Our new weekly regular arrives this Monday lunchtime as we assess the team sheets and selections over the previous three days’ fixtures. Jose Mourinho’s decision to haul off John Terry was the real eye-opener, whilst Sergio Aguero and Alexis Sanchez’ first starts of the season persuade plenty to wield their Wildcards ahead of Gameweek 3.
Arsenal
Starting XI: Cech: Bellerin, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Monreal; Coquelin (Oxlade-Chamberlain 64), Cazorla; Ramsey, Ozil (Gibbs 83), Sanchez (Arteta 75); Giroud
Arsene Wenger switched from a 4-1-4-1 to a 4-2-3-1 to accommodate Alexis Sanchez in the first XI. Following his second-half cameo in the Gunners’ loss to West Ham United, the Chilean replaced Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain in the starting XI – Sanchez lined up on the left flank, while Aaron Ramsey was deployed on the right wing as Santi Cazorla dropped back to the double pivot alongside Francis Coquelin. Wenger’s post-match comments underlined his thought process on shifting the Spaniard back into the centre. Olivier Giroud got the nod over Theo Walcott up front, with the latter failing to grace the pitch at all as Arsene Wenger turned to Oxlade-Chamberlain instead for an injection of pace in the second period. As this members average position map shows, both Ozil (11) and Sanchez (17) got beyond the French striker to lend their weight to the attack. Having recovered from a slight knock, Hector Bellerin reclaimed the right-back berth from Mathieu Debuchy.
Aston Villa
Starting XI: Guzan; Bacuna, Richards, Clark, Amavi; Veretout (Sanchez 77), Gueye, Westwood; Ayew, Agbonlahor, Sinclair (Gestede 59)
Tim Sherwood named an unchanged line-up at home to Manchester United. Jordan Ayew and Scott Sinclair took the wide roles on either side of Gabby Agbonlahor, though the latter moved onto the left upon the introduction of Rudy Gestede just before the hour mark. Post-match, the Villa boss admitted Gestede could possibly be fit to start soon, handing him a dilemma in the front three. Both Scott Sinclair and new boy Jordan Veretout have been subbed off during the second half in each of the opening Gameweeks.
Chelsea
Starting XI: Begovic; Ivanovic, Cahill, Terry (Zouma 45), Azpilicueta; Matic, Fabregas; Ramires (Cuadrado 64), Willian (Falcao 79), Hazard; Costa
Asmir Begovic stepped in for the suspended Thibaut Courtois between the posts. Jose Mourinho was without the injured Oscar so opted to start Ramires as expected, although he shifted to the right to protect Branislav Ivanovic against Raheem Sterling’s pace following his roasting at the hands of Jefferson Montero in Gameweek 1. Cesc Fabregas held the double pivot alongside Nemanja Matic, whilst Willian played centrally and closest to Diego Costa, although Eden Hazard often drifted inside from the left to lend his support, as highlighted by the average position map. Things got even more out of the ordinary when John Terry was withdrawn at half-time with Kurt Zouma introduced alongside Gary Cahill in order to inject more pace into the Chelsea rearguard. Post-match, Jose Mourinho cast doubt over Oscar’s availability for the trip to West Brom which could see Chelsea forced to retain the same midfield with Juan Cuadrado, who saw rare action from the bench at the Etihad, considered once again.
Crystal Palace
Starting XI: McCarthy, Ward, Dann, Delaney, Souare; Cabaye, McArthur (Bamford 80); Puncheon, Bolasie (Mutch 45), Zaha (Lee Chung-yong 76); Wickham
Alan Pardew handed a debut to Connor Wickham up front, dropping Glenn Murray to the bench. Yannick Bolasie also earned a recall, having figured as a sub at Norwich following a pre-season injury scare; Jordan Mutch was the man to make way as Pardew flooded the midfield with a 4-2-3-1, with Jason Puncheon stationed behind Wickham and Bolasie and Zaha out wide. Bolasie was clearly still struggling for fitness, however, and was replaced at half time with Mutch his replacement. Patrick Bamford and Lee Chung-yong both saw action from the bench as Palace looked to earn a point.
