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. teneighty
    • 9 Years
    4 years, 4 months ago

    10 minutes left to brace Kane. I believe in you!

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

      He looks very unfit

    2. Evasivo
      • 13 Years
      4 years, 4 months ago

      You have Kane in your team? 😮

  2. FPL Pillars
    • 7 Years
    4 years, 4 months ago

    Puli stays on bench, welcome Soy to my team for 0 :d

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

      Well done

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

    Looks like cramp, he seems fine.

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

      Yeah, didn't look all that bad.

    2. g40steve
      • 6 Years
      4 years, 4 months ago

      This.

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

    My rival was a sitting duck this game after his Rash captain fail. Once again he has the last laugh

    1. The Ejiptian King
      • 5 Years
      4 years, 4 months ago

      Same.

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

    Pulisic stays on the bench - enjoy the bench jam y’all

    1. J ⚒ Gimme ur Mané
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 9 Years
      4 years, 4 months ago

      Someone in my mini league captained him.

      Ings vice captain for him..... 😆

      1. FPL Pillars
        • 7 Years
        4 years, 4 months ago

        wow, inactive team?

        1. J ⚒ Gimme ur Mané
          • Fantasy Football Scout Member
          • 9 Years
          4 years, 4 months ago

          No, he’s active every week.... Wtf right!?!

    2. FPL Pillars
      • 7 Years
      4 years, 4 months ago

      I am getting 0 off my bench though, Soy! lol

    3. DLL18
      • 12 Years
      4 years, 4 months ago

      Cantwell 10pts finally a bit of luck.

      1. Bushwhacker
        • 4 Years
        4 years, 4 months ago

        Its all luck ...

  6. theodosios
    • 6 Years
    4 years, 4 months ago

    Son(C) = red card, Abraham injuried...give Aurier red card so we can log off until next season

  7. OverTinker
    • 5 Years
    4 years, 4 months ago

    Have exact funds for Son to KDB yes or no?

    1. beric
      • 12 Years
      4 years, 4 months ago

      Absolutely

    2. Duke Silver ☑
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 9 Years
      4 years, 4 months ago

      Thinking the same.

      KdB just rose in price yesterday and I can allow Son to drop by 0.1 so I'm going to wait a couple of days to see if any injury new comes out.

      1. Duke Silver ☑
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 9 Years
        4 years, 4 months ago

        *news

      2. OverTinker
        • 5 Years
        4 years, 4 months ago

        But my problem is I can't allow Son to drop even 0.1

        1. Duke Silver ☑
          • Fantasy Football Scout Member
          • 9 Years
          4 years, 4 months ago

          Well if I was in that position I would pull the trigger on your move.

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

      Now!

  8. Jet5605
    • 9 Years
    4 years, 4 months ago

    Gonna WC in GW20 so who is the best Son replacement for a one week punt:

    A Alli (BRI)
    B Richarlison (BUR)
    C Salah (lei)
    D Mane (lei)

    1. EmreCan Hustle
      • 11 Years
      4 years, 4 months ago

      C

    2. Hy liverpool
      • 10 Years
      4 years, 4 months ago

      Pogba and willian could be options too

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

      A

    4. moz_1983
      • 11 Years
      4 years, 4 months ago

      A closely followed by C

  9. EmreCan Hustle
    • 11 Years
    4 years, 4 months ago

    I feel like racism is getting worse in football. Not sure how? With all the promotion to stop it.

    1. XabiAlonso
      • 8 Years
      4 years, 4 months ago

      Humans don't get any better, you can't stop people being idiots

    2. Lev Yashin
      • 11 Years
      4 years, 4 months ago

      Brexit mate. Anything goes (or so they think).

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

        Imagine genuinely believing crap like this

        1. Lev Yashin
          • 11 Years
          4 years, 4 months ago

          Oh, you're one of *them*

    3. Ser Davos
      • 8 Years
      4 years, 4 months ago

      attention seeking

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

      Boris / Trump ; leaders embrace and empower.

    5. The Ejiptian King
      • 5 Years
      4 years, 4 months ago

      It hasn't just been getting worse in football.

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

      Increasing economical hardships always lead to tribalism. Overpopulation, strain on the working and middle class etc. Quality of life generally going down the shitter. Increased racism is a by product.

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

        sounds like the lyrics to a Fugees song

      2. Lev Yashin
        • 11 Years
        4 years, 4 months ago

        Like I said, Brexit mate.

      3. Nice Baps.
        • 6 Years
        4 years, 4 months ago

        Yep - and Johnson/Cummings/media told 'em Brexit was the solution as though our membership of EU was to blame for all our woes and not Tory policies. It's all a scam to keep the rich in power and the poor(er) suppressed.

  10. Make Arrows Green Again
    • 7 Years
    4 years, 4 months ago

    Turns out it was Pulisic holding the team back after all

    1. EmreCan Hustle
      • 11 Years
      4 years, 4 months ago

      True

  11. diesel001
    • 7 Years
    4 years, 4 months ago

    Mourinho has reverted to old style Kane here. Needs to treat him more like Rodgers treats Vardy. Tell him to stay high up the pitch. No tracking back. No dropping deep. Only play in the width of the penalty area.

