Dugout Discussion

Pulisic benched as Lampard switches to a 3-4-3 against unchanged Spurs

The final match of Gameweek 18 takes place at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, with Chelsea the visitors to north London.

Kick-off is at 16:30 GMT.

The team news is straightforward from a Spurs perspective: Jose Mourinho has named an unchanged side for the third game running.

The Chelsea starting XI requires a bit more explanation, however.

Frank Lampard has benched Christian Pulisic (£7.3m) for the first time in the Premier League since Gameweek 9, with Jorginho (£5.0m) and the injured Emerson Palmieri (£5.5m) also making way from the side that lost to Bournemouth.

Marcus Alonso (£6.0m) gets his first start since Gameweek 10, with Mateo Kovacic (£5.3m) and Fikayo Tomori (£4.8m) also recalled.

All of that would seem to suggest that Lampard has switched to a 3-4-3, with Tomori joining Kurt Zouma (£4.7m) and Antonio Rudiger (£6.0m) at centre-half.

Mason Mount (£6.5m) and Willian (£7.0m) appear to be flanking Tammy Abraham (£7.9m) in attack.

Mount, Pulisic and Abraham were three of the four most-sold FPL assets of Gameweek 18.

Lampard’s side have lost four of their last five Premier League games and haven’t kept a clean sheet on the road in 2019/20.

Spurs, by contrast, have won four of their five league games under Jose Mourinho since the ‘Special One’ first took charge a month ago.

Dele Alli (£8.8m), Son Heung-min (£10.1m) and Harry Kane (£10.9m) are averaging 8.0, 7.8 and 5.4 points per game respectively under their new manager.

Kane is the fourth-most-popular captaincy pick of Gameweek 18, while only three FPL assets were bought by more managers than Son in the run-up to this weekend.


Spurs XI: Gazzaniga, Aurier, Alderweireld, Sanchez, Vertonghen, Dier, Sissoko, Dele, Son, Lucas, Kane.

Chelsea XI: Arrizabalaga, Azpilicueta, Zouma, Tomori, Rudiger, Alonso, Kante, Kovacic, Willian, Mount, Abraham.



1,997 Comments Post a Comment
  1. Rainer
    • 7 Years
    4 years, 3 months ago

    More goals here for Chelsea.

  2. FOO FIGHTER
    • 4 Years
    4 years, 3 months ago

    This a really bad GW lol.

  3. Brosstan
    • 9 Years
    4 years, 3 months ago

    Moura at wing back? Looks like a formation change

  4. Fudgy
    • 4 Years
    4 years, 3 months ago

    Season ending week for me.

    1. Albrightondknight
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 8 Years
      4 years, 3 months ago

      Did you not say this last week too?

    2. Hazz
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 6 Years
      4 years, 3 months ago

      You moan every week.

    3. Dirty Harry
      • 8 Years
      4 years, 3 months ago

      Who gives a fudge

    4. TorresMagic™
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • Has Moderation Rights
      • 14 Years
      4 years, 3 months ago

      You'll be here next GW.

    5. DAZZ
      • 9 Years
      4 years, 3 months ago

      Good. No more moaning then

    6. FPL Xylophone
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 8 Years
      4 years, 3 months ago

      Why?

    7. IN SANE IN DE BRUYNE
      • 7 Years
      4 years, 3 months ago

      Bye

    8. nerd_is_the_werd
      • 4 Years
      4 years, 3 months ago

      Everyone's had a low scoring week, average is about 35 points.

  5. Pras (FPL)
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 12 Years
    4 years, 3 months ago

    Aurier - RW
    Son - CF

    1. Brosstan
      • 9 Years
      4 years, 3 months ago

      More like Aurier RWB Moura LWB

      1. Pras (FPL)
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 12 Years
        4 years, 3 months ago

        I exaggerate of course

  6. Stef rocks
    • 6 Years
    4 years, 3 months ago

    Lucas Moura playing as wing back !

  7. TomSaints
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 6 Years
    4 years, 3 months ago

    Going Abraham -> Kane (c) over Bringing Ings in was a total disaster

    1. IN SANE IN DE BRUYNE
      • 7 Years
      4 years, 3 months ago

      Removing Abraham is a disaster in itself imo

      1. TomSaints
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 6 Years
        4 years, 3 months ago

        Easy to say with hindsight

        1. IN SANE IN DE BRUYNE
          • 7 Years
          4 years, 3 months ago

          I thought the same before this gameweek but ok

  8. Dirty Harry
    • 8 Years
    4 years, 3 months ago

    I'll be lucky to get 30 points this week.