Everton
Starting XI: Howard; Coleman, Stones, Jagielka, Galloway (Browning 88); McCarthy, Barry; Kone (Naismith 80), Barkley, Cleverley; Lukaku (Deulofeu 89)
In the only change to his Gameweek 1 starting XI, Roberto Martinez relegated Kevin Mirallas to the bench, with Arouna Kone earning a start on the right of a 4-2-3-1 following his goal and assist against Watford. Brendan Galloway started at left-back and was again subbed in the second-half. The likes of Steven Naismith and Leon Osman were again named on the bench, whilst Bryan Oviedo failed to make the match day squad, suggesting that the left-back berth is Galloway’s to lose in Leighton Baines’ injury absence.
Leicester
Starting XI: Schmeichel, de Laet (Benalouane 66), Huth, Morgan, Schlupp; Mahrez (Fuchs 82), King, Drinkwater, Albrighton; Vardy, Okazaki (Kante 62)
Claudio Ranieri rolled with the same XI that triumphed over Sunderland in Gameweek 1, fielding Jamie Vardy and Shinji Okazaki as the strike duo in a 4-4-2 formation. Whilst the latter played from start to finish in Gameweek 1, he was withdrawn around the hour mark at the weekend after Dimitri Payet pulled a goal back to make it 2-1 to the Foxes. In a bid to protect his side’s lead, Ranieri subsequently switched to 4-5-1, bringing on new boys Yohan Benalouane and N’Golo Kante, with right-back Ritchie de Laet also taken off, as Vardy led the line on his own. Benaloune and Kante are clearly being slowly introduced to the top-flight and have appeared off the bench in the second half of both matches so far.
Man City
Starting XI: Hart; Sagna, Kompany, Mangala, Kolarov; Toure, Fernandinho; Navas (Nasri 65), Silva, Sterling (Demichelis 79); Aguero (Bony 83)
Manuel Pellegrini enacted one change from the Sky Blues’ victory over West Brom and it was a hugely significant one, with Sergio Aguero replacing Wilfried Bony as the spearhead of their attack. City again deployed a 4-3-3 with Raheem Sterling and Jesus Navas flanking the striker, though in truth, the formation appeared to be more like a 4-2-3-1 with Fernandinho protecting the back four and Yaya Toure given more license to wander forward to reinforce David Silva in supporting Aguero down the middle. Navas and Sterling, as the two wide men, stuck closer to the touchline to occupy Chelsea’s full-backs. Samir Nasri earned a lengthier stint off the bench this week, while Sterling is yet to last the distance at his new club. Gael Clichy was fit enough to be named among the substitutes for the first time this term.
Man United
Starting XI: Romero; Darmian, Smalling, Blind, Shaw; Carrick (Schweinsteiger 60) Schneiderlin; Mata, Januzaj (Herrera 60), Depay (Young 82); Rooney
Louis van Gaal made one alteration to his side at Villa. Adnan Januzaj was stationed behind Wayne Rooney as Memphis Depay switched out of the centre and onto the left, with Ashley Young dropping to the bench. Depay has yet to play from start to finish but his time on the pitch is increasing, up from 68 minutes in Gameweek 1 to 82 on Friday. In an otherwise settled side, Bastian Schweinsteiger has replaced Michael Carrick on the hour-mark in both United’s matches so far.
Newcastle
Starting XI: Krul; Janmaat, Mbemba, Coloccini, Haidara; Anita, Colback; Sissoko (Taylor 45), Wijnaldum, Obertan (Mitrovic 82); Cisse (Aarons 54)
Newcastle were unchanged following the 2-2 with Southampton, with Steve McClaren again deploying a 4-2-3-1 set-up. The Magpies were forced to make a switch at half-time after Moussa Sissoko picked up a groin problem. With Daryl Janmaat also dismissed four minutes before the break, McClaren introduced Steven Taylor from the bench and shifted Chancel Mbemba to cover right-back. Aleksandar Mitrovic again saw action from the bench late on and again earned a booking in just six minutes. Rolando Aarons is perhaps closest to threatening a start; he was introduced on 54 minutes for Cisse and could possibly benefit should Sissoko miss out at Old Trafford.
