Lineup Lessons – Gameweek 25 – Part One

Eden Hazard is afforded yet another sub role as Chelsea salvage a late point at home to United. Arsenal’s Gabriel gets the nod alongside Laurent Koscielny for the second successive league outing, whilst Tom Cleverley and Aaron Lennon strengthen their grips on the Everton wide roles.

Arsenal

Starting XI: Cech; Bellerin, Gabriel, Koscielny, Monreal; Flamini, Ramsey; Oxlade-Chamberlain (Coquelin 67), Ozil, Sanchez (Gibbs 82); Giroud (Walcott 90).

• Arsene Wenger only made one change from the side that drew 0-0 against Southampton, with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain replacing Joel Campbell.
• Oxlade-Chamberlain lined up on the right of the three attacking midfield players in Wenger’s usual 4-2-3-1 formation.
• With Arsenal leading 2-0, Wenger made a defensive change with his first substitution, bringing on Francis Coquelin for Oxlade-Chamberlain, going to more of a 4-3-3, with Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez flanking Olivier Giroud in attack. Sanchez was then replaced by Kieran Gibbs in another defensive substitution, with Theo Walcott only handed a couple of minutes at the death in place of Giroud.
• After his second substitute appearance over the last few days, Coquelin may be ready to return to the starting XI against Leicester on Sunday, replacing Mathieu Flamini in the double-pivot. Oxlade-Chamberlain’s goal may mean he keeps his starting berth ahead of Campbell and Walcott on the right, while Walcott also appears unlikely to start in place of Giroud against the Foxes. Back-to-back clean sheets with Gabriel in the side mean the Brazilian appears likely to keep Per Mertesacker out of the starting line-up.

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

Aston Villa

Starting XI: Bunn; Richards (Clark 90), Okore, Lescott, Cissokho; Westwood, Gueye; Bacuna, Veretout, Carles Gil; Agbonlahor.

• Remi Garde only made one change from the starting XI that took on West Ham, with Ashley Westwood coming in for the suspended Jordan Ayew.
• Westwood slotted in alongside Idrissa Gueye in the 4-2-3-1 formation, with Leandro Bacuna, Carles Gil and Jordan Veretout forming the attacking midfield trio behind lone striker Gabby Agbonlahor.
• Garde’s only substitution came in the final few minutes, with Ciaran Clark coming on for Micah Richards.
• After a rare win, Garde appears unlikely to make many changes ahead of the visit of Liverpool to Villa Park next weekend. He does have options in the wide areas in both Scott Sinclair and Jack Grealish, but the pair will probably have to settle for places among the substitutes once again.

Current Status: Settled
Risk Areas: Flanks

Bournemouth

Starting XI: Boruc; Smith, Francis, Cook, Daniels; Surman; Ritchie (Stanislas 66), Gosling (King 66), Arter, Pugh; Afobe (Grabban 77).

• Eddie Howe unsurprisingly named an unchanged starting XI from the one that beat Crystal Palace 2-1 for the visit of Arsenal to the Vitality Stadium.
• Howe kept faith in the 4-1-4-1 formation against the Gunners, with Marc Pugh and Matt Ritchie continuing out wide and providing support for in-form lone striker Benik Afobe.
• Ritchie and Dan Gosling were substituted with 24 minutes remaining, with Junior Stanislas and Josh King entering the fray. Stanislas took over from Ritchie on the right, while King joined Afobe in attack, helping form a 4-4-2 formation. Lewis Grabban then replaced Afobe in a straight swap.
• With Stanislas and King now back to full fitness, Pugh’s place in the starting XI could be in some doubt. Pugh has performed well of late, though, so it’s by no means certain that he’ll be dropped. The rest of the side still looks to be pretty settled.

Current Status: Settled
Risk Areas: Flanks

Chelsea

Starting XI: Courtois; Ivanovic, Zouma (Cahill 59), Terry, Azpilicueta; Mikel, Matic (Pedro 67); Willian, Fabregas, Oscar (Hazard 54); Costa.

• Guus Hiddink named an unchanged side from the one that drew 0-0 against Watford for the visit of Man United to Stamford Bridge.
• Nemanja Matic continued alongside John Obi Mikel at the base of midfield in the 4-2-3-1 formation, with Oscar again starting on the left of the attacking midfield trio. Cesc Fabregas started in the number ten role, with Willian stationed on the right.
• Hiddink’s first change saw Eden Hazard introduced for Oscar in a straight swap just nine minutes into the second-half. Kurt Zouma was forced off with a serious-looking knee injury, and was replaced by Gary Cahill just before the hour mark. The Dutchman’s final substitution saw Pedro come on for Matic in an attacking move, with Fabregas dropping back alongside Mikel in the double-pivot. Pedro operated on the right of the attacking midfield trio, with Willian shifting to the number ten role.
• Zouma will undergo scans on his knee today, but it looks certain that Gary Cahill will come in for the France international when the Blues face Newcastle on Saturday. After getting 36 minutes under his belt, Hazard could push for a place in the starting XI, perhaps allowing Oscar to move into the number ten role. That could mean that Fabregas shifts back into the double-pivot, with Matic maybe being dropped to the bench. Pedro also offers another option in the attacking midfield positions.

