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. Ginkapo FPL
    • 12 Years
    4 years, 4 months ago

    This must be what VAR is for. Clear and obvious

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

    Ref needs subbing at HT

    Clueless

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

    Peno surely

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

    Thats a clear penalty

  5. tm245
    • 12 Years
    4 years, 4 months ago

    Spurs are all idiots, what a collection of headless chickens.

  6. ZimZalabim
    • 7 Years
    4 years, 4 months ago

    has to be a pen

  7. Clintymints
    • 14 Years
    4 years, 4 months ago

    What on earth was that

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

    Liverpool would obviously get that

  9. el polako
    • 6 Years
    4 years, 4 months ago

    Peno in my opinion.

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

    Has to be a pen.

  11. Do I Not Like Orange
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 11 Years
    4 years, 4 months ago

    Why on earth does Gazzaniga go to kick it there?

  12. ⭐ Bemba_Da ⭐
    • 13 Years
    4 years, 4 months ago

    What's there to look at

    Clear pen

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

    It’s basically a random assault - surely a pen

  14. _Ninja_
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 13 Years
    4 years, 4 months ago

    Pen given by var

  15. CRO KLOPP
    • 6 Years
    4 years, 4 months ago

    OMG penalty

    1. CRO KLOPP
      • 6 Years
      4 years, 4 months ago

      Yc gazza

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

    Penalty given

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

    Penalty

  18. Londongeezaa
    • 5 Years
    4 years, 4 months ago

    Everbodies Kung Fu fightinggg

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

    Pen given

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

    How did the ref even give it the other way? Awful.

  21. svasei - Up (?) the Rovers
    • 14 Years
    4 years, 4 months ago

    Will not be given. Deemed fifty fifty and up to the fee ref. Totally wrong though.

    1. svasei - Up (?) the Rovers
      • 14 Years
      4 years, 4 months ago

      I stand corrected. Thank God.

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

    Gazza will save it

  23. Monkey Hanger
    • 10 Years
    4 years, 4 months ago

    VAR comes good.

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

    Never a penno.

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

      Specsavers

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

      Lol

  25. Sim Simma
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 13 Years
    4 years, 4 months ago

    I warned people not to Captain Delle and instead choose Jimmy or KDB. Hope they listened

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

      Willian, Willian it was really nothing

  26. Gobigorgohome
    • 12 Years
    4 years, 4 months ago

    Willian taking pen

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

    Willian

  28. UKG
    • 13 Years
    4 years, 4 months ago

    Willian taking not Tammy 🙁

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

      As expected

  29. ⭐ Bemba_Da ⭐
    • 13 Years
    4 years, 4 months ago

    Willian.....

  30. Bun Rab
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 11 Years
    4 years, 4 months ago

    Willian G
    Alonso A