A number of winter signings are handed their first starts after arriving over the transfer window.
Robert Snodgrass comes in for West Ham’s victory at St Mary’s, while club-record signing Manolo Gabbiadini makes an instant impression on Southampton’s starting XI. Elsewhere, Mauro Zarate is afforded his first Watford start, as fellow new boy M’Baye Niang hogs the headlines in a home win over Burnley.
After rolling out Part One yesterday, we take a look at the remaining ten teams, assessing the tactical tweaks and personnel changes with one eye on the weekend’s upcoming round of matches.
Manchester United
Starting XI: De Gea; Valencia, Bailly, Smalling, Rojo (Blind 46); Mata (Fellaini 77), Herrera, Pogba, Mkhitaryan; Rashford (Young 83); Ibrahimovic.
- Jose Mourinho made three alterations for the trip to the King Power Stadium, with Eric Bailly, Chris Smalling and Juan Mata starting at the expense of Daley Blind, Michael Carrick and the injured Phil Jones.
- Bailly and Smalling combined in central defence for United, with Marcos Rojo shifting over to left-back. Mata started on the right of a four-man midfield for United, with Henrikh Mkhitaryan on the left, allowing Marcus Rashford to partner Zlatan Ibrahimovic up front.
- Before Mourinho even made a substitution, the United boss tweaked his tactics after just 20 minutes, switching to a 4-2-3-1 formation. Rashford moved to the left wing, with Mkhitaryan taking up the No 10 role. He did make an alteration at half-time, though, with Blind replacing Rojo at left-back. Marouane Fellaini then entered the fray in place of Mata, with the Belgian joining Ander Herrera and Paul Pogba in central midfield, seeing United switch to more of a 4-3-3. Ashley Young took over from Rashford on the left of the front three for the final seven minutes.
- Should Jones recover from a foot injury to be available to face Watford on Saturday, he may push for a recall in central defence in place of either Bailly or Smalling. Blind may also vie for a start at left-back in place of Rojo, but Matteo Darmian looks to have fallen down the pecking order for the time being. Carrick and Fellaini offer viable alternatives in central midfield, while the likes of Lingard, Anthony Martial and Wayne Rooney, providing he recovers from illness, could challenge Mata and Rashford for starting berths.
Current Status: Fairly Settled
Risk Areas: Central Defence, Left-Back, Central Midfield, Flanks
Middlesbrough
Starting XI: Valdes, Chambers, Bernardo, Gibson, Fabio; Clayton; Traore (Bamford 79), De Roon, Forshaw (Guedioura 61), Downing (Stuani 61); Negredo.
- Middlesbrough head coach Aitor Karanka made two changes for the trip to White Hart Lane, with Stewart Downing and the fit-again Calum Chambers recalled in place of Antonio Barragan and Cristhian Stuani.
- Chambers played at right-back for ‘Boro in a 4-1-4-1 formation, with Downing operating on the left side of the four-man midfield.
- Shortly after falling a goal behind, Karanka made a double substitution, with Adlene Guedioura and Stuani sent on in place of Adam Forshaw and Downing in straight swaps. As a final roll of the dice, Karanka introduced Patrick Bamford in place of Adama Traore, although that didn’t bring about a change in formation, with Bamford playing down the right flank.
- If George Friend recovers from a knock, his return could lead to a reshuffle in defence, with Bernardo Espinosa likely to drop to the bench, allowing Friend to play at left-back, Fabio at right-back and Chambers at centre-half. Guedioura may challenge for a starting spot in central midfield when ‘Boro host Everton on Saturday, while Stuani, Bamford and Rudy Gestede offer attacking alternatives, with Downing’s starting place the most at risk.
Current Status: Slightly Unsettled
Risk Areas: Defence, Central Midfield, Flanks, Forwards
Southampton
Starting XI: Forster; Cedric Soares, Stephens, Yoshida, Bertrand; Ward-Prowse, Romeu; Boufal (Long 63), Davis, Rodriguez (Redmond 46); Gabbiadini.
- Claude Puel made four alterations from the side that lost 2-1 to Swansea City for the home encounter against West Ham United, with Sofiane Boufal and the fit-again duo James Ward-Prowse and Jay Rodriguez replacing Jordy Clasie, Shane Long and Dusan Tadic. Manolo Gabbiadini was handed his Premier League debut in place of Nathan Redmond.
- Gabbiadini operated as the central striker for Saints, flanked by Boufal (right) and Rodriguez (left). Ward-Prowse joined Steven Davis and Oriol Romeu in the three-man midfield.
- With his side trailing 2-1 at half-time, Puel decided to make a change, with Redmond brought on in place of Rodriguez on the left of the front three. Just after the hour mark, Long came on for the injured Boufal, who had picked up an ankle problem.
