Dugout Discussion

Pulisic benched as Chelsea switch to three-man defence at Liverpool

Owners of Christian Pulisic (£7.4m) will be frustrated to see their man on the Chelsea bench for the final match of Gameweek 37+.

It is the first time the American has not started since the Gameweek 30+ win at Aston Villa.

Frank Lampard has opted to change his formation for the trip to Anfield, lining up in a 3-4-3 shape with Marcos Alonso (£6.1m) and Reece James (£4.9m) as the wing-backs.

Mason Mount (£6.0m) has moved forward to take Pulisic’s place in the front-three but Olivier Giroud (£6.7m) and Willian (£7.3m) retain their starting berths from the 1-0 win over Norwich.

Liverpool, who will lift the Premier League trophy tonight, have predictably gone with the big guns for this one.

That means Mohamed Salah (£12.5m) and Sadio Mané (£12.2m) are both stationed either side of Roberto Firmino (£9.3m) as per usual.

And in defence, Andrew Robertson (£7.0m) and Trent Alexander-Arnold (£7.7m) start in their preferred positions, as does Virgil van Dijk (£6.5m).

Liverpool XI (4-3-3): Alisson; Robertson, van Dijk, Gomez, Alexander-Arnold; Fabinho, Wijnaldum, Keïta; Mané, Firmino, Salah.

Chelsea XI (3-4-3): Kepa; Azpilicueta, Zouma, Rüdiger; Alonso, Kovacic, Jorginho, R James; Mount, Giroud, Willian.

1,848 Comments Post a Comment
  1. wulfrunian
    • 7 Years
    3 years, 9 months ago

    Since the Football League began in 1888, this has been the longest wait (without a World War in the middle) for a Black Country derby. Been a long 8 years but it returns next season #WWFC

    1. Fishy
      • 14 Years
      3 years, 9 months ago

      Just need villa to stay up then 4 Midlands teams right?

      1. wulfrunian
        • 7 Years
        3 years, 9 months ago

        yes

  2. Fishy
    • 14 Years
    3 years, 9 months ago

    It's ok chelsea have werner and ziyech to come into this team...

    1. The Ejiptian King
      • 5 Years
      3 years, 9 months ago

      Probably Havertz too, hope one of them can play CB.

    2. FPL Daniel
      • 14 Years
      3 years, 9 months ago

      You need defense too. We scored 3 goals, however, have conceded 5

      1. The Ejiptian King
        • 5 Years
        3 years, 9 months ago

        This is top analysis.

    3. Hazz
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 6 Years
      3 years, 9 months ago

      Can they play in defence, or in goal?

      1. Fishy
        • 14 Years
        3 years, 9 months ago

        Get luiz back?...

  3. The Ejiptian King
    • 5 Years
    3 years, 9 months ago

    My captains this season have been amazing, need to keep the run going one last GW.

    1. TheDragon
      • 6 Years
      3 years, 9 months ago

      Who did you captain this week?

      1 point Bruno for me.

      Have to laugh

      1. The Ejiptian King
        • 5 Years
        3 years, 9 months ago

        Salah, should count myself lucky to even get the assist really, not that it matters.

    2. jason_ni
      • 8 Years
      3 years, 9 months ago

      Same, 3 of my last 4, Kane (4), Salah (4), latest one Rashford (2), nailing it!

    3. WVA
      • 7 Years
      3 years, 9 months ago

      Mine have been dreadful

  4. Hybrid.power
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 14 Years
    3 years, 9 months ago

    Alexander Arnold's crosses are unreal

    1. Syd.
      • 14 Years
      3 years, 9 months ago

      Aren't they just

      So hard to defend against

      1. Hybrid.power
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 14 Years
        3 years, 9 months ago

        Like he just floats them across and they always seem to meet the right player

    2. The Ejiptian King
      • 5 Years
      3 years, 9 months ago

      The ball to Origi at the end there was ridiculous.

      1. Hybrid.power
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 14 Years
        3 years, 9 months ago

        Yeah that's the one that blew my mind

        1. The Ejiptian King
          • 5 Years
          3 years, 9 months ago

          Not sure how he even got it there from his position, less surprised that Origi couldn't control it.

  5. Robson-Canoe
    • 8 Years
    3 years, 9 months ago

    Isn't it funny that the best goalkeepers in the league play for mid table clubs currently? Pope and Henderson hands down the league's best atm.

