Eden Hazard is fielded up front as Diego Costa drops to the Chelsea bench. Fit-again Aaron Ramey returns to the Arsenal right flank, whilst Yannick Bolasie flourishes in a central role as Palace put five past Newcastle.
Arsenal
Starting XI: Cech; Bellerin, Mertesacker, Koscielny (Gabriel 11), Monreal; Flamini, Cazorla; Ramsey (Oxlade-Chamberlain 71), Ozil, Sanchez (Campbell 61); Giroud.
- Arsene Wenger made two alterations from the side that lost 2-1 at West Brom, with Mathieu Flamini starting in place of the injured Francis Coquelin, while Aaron Ramsey came in for Kieran Gibbs.
- Wenger rolled out the 4-2-3-1 formation as usual, with Flamini starting alongside Santi Cazorla in the double-pivot, while Ramsey came in on the right of the three attacking midfield positions.
- Laurent Koscielny was forced off with a hip injury in the early stages, and was replaced by Gabriel. Alexis Sanchez then suffered a hamstring injury, with Joel Campbell taking his place out wide. Wenger’s final change saw Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain return to first-team action, taking to the field in a straight swap for Ramsey.
- The injuries are beginning to mount for Wenger, with Sanchez in particular a real doubt for the home clash against Sunderland on Saturday. Koscielny will need to be assessed, as will Cazorla, whose knee injury got worse throughout the 90 minutes at Carrow Road. Should Sanchez and Cazorla be ruled out, Oxlade-Chamberlain and Campbell look certain to come into the starting XI, with Ramsey starting alongside Flamini in centre midfield. Gabriel will be on standby to fill in for Koscielny.
Current Status: Unsettled
Risk Areas: Central Defence, Central Midfield, Flanks
Aston Villa
Starting XI: Guzan; Hutton, Richards, Clark, Richardson; Veretout, Sanchez, Gueye (Gestede 82); Gil (Traore 68), Ayew, Sinclair.
- Remi Garde made two alterations for the home clash against Watford, with Carlos Sanchez and Scott Sinclair coming in for Ashley Westwood and Jack Grealish.
- The new Villa boss opted for a 4-1-4-1 formation against the Hornets, with Sanchez anchoring the midfield. This saw part Jordan Veretout and Idrissa Gueye handed central roles, while Sinclair and Carles Gil were fielded on the flanks, with Jordan Ayew taking up the lone striker role.
- Garde introduced Adama Traore as his first substitute, with the former Barcelona man coming on for Gil in a straight swap. Rudy Gestede replaced Gueye in an attacking change with Villa trying to get back into the match.
- The Villa backline has been fairly settled under Garde, although after conceding three goals on Saturday, a change or two at the back can’t be ruled out. Certainly, Clark will need to be replaced as he serves a one-match ban, with Joleon Lescott perhaps the likeliest to earn a recall. The Frenchman still seems to be experimenting in the midfield areas, while Traore could push for a start out wide against Southampton on Saturday. Gestede may have to settle for a run-out off the bench once more with Ayew again impressing in the central striker role.
Current Status: Unsettled
Risk Areas: Central Midfield, Flanks
Bournemouth
Starting XI: Federici (Allsop 46); Francis, Cook (Smith 46), Distin, Daniels; Ritchie, Gosling, Surman, Arter (Murray 76), Stanislas; King.
- Eddie Howe named an unchanged team from the one that drew 2-2 at Swansea, with Josh King continuing to lead the line for the Cherries.
- Howe continued with a 4-1-4-1 formation against Everton, with Andrew Surman sitting deeper than Dan Gosling and Harry Arter in the centre of the park, while Matt Ritchie (right) and Junior Stanislas (left) offered support to King up front.
- Adam Federici picked up an ankle injury in the first-half, and had to be replaced by Ryan Allsop at half-time. Steve Cook was forced off at the break due to a shoulder injury, with Adam Smith taking his place. Smith slotted in at right-back, with Simon Francis shifting over to centre-back. Howe’s final substitution saw Glenn Murray enter the fray for Arter as Bournemouth looked to get back into the match.
- With the Cherries playing reasonably well over the last few weeks, Howe would likely keep faith in the same team if it wasn’t for injuries. Allsop may have to start in goal against Chelsea on Saturday should both Federici and Artur Boruc be ruled out, while the backline that finished the match against Everton may start at Stamford Bridge should Cook be unavailable. Arter is also a concern, having been forced off late on with a hamstring problem.
Current Status: Fairly Settled
Risk Areas: Goalkeeper, Right-Back, Central Defence, Central Midfield
Chelsea
Starting XI: Begovic; Ivanovic, Zouma, Cahill, Azpilicueta; Fabregas, Matic; Willian (Kenedy 88), Oscar, Pedro (Loftus-Cheek 91); Hazard.
