Festive Line-up Lessons – Part Two

At the back, only two defenders – Nicolas Otamendi and Kyle Walker – started all four matches. Fabian Delph (two starts) picked up a minor muscle problem, handing Danilo a pair of appearances at left-back. John Stones returned from injury to start against Watford in Gameweek 22.

In midfield, Fernandinho and Kevin De Bruyne (both four starts) were mainstays, with David Silva limited to two starts due to personal issues. That allowed Ilkay Gundogan (two starts) to earn more playing time.

Wide men Raheem Sterling and Leroy Sane both made three starts each, allowing Bernardo Silva to start twice. Sergio Aguero also made three starts, with Gabriel Jesus’ one start culminating in him suffering a knee injury against Crystal Palace.

As has been the case in the EFL Cup, Guardiola named a strong side for the FA Cup tie against Burnley, with five players (Otamendi, Fernandinho, Sterling, Sane and Aguero) named in the starting XI who had made at least three starts between Gameweeks 19 and 22.

However, Otamendi, Fernandinho and Aguero were all omitted from the side that started against Bristol City in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday, along with Walker. In attack, Sterling and Sane retained their berths, with the former starting through the middle in Aguero’s absence before moving out to the flank.

Similarly, Gundogan is only likely to get the odd start in central midfield, although with David Silva’s personal situation still ongoing, he may continue to benefit.

Although Jesus is sidelined for perhaps another month at least, Guardiola has indicated that he can still manage Aguero’s minutes by using Sterling or Bernardo Silva up front – indeed, Sterling started there last night before the pair switched positions.

Given that Guardiola’s side travel to Liverpool on Sunday, the likes of Danilo and Bernardo Silva look destined to be on the bench, with Gundogan only starting if David Silva has to travel back to Spain.

Somewhat surprisingly – given his injury history – Phil Jones was the only defender to start all four matches. Antonio Valencia’s hamstring injury and Ashley Young’s three-match ban opened the door for Luke Shaw to get a run in the side, with the England international starting each of the last three matches at left-back.

There was a more consistent selection in midfield, with Nemanja Matic and Paul Pogba both starting four matches. In the attacking areas, Juan Mata was also handed four starts, with Jesse Lingard not far behind on three. Anthony Martial (two starts) and Marcus Rashford (one start) were the big losers. Romelu Lukaku made three starts before suffering a head injury against Southampton in Gameweek 21.

Pogba and Mata were the only players who started every match between Gameweeks 19 and 22 to be named in the side for the FA Cup third round tie against Derby County.

While the switch to a 4-3-3 was very effective against Everton, Mourinho could revert back to a 4-2-3-1 against Stoke. That would leave Ander Herrera’s start very uncertain, but would allow one of Martial or Rashford to join Lingard and Mata in the advanced midfield positions but perhaps shackle Pogba in a deeper role. Marouane Fellaini is back in contention but seems likely to be eased back into action.

Lukaku should lead the line against the Potters, with Rashford and Martial now the back-up options given that Zlatan Ibrahimovic is currently sidelined with a knee injury.

Rob Elliot started the first two matches of this run in goal before a thigh injury ruled him out, allowing Karl Darlow to deputise.

Two defenders – Jamaal Lascelles and DeAndre Yedlin – started all four matches, though, while Ciaran Clark and Javier Manquillo (both three starts) were generally favoured. Paul Dummett returned from injury to make two starts.

It was in midfield where rotation factored most, with Mo Diame surprisingly handed three starts. Injuries played a part in both Isaac Hayden and Mikel Merino making one start apiece, while out wide, Christian Atsu and Matt Ritchie (both three starts) were favoured.

There was also plenty of rotation in attack, with Joselu, who was named on the teamsheet on three occasions, the main beneficiary. Dwight Gayle (two starts) and Ayoze Perez (one start) were used sparingly.

For the FA Cup clash against Luton Town, Benitez made just four changes from the side that beat Stoke in Gameweek 22, although Lascelles was the only player who made four starts between Gameweeks 19 and 22 to be named in the starting XI.

However, he limped off in the first-half and is now a doubt for the visit of Swansea.

At the back, Dummett could now emerge as a factor on the left of defence, having missed the opening 19 Gameweeks through injury. Clark appears to be the preferred partner to Lascelles, with Yedlin looking secure on the right.

Atsu and Ritchie remain the go-to options out wide, though Benitez also utilised the former in a central support role at Stoke, allowing Murphy a spot on the left.