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

Crystal Palace

Starting XI: Hennessey; Ward, Dann, Delaney, Souare; Cabaye (Boateng 72), Jedinak; Zaha, Mutch, Lee Chung-yong (Chamakh 46); Adebayor (Campbell 86).

• Alan Pardew made three changes to the side that lost 2-1 to Bournemouth, with Jordon Mutch and the fit-again Yohan Cabaye coming in for injured pair James McArthur and Jason Puncheon. Emmanuel Adebayor made his first start for Palace, taking the place of Frazier Campbell.
• Cabaye started alongside Mile Jedinak in the double-pivot in Pardew’s usual 4-2-3-1 formation. Mutch was stationed in the number ten role, with Adebayor operating as the lone striker for the Eagles.
• With Palace trailing 1-0 at half-time, Pardew made a change at the break, bringing on Marouane Chamakh for Lee Chung-yong. That substitution saw the Moroccan handed the number ten role, with Mutch moving to the left of the attacking midfield trio. Pardew’s second substitution saw Hiram Boateng introduced for his first league appearance of the season, coming on for Cabaye in a straight swap. Campbell provided fresh legs for the final few minutes in place of Adebayor up front.
• Injuries mean Pardew’s options are somewhat limited ahead of Saturday’s home encounter against Watford. Chamakh could push for a start in the number ten role, with Adebayor likely to hold onto his starting berth as the lone striker. Connor Wickham will be available again after serving his suspension, though, so he could be stationed in the attacking midfield trio, or alongside Adebayor should Pardew look to switch to a 4-4-2 formation. Dwight Gayle is another who could come back into contention if he’s fully recovered from a groin problem.

Current Status: Fairly Settled
Risk Areas: Flanks, Attacking Midfield, Strikers

Everton

Starting XI: Robles; Coleman, Jagielka, Funes Mori, Oviedo; McCarthy (Osman 89), Barry; Lennon, Barkley (Mirallas 87), Cleverley; Lukaku (Kone 76).

• Roberto Martinez named an unchanged starting XI from that one that beat Newcastle 3-0 for the trip to Stoke.
• There was a slight tactical tweak though, with the Toffees lining up in more of a 4-3-3 formation. Tom Cleverley was stationed alongside Gareth Barry and James McCarthy in central midfield, with Aaron Lennon (right) and Ross Barkley (left) supporting central striker Romelu Lukaku, who shrugged off a back injury to start at the Britannia.
• All three of Everton’s substitutions were really just a case of providing fresh legs to help see out the 3-0 win, with Arouna Kone, Kevin Mirallas and Leon Osman taking the places of Lukaku, Barkley and McCarthy in straight swaps.
• On the back of successive 3-0 victories, Martinez could name an unchanged starting line-up once again if John Stones remains out as expected with a hamstring injury. Two consecutive clean sheets mean Bryan Oviedo is likely to keep his place at left-back ahead of Leighton Baines, while having scored in his last two outings, Lennon should once again start ahead of the likes of Mirallas and Gerard Deulofeu.

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

Leicester

Starting XI: Schmeichel; Simpson, Morgan, Huth, Fuchs; Mahrez (Gray 77), Drinkwater, Kante, Albrighton (Dyer 85); Okazaki (Ulloa 81), Vardy.

• Claudio Ranieri kept faith with the starting XI that beat Liverpool 2-0 for the top of the table clash against Man City.
• The Italian rolled out the 4-4-1-1 formation once again then, with Shinji Okazaki stationed in the number ten role behind lone striker Jamie Vardy.
• With the Foxes holding a 3-0 lead, Ranieri took off his star man Riyad Mahrez with 13 minutes remaining, with Demarai Gray taking his place in a straight swap. Leonardo Ulloa and Nathan Dyer then provided further fresh legs, replacing Okazaki and Marc Albrighton respectively.
• With his side playing so well, Ranieri is expected to once again name an unchanged side for the crucial trip to the Emirates on Sunday. Okazaki should be favoured ahead of Ulloa once again in attack, while new signing Daniel Amartey is unlikely to be thrust into the action even if he is deemed fit enough to play.