    1. Bushwhacker
      • 4 Years
      4 years, 4 months ago

      Doesn’t work ; any decent defender puts Kane in his pocket in that formation (see CL Final).

  12. Differentiator
    • 8 Years
    4 years, 4 months ago

    Are Chelsea a likeable team?

    1. XabiAlonso
      • 8 Years
      4 years, 4 months ago

      Do you like them

  13. Tsparkes10
    • 5 Years
    4 years, 4 months ago

    Lol got to feel for someone in my ML who freehit this week to get 35 points with Cantwell and Doherty benched

    1. Ser Davos
      • 8 Years
      4 years, 4 months ago

      Before Wilder took over:

      2013
      23rd Oct: Bottom in League 1 (Wolves third)
      Boxing Day: 20th in League 1 (Wolves second)

      2014
      Boxing Day: 6th in League 1

      2015
      24th Nov: 12th in League 1

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

    Tammy I jury didn't look terrible.

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

      I’m not sure it’s even an ‘injury’

    2. Hooky
      • 9 Years
      4 years, 4 months ago

      The jury is out on this comment

    3. g40steve
      • 6 Years
      4 years, 4 months ago

      Exhausted how many miles carrying Toby on his back?

  15. Lev Yashin
    • 11 Years
    4 years, 4 months ago

    And those subs pave the way for possible jammy Tomori bench points.

  16. HashAttack
    • 7 Years
    4 years, 4 months ago

    Henderson+Lundstram - 37% of my points last week (17/46), 46% of the points this week (18 /39)

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

      You sound surprised 😉

    2. OverTinker
      • 5 Years
      4 years, 4 months ago

      same here

  17. beric
    • 12 Years
    4 years, 4 months ago

    Jesus and son

    To

    Ings and salah -4

    Yes?

    1. moz_1983
      • 11 Years
      4 years, 4 months ago

      I'd be wary of Southampton fixtures. Tough games incoming.

      1. beric
        • 12 Years
        4 years, 4 months ago

        Its the only concern, feel like they can pick up some goals though and it would be ings that gets them

    2. Wild Rover
      • 13 Years
      4 years, 4 months ago

      Nice moves

  18. some witty pun
    • 11 Years
    4 years, 4 months ago

    So Cantwell autosub for Pulisic it is. Feels good to have some jam at last

    1. Amey
      • 5 Years
      4 years, 4 months ago

      Excellent

    2. The Left Duke #3
      • 9 Years
      4 years, 4 months ago

      No jam for me. Another Cantwell double digit hail sitting on my bench. Son(c) to boot

  19. It’s gonna Ben Mee
    • 10 Years
    4 years, 4 months ago

    Everyone still getting Kane?

    1. Woy_is_back
      • 6 Years
      4 years, 4 months ago

      Might get Moura for Son. More of a differential than Alli. Kane nah

  20. Salah’s Sonnet
    • 12 Years
    4 years, 4 months ago

    Cannot wait to have a monster midfield next GW

  21. FER FUSCH AKE
    • 7 Years
    4 years, 4 months ago

    how does son to Alli for free look?

    1. circusmonkey
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 13 Years
      4 years, 4 months ago

      Been poo today

      1. Party time
          4 years, 4 months ago

          Harsh on poo

    2. LǝgleSs e|even
      • 8 Years
      4 years, 4 months ago

      Cmon Alli do something

    3. Postman Ty
      • 9 Years
      4 years, 4 months ago

      So Son (c), Alli, Abraham is going well.

      Son out for Sterling or Salah?

      1. Sailboats
        • 8 Years
        4 years, 4 months ago

        Salah

      2. HashAttack
        • 7 Years
        4 years, 4 months ago

        Better with Rashford too .. then you get the full 100% misery of today ... 3 points in total

        1. RamaJama
          • Fantasy Football Scout Member
          • 11 Years
          4 years, 4 months ago

          Have him too in addition to Aurier, 5xmisery

    4. Woy_is_back
      • 6 Years
      4 years, 4 months ago

      Captain Pulisic next gw?

      1. FPL Pillars
        • 7 Years
        4 years, 4 months ago

        Yes if you've got a good vice cap

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

      Connolly sub for Pulisic. AMAZING.

    6. rnrd
      • 9 Years
      4 years, 4 months ago

      Son to Mount ?

    7. Differentiator
      • 8 Years
      4 years, 4 months ago

      Anyone thinking about bringing in the Josh KING?

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

      Salah or Mane in for Sonny?

    9. The Left Duke #3
      • 9 Years
      4 years, 4 months ago

      Just logging in to see how my Salah to Son (c) FT is going which put Cantwell first on bench.........my lord give me patience with FPL 🙁

    10. Pompel
      • 10 Years
      4 years, 4 months ago

      Damned, just checked in seeing the Son RC. Might as well wc this GW then.