Diame now looks to have played his way into contention in the centre of the park. Further up the field, Gayle’s history of hamstring problems may have been behind his limited festive minutes, with both Joselu and Ayoze Perez utilised as the lone striker of late.

Between the posts, Alex McCarthy has started each of the last three in all competitions as Pellegrino chose to drop Fraser Forster from the XI in Gameweek 21.

Jack Stephens and Maya Yoshida were the only players to start all four Gameweeks. The versatile Stephens benefitted from injuries to Cedric Soares and Wesley Hoedt, in addition to Virgil van Dijk’s move to Liverpool. He started twice at right-back and twice at centre-half.

Ryan Bertrand returned from injury in Gameweek 22 to reclaim his regular role at left-back.

Dusan Tadic, Sofiane Boufal and James Ward-Prowse (all three starts) were the preferred attacking midfielders, with Oriol Romeu and Pierre Emile-Hojbjerg also starting three times in central midfield.

Shane Long has started the last four in all competitions up front due to the ongoing absence of Charlie Austin.

In the FA Cup win at Fulham, Pellegrino’s teamsheet adopted the same pattern, with Tadic the only regular to drop to the bench.

Between the posts, though, Forster’s security of starts currently looks very much under threat by McCarthy.

Ward-Prowse, Tadic and Boufal look likely to sit behind Long in the 4-2-3-1 at Vicarage Road, with Nathan Redmond and Manolo Gabbiadini offering back-up. However, Pellegrino looks poised to invest in his options up top after the Saints received £75m for the sale of Van Dijk.

Only three outfield players – Geoff Cameron, Tom Edwards and Kevin Wimmer – started all four matches, with defensive regulars Ryan Shawcross and Erik Pieters picking up injuries over the festive period.

Aside from the Gameweek 21 trip to Chelsea, Hughes started Peter Crouch up top, with Joe Allen handed a central support role. Xherdan Shaqiri and Eric Choupo-Moting took up the left and right wing roles respectively.

Cameron, Wimmer, Edwards and Allen retained their berths for the 2-1 FA Cup loss at Coventry that ultimately cost Hughes his job, with Crouch, Shaqiri and Choupo-Moting appearing off the bench.

But with Hughes now gone, we can take nothing for granted. Crouch’s recent run of starts now looks in question, while Allen could return to a deep-lying role.

New arrival Moritz Bauer seems likely to cement the right-back berth after being snapped up from Rubin Kazan, but concerns continue to hang over the defence, with Shawcross, Pieters and Bruno Martins-Indi likely to sit out Monday’s trip to Man United.

The new manager opted for a 4-2-2-2 set-up in the 2-1 win at Watford before rolling out a 5-3-2 at home to Spurs in Gameweek 22.

He started 14 players in those two matches, though his hand was somewhat forced by Kyle Naughton’s suspension and a number of injuries in midfield and up front.

Jordan Ayew played through the middle on both occasions, while Renato Sanches earned a first-team reprieve and also started both league matches.

Indeed, Sanches and Martin Olsson are the only two players to start all three matches under the new manager after being named in the XI for the FA Cup stalemate at Wolves.

More insight into his thinking will be clearer when the injury situation clears, though the new manager confirmed earlier in the week that Abraham, Sanches (who limped off at Wolves), Ki Sung-Yueng and Leon Britton are expected to be fit for this weekend’s trip to Newcastle.

Wilfried Bony is also back in the frame after recovering from injury to play 75 minutes at Wolves.

Naughton sits out the last of his three-match ban on Tyneside, while his back-up Angel Rangel is unlikely to recover from injury.

At the back, Jan Vertonghen and Davidson Sanchez were the mainstays. Serge Aurier (three starts) was the preferred right-back, while Ben Davies (three starts) profited from Danny Rose’s knee problem on the left.

Eric Dier started all four matches in central midfield, with Christian Eriksen dropping deeper alongside him at Swansea, allowing the fit-again Erik Lamela a start.

Eriksen, Dele Alli and Son Heung-min started all four, with Fernando Llorente afforded one start as Harry Kane featured off the bench at the Liberty Stadium.

Vertonghen was the only player to have started all four league matches to retain his role in the FA Cup win over Wimbledon last weekend. Somewhat surprisingly, Pochettino also named Kane in the XI, partnered by Llorente, while Victor Wanyama signalled his return to fitness with a start in the 3-0 win.