Current Status: Very Settled
Risk Areas: Support Striker

Liverpool

Starting XI: Mignolet: Clyne, Lovren (Toure 12), Sakho, Moreno: Henderson (Lucas 87), Can, Allen (Ibe 45): Milner, Firmino, Lallana.

• Only made one alteration was made for the home clash against Sunderland, with Joe Allen coming in for Lucas Leiva.
• The 4-3-3 formation was rolled out once again, with Allen slotting in alongside Emre Can and Jordan Henderson in the three-man midfield.
• Dejan Lovren was forced off after just 12 minutes, with Kolo Toure replacing the Croatian. Allen was hauled off at half-time, with Jordon Ibe introduced in an attacking change which saw the Reds switch to a 4-2-3-1 formation. Ibe was stationed on the right of the attacking midfield trio, with Adam Lallana in the number ten role and James Milner on the left. In a bid to hold onto the 2-1 lead, the more defensive-minded Lucas came on for Henderson with three minutes left.
• Lovren is a doubt for the trip to Villa Park on Sunday, with Toure the obvious replacement in central defence. Allen looks unlikely to hold onto his starting berth after picking up a minor knock, with Ibe his likely replacement should a more attacking approach be favoured. That would likely mean a shift to a 4-2-3-1 formation, although should Jurgen Klopp look to stick with the 4-3-3, Lucas could come in for the Welshman. Philippe Coutinho, Daniel Sturridge and Divock Origi are all expected to be involved in tomorrow’s cup replay at West Ham, though the latter two, in particular, could be eased back into action due to the form of Roberto Firmino.

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

Man City

Starting XI: Hart; Zabaleta, Otamendi, Demichelis, Kolarov; Fernandinho, Delph (Iheanacho 52); Silva (Celina 77), Toure (Fernando 52), Sterling; Aguero.

• Manuel Pellegrini made four changes to the team that beat Sunderland 1-0, with Raheem Sterling coming in for the injured Jesus Navas, while the fit-again Fabian Delph replaced Kelechi Iheanacho. Pellegrini also rotated his full-backs, with Aleksandar Kolarov and Pablo Zabaleta coming in for Gael Clichy and Bacary Sagna.
• Delph started alongside Fernandinho in the double-pivot in the 4-2-3-1 formation, with Yaya Toure stationed in the central attacking midfield role. David Silva (right) and Sterling (left) offered support to lone striker Sergio Aguero.
• With City trailing 2-0, Pellegrini made a double substitution, with Fernando and Iheanacho entering the fray in place of Toure and Delph. That saw City line up in more of a conventional 4-4-2 formation, with Iheanacho partnering Aguero up front, while Fernando sat alongside Fernandinho in the middle of the park. The final change saw youngster Bersant Celina replace Silva on the right side of midfield.
• With all four of City’s full-backs fit and with Pellegrini’s men still fighting on four fronts, rotation looks set to continue in those positions. A more cautious approach may be favoured against Tottenham on Sunday in light of what happened on Saturday, so Fernando could start alongside Fernandinho in central midfield, with Toure’s place in the starting XI possibly in some doubt. The Ivorian may start in the central attacking midfield position though, with Silva on the right as long as long as he isn’t ruled out with an ankle injury, and Sterling or Delph on the left. Celina or Iheanacho could come into contention if Silva is unavailable.

Current Status: Unsettled
Risk Areas: Full-backs, Central Midfield, Flanks, Attacking Midfield

Man United

Starting XI: De Gea; Darmian, Smalling, Blind, Borthwick-Jackson; Fellaini (Schneiderlin 79), Carrick; Lingard (Memphis 86), Mata (Herrera 95), Martial; Rooney.

• Following one of Man United’s best performances of the season in the 3-0 win over Stoke, Louis van Gaal decided to name an unchanged starting XI for the trip to Chelsea.
• That meant Marouane Fellaini kept his place alongside Michael Carrick at the base of midfield in the 4-2-3-1 system.
• The Belgian was the first player to be substituted, though, with Morgan Schneiderlin taking his place with 11 minutes remaining. Memphis Depay then took to the field in place of goalscorer Jesse Lingard in a straight swap, with Ander Herrera brought on in stoppage time for Juan Mata.
• After another decent performance, Van Gaal may keep faith with the same starting XI for Saturday’s match against Sunderland. Schneiderlin remains a viable option to start in central midfield, but Depay’s sloppiness in giving the ball away in the build-up to Chelsea’s equaliser means he’s unlikely to push for a recall.

Current Status: Settled
Risk Areas: Central Midfield

Part two of Lineup Lessons, covering the remaining ten teams, will be published later tomorrow.