    1. Pukki Party
      • 6 Years
      4 years, 3 months ago

      Same, and i'm on 35 currently

  9. Eat my goal!
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 5 Years
    4 years, 3 months ago

    Surprised so many thought spurs would smash this

    Had it down as 2-2 but this is embarrassing for spurs

    1. Dirty Harry
      • 8 Years
      4 years, 3 months ago

      Didn't think Spurs would smash Chelsea, thought there would be goals galore but.

    2. Bushwhacker
      • 4 Years
      4 years, 3 months ago

      You may still be right.

  10. Iceball
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 9 Years
    4 years, 3 months ago

    Pulisic the only hope to save the week by getting Cantwell 1st sub.

  11. RAFA THE GAFFA
    • 8 Years
    4 years, 3 months ago

    Spurs getting dominated

  12. Rainer
    • 7 Years
    4 years, 3 months ago

    Championship Tammy

  13. Albrightondknight
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 8 Years
    4 years, 3 months ago

    Shoot Abraham ffs

  14. RAFA THE GAFFA
    • 8 Years
    4 years, 3 months ago

    Mount looks good again

    1. Hazz
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 6 Years
      4 years, 3 months ago

      Any goals or assists?

    2. Tsparkes10
      • 5 Years
      4 years, 3 months ago

      Thought this

    3. Rainer
      • 7 Years
      4 years, 3 months ago

      Won’t play Aurier every GW.

  15. Brosstan
    • 9 Years
    4 years, 3 months ago

    Abraham terrible decision making...

    1. Tsparkes10
      • 5 Years
      4 years, 3 months ago

      Offside anyways, not a bad idea imo

  16. Chenku╰☆╮
    • 9 Years
    4 years, 3 months ago

    This is an horrible gw. FPL delete

  17. TheDragon
    • 6 Years
    4 years, 3 months ago

    Mount - who whenever i owned him averaged about 2 points currently looks like the best player on the pitch....

  18. Gizzachance
    • 9 Years
    4 years, 3 months ago

    Son cap
    Tammy
    Aurier
    Tomori on bench ,sums this game up so far

  19. nerd_is_the_werd
    • 4 Years
    4 years, 3 months ago

    Hoping for another yellow card for Alli or Gazzaniga..

  20. Brosstan
    • 9 Years
    4 years, 3 months ago

    Aurier wasting Kane assist

  21. The Train Driver
    • 8 Years
    4 years, 3 months ago

    Mount should have passed earlier, a lot of flair but no end product. Another overrated english youngster... Will end up like the majority of them, average sub player...

  22. Podge
    • 13 Years
    4 years, 3 months ago

    Not doing well this week
    Don’t care
    Happy Christmas everyone
    Hope it’s a good one
    🙂

  23. Rainer
    • 7 Years
    4 years, 3 months ago

    Tammy close, for him.

  24. Gudjohnsen
    • 7 Years
    4 years, 3 months ago

    Son is really inconsistent.

    He goes on scoring runs and then disappears.

    1. The Train Driver
      • 8 Years
      4 years, 3 months ago

      Can't blame him for having poor teammates...

  25. have you seen cyan
    • 4 Years
    4 years, 3 months ago

    Kepa has a punchable face, can I say that? Thats ok isnt it

  26. tiger
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 12 Years
    4 years, 3 months ago

    offside

  27. TorresMagic™
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • Has Moderation Rights
    • 14 Years
    4 years, 3 months ago

    Abraham offside, lucky

    1. TheDragon
      • 6 Years
      4 years, 3 months ago

      V poor from Abraham - should never have been offside there

      1. Baps hunter
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 6 Years
        4 years, 3 months ago

        Yes, just lazy

  28. Tsparkes10
    • 5 Years
    4 years, 3 months ago

    Tammy and Mount looking real good in this formation.

  29. Brosstan
    • 9 Years
    4 years, 3 months ago

    Tammy GTFO of my team!

  30. Clintymints
    • 14 Years
    4 years, 3 months ago

    Gazza is rubbish

    Better from Spurs though