As expected, the full-back positions remain prone to rotation, while the competition for central midfield berths has also intensified, with Wanyama now edging towards his first league start of the season.

Having started eight of Spurs’ last nine league matches, Son has become increasingly integral to Pochettino’s plans. Indeed, it was telling that Eriksen was shifted to a deeper role to accommodate Lamela in the XI at Swansea.

Christian Kabasele and Daryl Janmaat were only the mainstays at the back, though Molla Wague has started each of the last four in all competitions alongside Kabasele at centre-half. Marvin Zeegelaar returned from injury in Gameweek 20 to replace Jose Holebas and started the subsequent three.

Silva trialled Andre Gray, Richarlison and Stefano Okaka up front in light of Troy Deeney’s four-match ban, though the latter returned to lead the line (and score) in the 3-0 FA Cup win over Bristol City.

Andre Carrillo also found the net in that victory – he’s started each of the last five in all competitions, cementing a spot on the Hornets’ right.

Of the six players to start all four of those league fixtures, Ben Watson and Richarlison were the only two that failed to retain their roles as both dropped to the bench.

Zeegelaar’s return to action immediately ousted Jose Holebas down the left of defence, while Janmaat continues to benefit from Kiko Femenia’s ongoing absence on the right. With four defenders still stuck on the sidelines, Wague seems to have claimed the spot alongside Kabasele for now.

Further up the pitch, Carrillo has avoided recent rotation to become increasingly influential in the final third. Deeney’s return from suspension looks bad news for Andre Gray, who only started twice over this period and immediately dropped to the bench against Bristol City, despite scoring in the 3-1 loss at Man City in Gameweek 22.

Only four outfield players started all four matches, with three of them defenders – Jonny Evans, Ahmed Hegazi and Kieran Gibbs. Craig Dawson returned from injury in Gameweek 20 to oust Allan Nyom at right-back.

On the flanks, Matty Phillips (two starts) continues to be plagued by a hamstring problem, with James McClean (two starts) and Chris Brunt (three starts) also utilised by Pardew out wide.

After being introduced as a sub away to Stoke in Gameweek 19, Jay Rodriguez has started the last four in all competitions – on all but one of those occasions he has played as a centre-forward.

He partnered Salomon Rondon up front in the 2-0 FA Cup win at Exeter, with both grabbing a goal apiece. Dawson was handed a rest due to his recent exertions, while Jonny Evans missed out through injury in what was otherwise a very strong line-up.

The back four now looks settled, with Dawson favoured over Nyom on the right. However, they have concerns over both Evans and Gibbs for the weekend visit of Brighton, with the latter limping off at Exeter. Gareth McAuley and Nyom look the obvious replacements.

Phillips’ ongoing injury makes the right flank role less clear, though – indeed, Pardew has started four different players in that position over the recent five fixtures, with the versatile Brunt the latest to be trialled there in the Exeter encounter.

Rondon’s place as the preferred centre-forward looks secure, though Pardew now also looks likely to station Rodriguez through the centre when he has a full quota of players to pick from.

In defence, Pablo Zabaleta, Arthur Masuaku and Angelo Ogbonna all started four times. Winston Reid (three starts) was rested for the Gameweek 20 trip to Bournemouth, while Aaron Cresswell’s (three starts) pitch-time was only disrupted by a back problem.

In the final third, Marko Arnautovic and Manuel Lanzini were both limited to three starts due to injury and suspension respectively.

Arnautovic started the first two as the lone striker bur dropped deeper alongside Lanzini against West Brom, with Andy Carroll leading the line. Chicharito was fielded up front in Arnautovic’s absence at Wembley, with Carroll back on the bench despite scoring twice against the Baggies.

The Mexican retained his spot for the FA Cup trip to Shrewsbury Town, partnered by Andre Ayew in a 3-5-2 formation. However, Arnautovic – along with Michail Antonio – was sidelined on Sunday, while Lanzini was handed the day off.

The likes of Masuaku, Zabaleta, Pedro Obiang and Cheikhou Kouyate continued as key players under Moyes in the goalless draw, while the new manager once again handed Joe Hart a run-out in the cup competitions.

When playing a 3-4-2-1, Masuaku and Zabaleta are the preferred wing-backs on either side of Obiang and Kouyate.

Arnautovic and Lanzini also look secure picks, though the Austrian can either operate in the support role or up top. Along with Antonio, he’s expected to be fit for the weekend trip to Huddersfield and could lead the line with Carroll and Chicharito in reserve.