Lineup Lessons – Gameweek 21 – Part One

Eden Hazard is handed a central role for Chelsea’s trip to Leicester City in the absence of Diego Costa. Alexis Sanchez moves into the lone striker position after Olivier Giroud limps out of Arsenal’s win at Swansea, while Ronald Koeman rolls out a three-man backline as Everton sweep aside Man City. Here’s the first part of our Gameweek 21 teamsheet summary, outlining the trends and tactics on show, along with early insight into the likely line-ups for next weekend’s programme.

Arsenal

Starting XI: Cech; Gabriel, Mustafi, Koscielny, Monreal; Xhaka, Ramsey; Iwobi, Ozil (Lucas Perez 79), Sanchez (Welbeck 79); Giroud (Oxlade-Chamberlain 59).

• Arsene Wenger made two changes from the side that drew 3-3 against Bournemouth for the trip to South Wales, with Gabriel and the fit-again Mesut Ozil coming in for injured pair Hector Bellerin and Francis Coquelin.
• Gabriel slotted in at right-back for the Gunners, while Ozil returned in his usual No 10 position in the standard 4-2-3-1. Alexis Sanchez once again started on the left wing, with the in-form Olivier Giroud spearheading the Arsenal attack.
• Giroud picked up an ankle injury during the first-half at the Liberty Stadium though, and although he lasted until the 59th minute, he was eventually replaced by Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. The substitute played on the right wing, which saw Alex Iwobi switch over to the opposite flank, allowing Sanchez to operate as the lone striker. But with the match won, Wenger decided to take off Ozil and Sanchez with 11 minutes remaining, handing Lucas Perez and Danny Welbeck brief run-outs.
• Bellerin’s ankle injury isn’t thought to be a serious one, so the Spaniard should have a reasonable chance of returning against Burnley on Sunday. The extent of Giroud’s ankle problem is also yet to be confirmed, but if the Frenchman was to be ruled out, Sanchez would be likely to take over the lone striker role. That would allow one of Oxlade-Chamberlain, Welbeck or Perez to claim a spot in the attacking midfield positions, with Theo Walcott expected to remain sidelined.

Current Status: Fairly Settled
Risk Areas: Right-Back, Left Wing, Lone Striker

Bournemouth

Starting XI: Boruc; A Smith, Cook, Mings, Daniels; Stanislas (Pugh 69), Arter, Surman, Fraser (King 56); Wilshere; Afobe (Wilson 56).

• Cherries boss Eddie Howe made five alterations for the trip to the KCOM Stadium, with Adam Smith, Tyrone Mings, Andrew Surman, Jack Wilshere and Benik Afobe coming in for Simon Francis, Nathan Ake, Dan Gosling, Josh King and Callum Wilson.
• Smith and Mings slotted in at right-back and centre-back respectively for Bournemouth, while Surman joined Harry Arter at the base of midfield in the 4-2-3-1. Wilshere took up the No 10 role, with Afobe stationed as the lone striker for the Cherries.
• With his side trailing 2-1, Howe made a double substitution after 56 minutes, as King and Wilson replaced Fraser and Afobe. King initially took over from Fraser on the left wing, before switching to the right once Marc Pugh was introduced for Junior Stanislas. Wilson played as the lone striker in place of Afobe.
• Mings struggled on his first league start of the season on Saturday, but unless Marc Wilson recovers from a knock, Howe looks to have few alternatives in the absence of the suspended Francis, and Ake, who has been recalled by his parent club Chelsea. Howe has an abundance of options for the wide positions, though, so the likes of King, Pugh and Jordon Ibe may push for recalls against Watford on Saturday. Likewise, Wilson could come into contention to replace Afobe as the lone striker.

Current Status: Fairly Settled
Risk Areas: Centre-Back, Flanks, Lone Striker

Burnley

Starting XI: Heaton; Lowton, Keane, Mee, Ward; Boyd, Marney (Barton 72), Hendrick, Defour (Vokes 74); Barnes; Gray (Tarkowski 78).