    1. FPL Daniel
      • 14 Years
      3 years, 9 months ago

      I would sign them in a minute. Allison is also good

    2. WVA
      • 7 Years
      3 years, 9 months ago

      Yet club's still want to spend 90 million on foreign keepers

    3. Scholes Out For Summer
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 10 Years
      3 years, 9 months ago

      Shot blockers, not goalies. Ederson, Allison, still better.

      Then there's Kepa lol

      1. Syd.
        • 14 Years
        3 years, 9 months ago

        Exactly

        Put them into another team and they would struggle

    4. The Ejiptian King
      • 5 Years
      3 years, 9 months ago

      Ederson and Allison are the best keepers in the league, I very much doubt Pope and Henderson could do what they do in City and Liverpool's systems.

      1. Bank$y
        • 5 Years
        3 years, 9 months ago

        Don’t forget Schmeichel. Underrated.

    5. ReindeerHotdog
      • 3 Years
      3 years, 9 months ago

      Mad.

      Ederson and Allison far and away the best goalkeepers in the league.

      Pope and Henderson are great. They face more shots and are more active in a traditional sense.

      Allison and Ederson offer great shot-stopping/ability to come into a game to make a huge save after 86 minutes of doing nothing, as well as contributing to attacks/building play from out of defence.

  6. waltzingmatildas
    • 13 Years
    3 years, 9 months ago

    What a terrible choice, TAA and pulisic on bench.
    Plus all FH planning seems to have gone out of the window!

    1. Hybrid.power
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 14 Years
      3 years, 9 months ago

      Oh deary me

    2. TheDragon
      • 6 Years
      3 years, 9 months ago

      How did you bench those 2?!

    3. Salah’s Sonnet
      • 12 Years
      3 years, 9 months ago

      i'd love to hear the reasoning you followed to bench such players

    4. Hazz
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 6 Years
      3 years, 9 months ago

      Loooooooooooooool

    5. waltzingmatildas
      • 13 Years
      3 years, 9 months ago

      Thought Chelsea would get something so benched TAA.
      Other choice was pulisic or foden. In hindsight vardy should have been benched but hey.

    6. Athletic Nasherbo
      • 7 Years
      3 years, 9 months ago

      Some people never amaze me playing this game.

    7. Utopsis
      • 4 Years
      3 years, 9 months ago

      Only does not simply bench TAA - play or get rid

  7. AVIELD949
    • 8 Years
    3 years, 9 months ago

    2000 OR and 100+ points clear in all my ML’s so going for a good OR...

    Is KDB, Vardy, Bruno > Sterling (C), Kane, Dilva -4 a good shout? Thanks!

    1. FPL Daniel
      • 14 Years
      3 years, 9 months ago

      Go for it

      1. AVIELD949
        • 8 Years
        3 years, 9 months ago

        Thanks

    2. Hybrid.power
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 14 Years
      3 years, 9 months ago

      Yeah for me. Great rank!

      1. AVIELD949
        • 8 Years
        3 years, 9 months ago

        Cheers!

    3. Salah’s Sonnet
      • 12 Years
      3 years, 9 months ago

      did we need to know the rank?

      1. Hybrid.power
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 14 Years
        3 years, 9 months ago

        Let them brag

        1. AVIELD949
          • 8 Years
          3 years, 9 months ago

  8. Fishy
    • 14 Years
    3 years, 9 months ago

    Any clean sheets likely last gw?.maybe burnley...

    1. FPL Daniel
      • 14 Years
      3 years, 9 months ago

      Spurs too imo

  9. H-SF
    • 7 Years
    3 years, 9 months ago

    How confident should I be 33 clear of ML rival no chips left for either.

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

    Duck this game.

    1. Salah’s Sonnet
      • 12 Years
      3 years, 9 months ago

      season*

      needs burning

  11. Wild Card this!
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 14 Years
    3 years, 9 months ago

    Oh I love it lol TAA and Pulisic. Sell for next GW

  12. gers23
    • 12 Years
    3 years, 9 months ago

    40 ahead of rival who has bench boost. Can I be caught?

    1. Wild Card this!
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 14 Years
      3 years, 9 months ago

      No

    2. jdp219
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 7 Years
      3 years, 9 months ago

      Depends on the teams, I suppose. But it'll be tough.

    3. Earn your Spurs
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 9 Years
      3 years, 9 months ago

      Obviously yes. But unlikely

  13. Will J 256
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 3 Years
    3 years, 9 months ago

    Kane and ings or Kane and Greenwood?