- Jose Mourinho made three adjustments for the trip to White Hart Lane, with Gary Cahill coming in for the injured John Terry, while Cesar Azpilicueta returned at left-back in place of Kenedy. The final change saw Oscar come in for Diego Costa.
- The Blues lined up in their usual 4-2-3-1 system, with Cahill partnering Kurt Zouma at the heart of the defence. Pedro, Oscar and Willian formed the attacking midfield trio, with Eden Hazard deployed as a “false nine.”
- Mourinho only made two very late changes, with Kenedy and Ruben Loftus-Cheek replacing Willian and Pedro.
- After a resilient defensive display, Cahill could perhaps keep his pace in the starting XI even if Terry has recovered from his ankle problem. It’s unlikely that Hazard will be used in the same role at home to Bournemouth, while Radamel Falcao and Loic Remy are thought to have a chance to be available to face the Cherries. One of those two could start as the lone striker then, with Diego Costa’s antics perhaps meaning he could be left out once more. Hazard and Willian look likely starters, so Pedro or Oscar may have to make way for a more recognised striker.
Current Status: Fairly Unsettled
Risk Areas: Central Defence, Attacking Midfield, Flanks, Central Striker
Crystal Palace
Starting XI: Hennessey; Ward, Dann, Delaney, Souare; McArthur, Cabaye (Chung-yong Lee 75); Zaha (Jedinak 67), Puncheon, Bolasie; Wickham (Bamford 86).
- Alan Pardew kept faith in the side that lost 1-0 to Sunderland for the home encounter against Newcastle, naming an unchanged starting XI.
- The former Newcastle boss did make a tactical tweak against his former side though, opting to play Yannick Bolasie behind Connor Wickham in a 4-2-3-1 formation. That meant Jason Puncheon was stationed of the left of midfield, with Wilfried Zaha on the opposite flank.
- With the match won, and with Zaha having picked up a yellow card, Pardew took off the winger, with Mile Jedinak taking his place in a defensive change. Yohan Cabaye once again failed to see out 90 minutes, with Chung-yong Lee given a run-out, as was Patrick Bamford in the dying stages.
- After such an impressive performance, Pardew will likely keep changes to a minimum for the trip to Goodison Park a week on Monday. Zaha is suspended, though, so Bolasie could perhaps drop back to a wide role in a 4-2-3-1 formation. The likes of Jedinak and Joe Ledley could also come into contention if Pardew looks to shore up the midfield area though, whilst Chung-yong Lee also provides another option in the wide areas.
Current Status: Fairly Settled
Risk Areas: Attacking Midfield
Everton
Starting XI: Howard; Coleman, Stones, Funes Mori, Galloway; McCarthy (Cleverley 68), Barry; Deulofeu (Lennon 86), Barkley, Kone; Lukaku.
- Roberto Martinez once again named an unchanged team for the trip to the south coast, with Leighton Baines still not deemed to be ready for his first appearance of the season.
- The Spaniard once again went with his favoured 4-2-3-1 formation.
- James McCarthy had to be replaced after the hour mark after picking up a groin injury, with Tom Cleverley taking his place in the middle of the park. Aaron Lennon replaced Gerard Deulofeu in a straight swap late on.
- It isn’t yet known how serious McCarthy’s injury is, but should he fail to recover in time for the home fixture against Crystal Palace, Cleverley looks the obvious replacement for the Toffees. Barry is also being assessed ahead of the midweek cup clash with Middlesbrough due to a shin problem. Baines may perhaps be ready after another full week of training and likely minutes in the cup, while a change in the wide areas can’t be fully ruled out given the plethora of options available to Martinez.
Current Status: Settled
Risk Areas: Left-Back, Central Midfield
Leicester
Starting XI: Schmeichel, Simpson (De Laet 81), Morgan, Huth, Fuchs, Mahrez, Drinkwater, Kante, Albrighton (Schlupp 70), Okazaki (Ulloa 61), Vardy.
- Claudio Ranieri only made one change from the team that beat Newcastle 3-0, with Shinji Okazaki coming in for Leonardo Ulloa.
- That meant Ranieri reverted back to the 4-4-1-1 system, with Okazaki stationed just behind lone striker Jamie Vardy. Riyad Mahrez played wide on the right, with Marc Albrighton on the opposite flank.
- Okazaki played just over an hour, with Ulloa taking his place in a straight swap. Jeffrey Schlupp replaced Albrighton out wide, while Ritchie de Laet made his first appearance since Gameweek 7 when he entered the fray for Danny Simpson.
- Ranieri continues to experiment with different players in support of Vardy, with Ulloa, Okazaki and Schlupp all having come in and out of the starting XI in recent weeks. Apart from the one selection dilemma, the Leicester starting XI has a very settled look to it.