Norwich
Starting XI: Ruddy; Whittaker, Martin, Bassong, Brady; Dorrans, Tettey; Redmond (O’Neil 83), Hoolahan (Johnson 62), Howson; Jerome (68)
Norwich made two changes from their Gameweek 1 first XI, with Alex Neil electing to start with Cameron Jerome and Nathan Redmond this time out; Bradley Johnson and Lewis Grabben were dropped to the bench. Redmond started on the right flank, while Jonny Howson was deployed on the left – as the average position map shows, Redmond (number 22) pushed forward down the flank to support lone striker, Jerome. Both Johnson and Grabban saw action from the bench, as did Gary O’Neil but we should expect the Canaries to be unchanged, barring injury, for this weekend’s home clash with Stoke.
Southampton
Starting XI: Stekelenburg; Soares, Fonte, Yoshida, Targett; Davis (Ward-Prowse 79), Wanyama; Tadic (Romeu 45), Mane, Long (Rodriquez 72); Pelle
Ronald Koeman made one alteration to the Saints’ starting line-up, with Shane Long coming in for Jay Rodriquez – who’s still building up his fitness following a lengthy lay-off. With Southampton 2-0 down at the break, debutant Oriol Romeu replaced Dusan Tadic and lined up next to Victor Wanyama in the double pivot. Steven Davis was subsequently moved to the number ten slot, causing Sadio Mane to slide over to the left flank. As this members average position map highlights, Mane (10) raided further forward than Graziano Pelle (19) when on the ball. Southampton’s line-up, in light of the 3-0 defeat will be interesting with Oriel Romeu, James Ward-Prowse, Rodriguez, Steven Caulker (if recovered from illness) and maybe even Cuco Martina pushing for starts at Watford.
Stoke
Starting XI: Butland; Johnson, Cameron, Muniesa, Pieters; Van Ginkel (Ireland 59); Walters (Joselu 59), Afellay, Arnautovic (Adam 90); Diouf
Mark Hughes brought Marko Arnautovic into his starting XI with Charlie Adam dropping to the bench. The Austrian took up a spot on the left flank, which saw Ibrahim Afellay moved into the number ten position as Jon Walters retained the role on the right. Hughes changed the match on the hour mark by introducing Stephen Ireland and Joselu: he switched to a 4-1-4-1 setup with Ireland joining Afellay to push forward from central midfield. Diouf shifted wide right with Joselu moving up front. All bets are off on the Stoke line-up at Norwich next time out with Ireland pushing for inclusion and Xherdan Shaqiri available following suspension. It’s fair to say that Charlie Adam appears to have slipped right down the pecking order and would appear to be reduced to bench roles for the foreseeable future.
Sunderland
Starting XI: Pantilimon; Jones, Coates, Kaboul, van Aanholt; Larsson (Graham 45), Cattermole, M’Vila, Lens; Fletcher (Watmore 70), Defoe
Having previously stated that Jermain Defoe couldn’t function effectively as a lone striker, Dick Advocaat switched from last week’s 4-3-3 to a 4-4-2 formation for the Canaries’ visit, fielding Steven Fletcher and Defoe as the strike pairing. Jack Rodwell dropped out to allow Yann M’Vila his debut in central midfield, while Adam Johnson is set to be out of action for at least two months after dislocating his shoulder. Surprisingly, the rearguard went untouched as John O’Shea again sat out on the bench. Advocaat reacted to his side’s slide by introducing Danny Graham for Seb Larsson at half-time, whilst Duncan Watmore also earned an appearance from the bench, replacing Fletcher; he notched the consolation goal and would seem likely to figure again in the coming weeks.
Swansea
Starting XI: Fabianski; Naughton, Fernandez, Williams, Taylor; Cork, Shelvey; Ayew (Dyer 72), Sigurdsson (Britton 86), Montero (Routledge 77); Gomis
Garry Monk was forced to change the XI that earned a point at Stamford Bridge as Jack Cork came in for the injured Ki to sit alongside Jonjo Shelvey in central midfield. Gylfi Sigurdsson again took up the number ten role, while Andre Ayew came inside from the right flank to lend his support to Bafetimbi Gomis up front. Jefferson Montero hugged the left flank and tormented Daryl Janmaat just as he did Branislav Ivanovic last weekend. Nathan Dyer, Leon Britton and Wayne Routledge emerged from the bench as Swansea saw out the match – none of the trio look likely to shake up Monk’s first choice XI any time soon. Ki’s potential return at Sunderland is likely to be the only possible change, barring injury.
