy Fer started at the base of midfield.
• With the match goalless, Guidolin first turned to Jefferson Montero off the bench, with the Ecuadorian replacing Routledge in a straight swap 10 minutes into the second half. Ki Sung-yeung then took over from Fer in central midfield, with the Italian’s final change seeing Nathan Dyer come on for a tiring Barrow down the right for the final five minutes.
• Neil Taylor is expected to start for the Swans against Peterborough in the League Cup tonight, but with Stephen Kingsley again performing well at left-back last weekend, the Scot may hold onto his place for at least another week when the Welsh side travel to Leicester. Britton should be available to face the Foxes, and along with Ki, offers an alternative in central midfield. Montero is another who may push for a recall, but club-record signing Borja Baston appears unlikely to recover from a thigh injury in time to make his Premier League debut, with the Swans likely to wait until after the international break before risking him. Fernando Llorente should lead the line once again then.

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

Tottenham

Starting XI: Vorm; Walker, Alderweireld, Vertonghen, Rose; Dier, Wanyama; Eriksen (Alli 68), Kane (Onomah 89), Lamela (Carroll 90); Janssen.

• Mauricio Pochettino made two alterations for the home clash against Crystal Palace, with Vincent Janssen handed his first Premier league start in place of Dele Alli, who had missed some training last week due to illness. In goal, Michel Vorm replaced the injured Hugo Lloris.
• Janssen was stationed as the lone striker for Spurs, with Harry Kane dropping back into the number ten role in the Argentine’s usual 4-2-3-1 formation. That change also meant Erik Lamela switched over to the left wing, with Christian Eriksen operating down the right flank.
• Eriksen who was the first player to be substituted, with Alli taking his place after 68 minutes. The England international took up a slightly unfamiliar position on the left of the attacking midfield trio, with Lamela switching back to the right. Joshua Onomah and Tom Carroll replaced Kane and Lamela in the final stages.
• With Alli impressing off the bench, he may well be recalled for the starting XI for Saturday’s home encounter against Liverpool. Pochettino could drop Janssen, then, reverting back to his favored front four from last season, though could even recall Alli at Eriksen’s expense, given the Dane’s slow start to th season.

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

Watford

Starting XI: Gomes, Cathcart, Prodl, Britos; Amrabat, Behrami, Guedioura (Vydra 88), Capoue (Doucoure 84), Holebas (Zuniga 90); Deeney, Ighalo.

• Head coach Walter Mazzarri named an unchanged starting XI from the one that drew 1-1 at Southampton for the home clash with Chelsea.
• The Italian kept faith in a 3-5-2 formation, with Adlene Guedioura and Etienne Capoue playing in advance of holding midfielder Valon Behrami, while Nordin Amrabat continued at right wing-back for the Hornets.
• Mazzarri’s faith in his first-choice line-up was illustrated by the fact he made all three substitutions in the final 10 minutes. Abdoulaye Doucoure replaced the injured Capoue in midfield, while after falling 2-1 behind, Matej Vydra was brought on in place of Guedioura. Juan Zuniga got a brief run-out at the death, replacing Jose Holebas.
• After signing Younes Kaboul and Roberto Pereyra at the end of last week, the pair may come into contention to face Arsenal on Saturday. Capoue is a slight doubt after hobbling off with a calf problem, so Pereyra may come into contention to replace the former Tottenham player, or Guedioura should Capoue be passed fit. Kaboul seems likely to replace either Craig Cathcart, Sebastian Prodl or Miguel Britos in central defence.

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

West Brom

Starting XI: Foster; Dawson, McAuley, Olsson, Evans; Gardner (McClean 64), Yacob, Fletcher, Phillips (Leko 64); Berahino (Lambert 79), Rondon.

• Tony Pulis named an unchanged side from the one that beat Crystal Palace 1-0 for the home clash against Everton.
• He kept faith in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Saido Berahino again providing support to lone striker Salomon Rondon from the number ten position.
• Shortly after going 2-1 behind, Pulis made a double substitution, with James McClean and Jonathan Leko replacing Craig Gardner and Matt Phillips in straight swaps. Rickie Lambert was sent on as a final roll of the dice, coming on in place of Berahino for the final 11 minutes, seeing the Baggies end the match in a 4-4-2.
• After using McClean and Leko from the bench last weekend, Pulis may consider making changes on the flanks ahead of the home clash with Middlesbrough. James Morrison offers another option, although he may not be ready to start a match given he’s slowly building his match fitness following injury. New left-back Brendan Galloway may have to settle for a place on the bench.

Current Status: Settled
Risk Areas: Flanks

West Ham

Starting XI: Adrian; Byram, Reid, Collins, Masuaku; Nordtveit (Fletcher 80), Noble, Kouyate; Tore (Obiang 89), Valencia (Calleri 63), Antonio.

• Slaven Bilic was forced into making two changes for the home encounter against Bournemouth, with Sam Byram and Gokhan Tore coming in for the injured Andre Ayew and Andy Carroll.
• Byram slotted in at right-back for the Hammers, allowing Michail Antonio to move further forward onto the left wing. Tore started on the opposite flank, with Enner Valencia operating as the central striker in the 4-3-3 system.
• Valencia struggled to make an impact and was substituted just after the hour mark, with Jonathan Calleri taking his place in a straight swap. Then, with the Cherries being reduced to 10 men following Harry Arter’s dismissal, striker Ashley Fletcher was sent on for the final 10 minutes in place of Havard Nordtveit, seeing a shift to more of a 4-4-2 formation.
• Bilic is hopeful that both Payet and Manuel Lanzini could be back for Europa League duties on Thursday ahead of the weekend trip to the Etihad, whilst Sofiane Feghouli is nearing a return. If fit, Payet could start along with Antonio and Tore behind Valencia in a 4-2-3-1, though Bilic could field the Frenchman and Antonio out wide in a 4-3-3 if he wants another body in the centre of the park against City. Lanzini seems more likely to be introduced off the bench at this point as he builds up his fitness. Calleri and Fletcher offer alternatives to Valencia as the lone striker.

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