• Sean Dyche was forced into making two alterations for the visit of Southampton to Turf Moor, with Dean Marney and Steven Defour replacing injured duo Scott Arfield and Johann Berg Gudmundsson.
• Defour played in the slightly unusual position on the left side of midfield, while Marney joined Jeff Hendrick in central midfield in the 4-4-2 formation.
• With the match goalless, Dyche turned to recent signing Joey Barton off the bench, with Marney making way in a straight swap. Shortly after, Dyche brought on Sam Vokes for Defour, with Ashley Barnes taking over on the left wing. To help shore up the midfield, Dyche brought on James Tarkowski for the final 12 minutes, with Andre Gray making way. That saw the Clarets end the match back in the 4-4-2, with Vokes and Barnes up front, and Hendrick on the left wing.
• Arfield and Gudmundsson remain major doubts for Sunday’s trip to the Emirates due to hamstring injuries, so Dyche doesn’t appear to have too many options to change his starting XI. He could opt for an extra man in midfield, such as Barton, to switch to a more defensive 4-5-1, with one of Gray or Barnes dropping out. Michael Kightly provides an alternative out wide.

Current Status: Settled
Risk Areas: Central Midfield, Flanks, Forwards

Chelsea

Starting XI: Courtois; Azpilicueta, David Luiz, Cahill, Moses, Kante, Matic, Alonso, Willian (Batshuayi 84), Hazard (Fabregas 79), Pedro (Loftus-Cheek 84).

• Antonio Conte only made one adjustment for the trip to the King Power Stadium, with a back problem forcing Diego Costa to be replaced by Willian.
• Willian slotted in on the right of the front three in the standard 3-4-3 formation, then, with Pedro on the left and Eden Hazard operating in the central striker role.
• Conte once again only made changes during the final part of the match, with Cesc Fabregas, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Michy Batshuayi handed brief run-outs in place of Hazard, Willian and Pedro.
• With the leaders hosting Hull City on Sunday, Conte may consider handing a start to the more creative Cesc Fabregas in the middle of the park, with Nemanja Matic most likely to drop to the bench. The situation regarding Costa is still unknown, but given the performance on Saturday, it may not be a major issue for the Blues, at least against Hull City, should the forward be deemed unavailable once more.

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

Crystal Palace

Starting XI: Hennessey; Tomkins, Dann, Delaney, Ward; Ledley (Schlupp 81); Townsend (Remy 70), McArthur (Lee Chung-yong 70), Cabaye, Puncheon; Benteke.

• Sam Allardyce only made two changes from the side that lost 2-1 to Swansea City for the trip to the London Stadium, with James McArthur and the fit-again Scott Dann replacing Martin Kelly and Wilfried Zaha, who is away at the Africa Cup of Nations.
• Dann returned at centre-back for the Eagles, with James Tomkins and Joel Ward starting at right-back and left-back respectively. McArthur played alongside Yohan Cabaye in central midfield in what was more of a 4-1-4-1 formation used by Big Sam, with Andros Townsend (right) and Jason Puncheon (left) stationed out wide.
• Shortly after falling a goal behind, Allardyce introduced Loic Remy and Lee Chung-yong off the bench, with Townsend and McArthur making way. Those tweaks saw the Eagles switch to a 4-4-2, with Lee operating on the right wing, while Remy joined Christian Benteke up front. As a final roll of the dice, new signing Jeffrey Schlupp replaced Joe Ledley, leaving Cabaye and Puncheon as the central midfield players, with Schlupp stationed on the left flank.
• Following another defeat, Allardyce looks certain to make some changes for the visit of Everton to Selhurst Park on Saturday. The Eagles manager is in the market for new full-backs, and if he manages to bring in one or two new faces early this week, they may well come straight into the starting XI. Schlupp and Remy may push for starting berths, with the former an option in midfielder or at left-back, while Remy could play on the right, or alongside Benteke in attack, depending on the formation. Townsend and perhaps one of McArthur, Ledley or Puncheon may drop down to the bench.