Tottenham
Starting XI: Lloris; Walker, Alderweireld, Vertonghen, Davies; Dier, Mason (Bentaleb 69); Dembele, Eriksen, Chadli; Kane (Lamela 64)
A fit-again Hugo Lloris usurped Michel Vorm between the sticks. Ryan Mason returned to the Spurs starting XI, replacing Nabil Bentaleb, who dropped to the bench with Eric Dier retaining the holding midfield role. Ben Davies somewhat surprisingly held on to the left-back berth despite Danny Rose’s return – he had to make do with a bench role. Bentaleb replaced Mason just after the hour mark, while Erik Lamela was also introduced mid-way through the second period, replacing the cramped Harry Kane. Pochettino has twice freshened up his central midfield pairing but, on both occasions, left Dier on the pitch. Lamela has also been introduced from the bench in both matches, having replaced Dembele at Old Trafford. Dembele again lined up on the right side of Spurs’ attacking midfield three but drifted inside continuously throughout – Eriksen was deployed on the left, rather than in the number ten role, which was largely occupied by Nacer Chadli.
Watford
Starting XI: Gomes; Nyom, Prodl, Cathcart, Anya; Capoue, Behrami; Layun (Abdi 55), Ighalo, Jurado (Berghuis 84); Deeney
Quique Sanchez Flores tinkered slightly with the XI that drew against Everton, replacing Jose Holebas with Odion Ighalo in the only personnel change. This saw Ikechi Anya – who started as a right winger last week – dropping back to the left-back position, with Miguel Layun moved to the right of the attacking midfield three, as Ighalo tucked in behind Troy Deeney in a 4-2-3-1. Although Layun offers out-of-position potential due to his classification as a defender in the Fantasy Premier League, he was starved of clean sheet points by virtue of an early substitution. Indeed, he has been withdrawn before the hour-mark in both matches so far and with the likes of Almen Abdi and Steven Berghuis emerging from the bench to make their first appearances of the season, it remains to be seen whether Flores will freshen up his attacking midfield options at home to Southampton next weekend.
West Brom
Starting XI: Myhill, Dawson, McAuley, Olsson, Brunt; Morrison, Fletcher, Yacob, Gardener (Rondon 62); Lambert (McClean 69), Berahino (McManaman 90)
Tony Pulis named three changes following the Baggies’ 3-0 defeat to Man City, bringing in Gareth McAuley, Jonas Olsson and Claudio Yacob for James Chester, Joleon Lescott and James McClean. McAuley and Olsson were the chosen centre-back pairing, meaning Dawson shuffled over to right-back. Yacob sat next to Fletcher in the engine room, with Morrison (right wing) and Gardner (left wing) adopting different roles from the previous Gameweek. Solomon Rondon’s introduction just after the hour mark saw the West Midlands club take up a 4-3-3 formation, before McClean entered the fray and they reverted to a 4-4-2 system, with the new boy alongside Saido Berahino up top. Rondon will be pushing for a start at home to Chelsea next week, with Pulis perhaps switching to a lone striker system to tighten up against the Blues.
West Ham
Starting XI: Adrian; Jenkinson, Reid, Ogbonna, Cresswell; Oxford (Obiang 45), Noble, Kouyate (Lanzini 76); Payet; Sakho, Zarate (Maiga 83)
Carl Jenkinson retuned after being ineligible to face his parent club last Gameweek, with James Tomkins dropping to the bench. West Ham retained their 4-1-2-1-2 shape with Dimitri Payet playing in “the hole”, though Reece Oxford was withdrawn at the break for fit-again Pedro Obiang. Hammers boss Slaven Bilic later admitted that there was a much better tempo to their passing with Obiang in the XI, suggesting he could oust Oxford at home to Bournemouth next time out. Adrian’s dismissal should afford Darren Randolph a chance to deputise over the next three Gameweeks.