- Puel currently has few options in defence, so the back four may stay unchanged for the trip to Sunderland. Clasie and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg provide alternatives in central midfield, while Redmond, Tadic and Long could all challenge for recalls, particularly if Boufal is ruled out through injury.
Current Status: Fairly Settled
Risk Areas: Central Midfield, Flanks
Stoke City
Starting XI: Grant; Bardsley, Shawcross, Martins Indi, Pieters; Whelan, Adam (Diouf 58); Afellay (Ngoy 69), Allen, Arnautovic; Crouch (Berahino 58).
- Mark Hughes named the same side that drew 1-1 against Everton for the trip to the Hawthorns.
- Ibrahim Afellay retained his place on the right of the attacking midfield trio in the 4-2-3-1 formation, then, with Xherdan Shaqiri once again ruled out due to a calf injury.
- Hughes chose to make a double substitution just before the hour mark, with Mame Biram Diouf and Saido Berahino replacing Charlie Adam and Peter Crouch. Diouf initially played on the right, with Afellay dropping into central midfield, but when Afellay made way for Julien Ngoy, it was Joe Allen who joined Glenn Whelan in the middle of the park. Ngoy then played on the right, with Diouf joining Berahino up front in what was more of a 4-4-2 formation for the final 20 minutes.
- Glen Johnson has missed the last two matches with a knock, but if he’s fit to face Crystal Palace on Saturday, he could replace Phil Bardsley at right-back. The return of Diouf from the AFCON gives Hughes a number of different options, including the possibility of going back to the three-man defence. Diouf could play in the wing-back role as he did earlier this season, although he’s also capable of playing on either flank and up front. Afellay or Allen may also be moved back into central midfield, while Berahino is slowly edging towards making his first start for the Potters. Crouch’s place in the side is slowly be coming under some pressure, then.
Current Status: Fairly Settled
Risk Areas: Right-Back, Central Midfield, Forwards
Sunderland
Starting XI: Mannone; Jones, Denayer, O’Shea (Lescott 57), Kone, Oviedo, Ndong, Rodwell (Gibson 52), Larsson, Januzaj (Pienaar 78), Defoe.
- David Moyes made two changes for the trip to Selhurst Park, with Adnan Januzaj and new signing Bryan Oviedo coming in for Fabio Borini and Javier Manquillo.
- Januzaj started just behind lone striker Jermain Defoe in the 3-5-1-1 formation, while Oviedo slotted in at left wing-back, with Billy Jones stationed at right wing-back.
- After picking up a hamstring injury, Jack Rodwell made way for another new signing, Darron Gibson, in a straight swap seven minutes into the second-half. Shortly after, John O’Shea had to be replaced after also suffering a hamstring problem, with Joleon Lescott handed his debut off the bench. A hip complaint forced Januzaj off, with Steven Pienaar taking his place in a slightly deeper midfield role as Sunderland strolled to a 4-0 victory.
- If O’Shea, Rodwell and Januzaj are all available to face Southampton on Saturday, Moyes may consider naming an unchanged starting XI against Saints. Lescott, Gibson, Pienaar and Borini are the players likely to be on standby should they fail to recover in time.
Current Status: Fairly Settled
Risk Areas: Central Defence, Central Midfield, Attacking Midfield
Swansea City
Starting XI: Fabianski; Naughton, Mawson, Fernandez, Olsson; Cork; Routledge (Narsingh 65), Fer, Carroll (Dyer 75), Sigurdsson; Llorente (Borja Baston 83).
- Swansea head coach Paul Clement named the same starting XI from the 2-1 victory over Southampton for the trip to the Etihad.
- Clement kept faith in the 4-3-3, then, with Gylfi Sigurdsson (left) and Wayne Routledge (right) flanking central striker Fernando Llorente in the 4-3-3 formation that has been favoured by the new boss thus far.
- Clement’s first change saw Luciano Narsingh introduced in a straight swap for Routledge shortly after the hour mark. Then in an attacking move, Clement brought on Nathan Dyer in place of Tom Carroll, seeing his side switch to a 4-2-3-1. Dyer played on the left wing, with Sigurdsson moving into the No 10 role, leaving Leroy Fer and Jack Cork at the base of midfield. Borja Baston provided fresh legs in place of Llorente for the final seven minutes.
- Having registered two assists in a pair of substitute appearances as he continues to build up his match fitness, Narsingh could now be pushing to replace Routledge on the right of the front three when the Swans host Leicester City on Sunday. The likes of Ki Sung-yeung and Leon Britton provide different options in central midfield, but may struggle to oust Fer from the starting XI. Kyle Naughton should keep his place at right-back, but he may come under a bit of pressure from Angel Rangel.