Current Status: Unsettled
Risk Areas: Full-Backs, Flanks, Forwards

Everton

Starting XI: Robles, Coleman, Holgate, Williams, Funes Mori, Baines, Barry (McCarthy 74), Davies, Barkley (Lookman 90), Mirallas (Schneiderlin 65), Lukaku.

• Ronald Koeman made three changes for the home encounter against Manchester City, with Mason Holgate, Gareth Barry and Kevin Mirallas coming in for Idrissa Gueye, Aaron Lennon and Dominic Calvert-Lewin.
• Those changes saw the Toffees line up in a 3-4-2-1 formation, with Holgate joining Ashley Williams and Ramiro Funes Mori in defence. Barry played next to Tom Davies in central midfield, while Mirallas and Ross Barkley were stationed in the attacking midfield positions behind lone striker Romelu Lukaku.
• After 65 minutes, Koeman decided to hand a debut to Morgan Schneiderlin, with the Frenchman replacing Mirallas. The substitute played in central midfield, allowing Davies to play in a slightly more advanced midfield role. James McCarthy came in on place of Barry for the final 16 minutes in a straight swap, with Koeman’s final change seeing another new signing, Ademola Lookman, get a brief run-out in place of Barkley.
• Given the impressive nature of Everton’s performance on Sunday, Koeman could well name an unchanged starting XI for the Gameweek 22 trip to Selhurst Park. The Dutchman does like to adopt different formations, though, so a change to a 4-2-3-1 could see Holgate drop out of the side, allowing an extra midfielder such as Schneiderlin, Lennon or Enner Valencia to start.

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

Hull City

Starting XI: Jakupovic; Maguire, Dawson, Davies, Robertson; Diomande, Huddlestone, Mason (Livermore 86), Clucas; Snodgrass (Evandro 77); Hernandez (Niasse 82).

• New Hull City head coach Marco Silva made four changes for the home clash against Bournemouth, with Eldin Jakupovic, Andrew Robertson, Ryan Mason and Abel Hernandez replacing David Marshall, Ahmed Elmohamady, Jake Livermore and Dieumerci Mbokani.
• Those switches saw the Tigers line up in a 4-4-1-1 formation, with Harry Maguire stationed at right-back, and Robertson coming in at left-back. Adama Diomande played on the right side of midfield, with Sam Clucas on the opposite flank, leaving Mason alongside Tom Huddlestone in the engine room. Robert Snodgrass operated in “the hole” behind lone striker Hernandez.
• Silva handed debuts to new signings Evandro and Oumar Niasse off the bench, with Snodgrass and Hernandez making way. Livermore was then brought on in place of Mason for the final four minutes to provide some fresh legs in central midfield.
• After registering a win in his first league match in charge, Silva may well stick with the majority of the same side for the trip to Chelsea on Sunday. He may consider opting for a slightly more defensive approach, though, so Livermore could push for a recall, with Diomande’s place in the side perhaps vulnerable should Silva consider using a 4-5-1, with Snodgrass moving back to the right wing.

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

Leicester City

Starting XI: Schmeichel; Morgan, Huth (Okazaki 60), Fuchs, Chilwell, Mendy, Drinkwater, Ndidi, Albrighton (Simpson 77), Musa (Gray 71), Vardy.

• Claudio Ranieri made six changes from the side that drew 0-0 against Middlesbrough for the home clash against Chelsea, with Ben Chilwell, Danny Drinkwater, Wilfred Ndidi, Marc Albrighton, Ahmed Musa and Jamie Vardy replacing Danny Simpson, Daniel Amartey, Andy King, Shinji Okazaki, Riyad Mahrez and Leonardo Ulloa.
• That saw Ranieri attempt to match up against Chelsea, opting for a 3-5-2 formation. Wes Morgan, Robert Huth and Christian Fuchs formed the three-man backline, with Albrighton and Chilwell operating as wing-backs. Ndidi, Drinkwater and Nampalys Mendy started in central midfield, with Musa and Vardy combining in attack.
• But with his side trailing 2-0, Ranieri changed things around on the hour-mark, introducing Okazaki in place of Huth. That saw the Foxes switch to more of a midfield diamond, with Okazaki playing at the tip behind Musa and Vardy, while Chilwell and Albrighton became full-backs. Musa then made way for Gray, who played as a right winger, while Simpson took over from Albrighton at right-back for the final 13 minutes.
• After experimenting with a three-man defence against Chelsea, Ranieri may revert back to a four-man backline against Southampton on Sunday. Simpson, Huth and Morgan appear probable starters, then, leaving Fuchs and Chilwell to battle it out for the left-back spot. Ranieri has some options in midfield, with King and Gray the most likely to push for recalls, while Okazaki is another who may return to contention. One of Drinkwater, Ndidi or Mendy may make way if Ranieri looks to revert to either a 4-2-3-1 or 4-4-1-1.