Current Status: Very Settled
Risk Areas: Flanks, Attacking Midfield
Liverpool
Starting XI: Mignolet; Clyne, Skrtel, Lovren, Moreno; Can; Ibe (Toure 90), Milner, Lallana, Firmino (Henderson 64); Benteke (Sturridge 71).
- Jurgen Klopp made two alterations for the visit of Swansea to Anfield, with Jordon Ibe coming in for the suspended Lucas Leiva, while Christian Benteke replaced the injured Philippe Coutinho.
- Klopp switched back to a 4-2-3-1 formation, with James Milner partnering Emre Can at the base of midfield. Ibe played on the right of the three advanced midfield positions, with Roberto Firmino in the number ten role and Adam Lallana on the left, with Benteke the lone striker.
- Jordan Henderson made his comeback from injury just after the hour mark, replacing Firmino. That allowed Milner to push further forward. Daniel Sturridge then took the place of Benteke as the lone striker.
- With Klopp expecting Coutinho to be available for the midweek Capital One Cup tie at Southampton, the Brazilian should be available to face Newcastle at the weekend. He would presumably come straight back into the starting XI then, and with Firmino impressing as the lone forward away from home in recent matches, he could perhaps see off the challenges of Benteke and Sturridge. Lucas will also be back from suspension, so could partner Can in central midfield once again, although Henderson will also be pushing for a starting berth. Ibe and Lallana’s places could certainly be in doubt then.
Current Status: Fairly Settled
Risk Areas: Central Midfield, Flanks, Attacking Midfield, Central Striker
Man City
Starting XI: Caballero; Sagna, Otamendi, Demichelis, Kolarov; Toure, Fernandinho; De Bruyne, Delph (Fernando 70), Sterling (Silva 75); Aguero (Bony 64).
- Manuel Pellegrini made four changes from the side that lost 4-1 to Liverpool, with Willy Caballero, Nicolas Otamendi, Fernandinho and Fabian Delph replacing Joe Hart, Eliaquim Mangala, Fernando and Jesus Navas.
- Pellegrini opted for more of a 4-3-3 formation against Southampton, with Delph slotting in alongside Yaya Toure and Fernandinho in a three-man midfield. Kevin de Bruyne and Raheem Sterling flanked Sergio Aguero in attack for the Citizens.
- Aguero picked up a foot injury, and had to be replaced by Wilfried Bony. Fernando came on for Delph with 20 minutes remaining, while David Silva made his first appearance since Gameweek 8, coming on in place of Sterling.
- With plenty of fitness concerns, it’s difficult to be sure on how City will line up at the Britannia on Saturday. The back four could remain unchanged, although Gael Clichy offers an alternative option at left-back. Pellegrini has options in central midfield, with the return of Silva further increasing the chances of rotation. Delph and Fernando appear the more likely to miss out, with Yaya Toure and Fernandinho usually the preferred pairing in the engine room. Providing he’s fit enough to start, Silva could operate alongside Sterling and De Bruyne in the three advanced midfield positions. Aguero tweeted earlier today to assure City supporters his problem is no more than a knock, boosting his chances of leading the line once again at the Britannia.
Current Status: Very Unsettled
Risk Areas: Left-Back, Central Midfield, Flanks, Attacking Midfield, Central Striker
Man United
Starting XI: De Gea, McNair, Smalling, Blind, Darmian, Carrick, Schweinsteiger, Young, Mata, Martial, Rooney (Depay, 68).
- Louis van Gaal made five alterations from the team that beat Watford 2-1, with Matteo Darmian, Paddy McNair, Michael Carrick, Wayne Rooney and Anthony Martial coming in for Phil Jones, Morgan Schneiderlin, Ander Herrera, Jesse Lingard and Memphis Depay.
- Van Gaal went with a 3-4-1-2 formation at the King Power Stadium, with McNair, Chris Smalling and Daley Blind forming the three-man defence, and Darmian and Ashley Young playing as wing-backs. Michael Carrick and Bastian Schweinstieger were the central midfield pairing, while Juan Mata was stationed just behind Rooney and Martial.
- Rooney was the only player to be substituted, with the captain picking up a minor knock. Depay took his place in a straight swap.
- Much of van Gaal’s team selection against West Ham on Saturday will be determined by who is available for selection. The Dutch boss could revert to a four-man backline, so Darmian could lose his place if Marcos Rojo has recovered from a minor knock, with Young moving to right-back. Blind and Smalling appear likely to continue at centre-back, while Depay could come back into the starting XI, particularly if Rooney is unavailable. Mata and Martial should certainly keep their starting berths then.
Current Status: Unsettled
Risk Areas: Full-Backs, Central Defence, Flanks, Attacking Midfield
Part two of Lineup Lessons, covering the remaining ten teams, will be published later tomorrow.