    1. Ajax Hamsterdam
      • 9 Years
      3 years, 9 months ago

      ings

  14. jdp219
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 7 Years
    3 years, 9 months ago

    Planned to sell Pulisic (along with Vardy) ahead of gw38.
    Now thinking Salah, KDB and Vardy for a hit.

    TL;DR -- I don't really know anymore.

    Pope
    Trent, Doherty, Saiss
    Salah, Pulisic, Bruno, KDB
    Vardy, Jimenez, Greenwood
    (Martin; Aurier, Douglas Luiz, Holgate)

  15. denial
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 14 Years
    3 years, 9 months ago

    Captain lowest scoring player

    1. jdp219
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 7 Years
      3 years, 9 months ago

      Same! Great minds, eh?

  16. Twisted Saltergater
    • 14 Years
    3 years, 9 months ago

    Nice to see Trent haul !

  17. IN SANE IN DE BRUYNE
    • 7 Years
    3 years, 9 months ago

    Option A:
    Fernandes, Foden -> Sterling(C), McCarthy -4?
    Would give me this

    Pope
    TAA Doherty Pieters
    Salah Sterling(C) KDB Martial
    Jesus Vardy Greenwood

    Option B:
    Foden -> Dilva for free, bench Greenwood.

    Which option looks better?

  18. Duke Silver ☑
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 9 Years
    3 years, 9 months ago

    *closes stream*

    1. The Senate
      • 5 Years
      3 years, 9 months ago

      THIS

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

        Ain't nobody want to watch what's next 😆

  19. supperspout
    • 11 Years
    3 years, 9 months ago

    All my players got returns apart from my cap

  20. Bubz
    • 10 Years
    3 years, 9 months ago

    Hesitant to sell Pulisic on FH now. Looked electric when he came on

    1. FPL Daniel
      • 14 Years
      3 years, 9 months ago

      better than Hazard currently

    2. FFSbet.com
      • 8 Years
      3 years, 9 months ago

      Yeah him or Antonio

  21. FOO FIGHTER
    • 4 Years
    3 years, 9 months ago

    90 all out. I will take that thank you very much.

  22. The Suspended One
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 11 Years
    3 years, 9 months ago

    Slight green arrow, but not big enough to avoid likely worst finish ever. Bottled captaincy all year long , my VCs outscored Cs by 120 pts

  23. FPL Daniel
    • 14 Years
    3 years, 9 months ago

    Points score check and rank check and captain check

    81pts all in, 5K.

    Even with Bruno captain, Sterling vice. What it could have been if I went Sterling, however, was too scared from Pep.

    1. FPL Daniel
      • 14 Years
      3 years, 9 months ago

      Yours?

      1. Van der Faart
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 12 Years
        3 years, 9 months ago

        66. Somehow on a red down 1100 places to 33k. Joke of a week.

        1. Van der Faart
          • Fantasy Football Scout Member
          • 12 Years
          3 years, 9 months ago

          Salah the Waterman captain.

          1. Van der Faart
            • Fantasy Football Scout Member
            • 12 Years
            3 years, 9 months ago

            *wasteman. Lol

    2. Bubz
      • 10 Years
      3 years, 9 months ago

      84 points, 570 rank, Rashford C

    3. Forza
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 9 Years
      3 years, 9 months ago

      68, 622nd, Fernandes

  24. _Ninja_
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 13 Years
    3 years, 9 months ago

    Last time my capt scored a goal was February.

    1. FPL Daniel
      • 14 Years
      3 years, 9 months ago

      ouch

  25. H-SF
    • 7 Years
    3 years, 9 months ago

    Bps?

  26. SuperMane Returns
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 7 Years
    3 years, 9 months ago

    Liverpool get 96 points on the night they lift the title. Fitting.

  27. Strchld
    • 7 Years
    3 years, 9 months ago

    Can they remove this captain pick.
    Have lost my ML because terrible captain picks.
    This week Bruno, last week Foden...

    1. Baps hunter
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 6 Years
      3 years, 9 months ago

      No they can't. Better luck next year!

  28. Twisted Saltergater
    • 14 Years
    3 years, 9 months ago

    Must have been a lot of Pulisic to Mahrez/Dilva transfers leading into this week

  29. C'mon the Fylde
    • 8 Years
    3 years, 9 months ago

    Bruno out for Sterling?

    Bruno is looking tired and his performances, in the last 2 games, showed.

  30. Chucky
    • 10 Years
    3 years, 9 months ago

    Down with this game