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

Liverpool

Starting XI: Mignolet, Alexander-Arnold, Lovren, Klavan, Milner, Wijnaldum, Henderson, Can, Firmino, Origi (Coutinho 60), Lallana.

• Jurgen Klopp made three changes for the trip to Old Trafford, with Trent Alexander-Arnold coming in for the injured Nathaniel Clyne, while Divock Origi and the fit-again Jordan Henderson replaced Sadio Mane and Daniel Sturridge.
• Those alterations saw Klopp switch formations, with the German opting for a midfield diamond. Henderson was stationed at the base, with Adam Lallana at the tip of the diamond behind the front two of Origi and Roberto Firmino. Arnold slotted in at right-back for the Reds.
• Klopp only made one substitution, with Philippe Coutinho introduced on the hour mark in place of Origi. That change saw Liverpool revert back to the usual 4-3-3, with Coutinho on the left, Lallana on the right and Firmino in the “false nine” role.
• Providing they’re fit, both Clyne and Joel Matip could push for recalls in place of Arnold and Ragnar Klavan against Swansea City on Saturday. However, Matip’s situation remains a concern, with reports now indicating that Liverpool may even be forced to be without the centre-back until the conclusion of the Africa Cup of Nations next month. Klopp is likely to start with a 4-3-3 against the Welsh side, so after getting more minutes under his belt, Coutinho may be ready to start on the left, with that perhaps allowing Firmino to return as the central striker. One of Origi or Sturridge may then be called upon to operate on the right, with Emre Can or Georginio Wijnaldum likely to miss out in central midfield, where Lallana and Henderson appear more secure starters. Alternatively, Klopp could utilise Lallana on the right, with Can and Wijnaldum joining Henderson in the centre of the park.

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

Manchester City

Starting XI: Bravo, Sagna, Otamendi, Stones, Clichy, Zabaleta (Iheanacho 62), Toure, Silva, De Bruyne, Sterling, Aguero.

• Pep Guardiola made four alterations from the side that beat Burnley 2-1 for the trip to Goodison Park, with John Stones, David Silva and Sergio Aguero replacing Aleksandar Kolarov, Jesus Navas and Kelechi Iheanacho, while Pablo Zabaleta earned a recall in place of the suspended Fernandinho.
• Stones returned at centre-back for City, while Silva joined Kevin De Bruyne and Raheem Sterling in the attacking midfield positions, with all three rotating throughout the match. Aguero operated as the lone striker, while Zabaleta joined Yaya Toure at the base of midfield in the 4-2-3-1.
• Guardiola only made one substitution, with Iheanacho thrown on in place of Zabaleta as City looked to come back from a 2-0 deficit. Iheanacho joined Aguero in attack, seeing City line up in more of a 4-1-3-2 system.
• Following such a disappointing performance, Guardiola looks almost certain to ring the changes for the crucial home clash against Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday. He’ll be desperate to have Fernando available after the midfielder missed out due to a knock on Sunday, with Zabaleta likely to either revert to right-back in place of Bacary Sagna, or drop out of the side. Kolarov may push for a recall in defence, with one of either Stones or Clichy likely to make way. Guardiola also has options in the wide positions, with Leroy Sane perhaps looking the most likely to push for a starting role against Spurs.

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

Part Two of Line-up Lessons, detailing the remaining ten teams, will be published tomorrow.