Current Status: Settled
Risk Areas: Central Midfield, Right Wing
Tottenham Hotspur
Starting XI: Lloris; Walker, Alderweireld, Dier, Davies; Dembele, Wanyama; Alli (Winks 87), Eriksen, Son Heung-min (Sissoko, 80); Kane (Janssen 90).
- Mauricio Pochettino made two changes from the side that drew 0-0 against Sunderland for the home encounter against Middlesbrough, with Ben Davies coming in for the injured Danny Rose, while Hugo Lloris returned from illness to replace Michel Vorm in goal.
- Davies slotted in at left-back for Tottenham, while Son Heung-min kept his place on the left of the attacking midfield trio in the 4-2-3-1 formation, with Christian Eriksen operating on the right.
- Pochettino made all three of his substitutions during the final 10 minutes, with Moussa Sissoko firstly replacing Son in a straight swap. Harry Winks was then brought on in place of Dele Alli to shore up the midfield, while Vincent Janssen took over from Harry Kane as the lone striker for the final few minutes.
- If Pochettino sticks with the 4-2-3-1, he may well name an unchanged starting XI for Saturday’s trip to Anfield. Rose is to undergo further scans this week on the knee injury he suffered against Sunderland, but it’s very unlikely he’ll be fit to replace Davies in the side. If the Spurs boss considers switching back to the 3-4-2-1 system, Kevin Wimmer could earn a recall in central defence, with Son then likely to drop back onto the bench.
Current Status: Settled
Risk Areas: Central Defence, Flanks
Watford
Starting XI: Gomes; Cathcart, Kaboul, Prodl, Holebas; Capoue, Behrami (Doucoure 65), Cleverley; Niang (Success 81), Deeney, Zarate (Janmaat 88).
- Watford head coach Walter Mazzarri made two alterations from the side that beat Arsenal 2-1 for the visit of Burnley to Vicarage Road, with Jose Holebas returning from suspension to replace Miguel Britos, while Mauro Zarate was handed his Hornets debut in place of Daryl Janmaat.
- Those changes saw the Italian adopt a 4-3-3 formation, with Holebas slotting in at left-back. Tom Cleverley and Etienne Capoue operated just in front of Valon Behrami in central midfield, while Zarate (left) and M’Baye Niang (right) flanked central striker Troy Deeney.
- Mazzarri’s first substitution saw Abdoulaye Doucoure take over from Behrami in the holding midfield role for the final 25 minutes. With nine minutes remaining, Mazzarri introduced Isaac Success in place of Niang, while the Nigerian moved to the left of the front three after Janmaat came on in place of Zarate. Janmaat sat in front of Craig Cathcart as a right-sided midfielder as Watford held on for the 2-1 victory.
- With recent new additions Cleverley, Zarate and, in particular, Niang all impressing in the 4-3-3 system, Mazzarri could name a similar starting XI for the trip to Old Trafford. Cathcart has performed well on the right side of the defence, but Janmaat may perhaps push for a recall. Doucoure offers an alternative in central midfield, but is another who may have to bide his time for a recall. Both Success and Stefano Okaka may also have to be patient for a start in attack.
Current Status: Settled
Risk Areas: Right-Back, Central Midfield
West Bromwich Albion
Starting XI: Foster; Nyom, Dawson, McAuley, Brunt; Livermore, Fletcher; Phillips (Robson-Kanu 87), Morrison (Field 89), Chadli (McClean 66); Rondon.
- Tony Pulis made one adjustment for the home clash against Stoke City, with Jake Livermore starting in place of Claudio Yacob, who missed out due to illness.
- Livermore slotted in alongside Darren Fletcher at the base of the midfield in the usual 4-2-3-1 formation, then, while in the continued absence of the injured Jonny Evans, Craig Dawson lined up in central defence next to Gareth McAuley. Allan Nyom and Chris Brunt started at right-back and left-back respectively.
- Pulis’ first substitution saw James McClean take over from Nacer Chadli on the left of the attacking midfield trio for the final 24 minutes. Hal Robson-Kanu and Sam Field were handed brief run-outs late on, providing fresh legs in place of Matt Phillips and James Morrison.
- If Evans does return to fitness ahead of Saturday’s trip to the London Stadium, that could force a reshuffle in defence, with Dawson moving possibly to right-back, and Nyom dropping to the bench. The latter could also switch over to left-back, though, allowing Chris Brunt to move into attacking midfield again. Yacob is likely to be available again, so he may return to the side in place of Livermore in the engine room.
Current Status: Settled
Risk Areas: Defence, Central Midfield
West Ham United
Starting XI: Randolph; Kouyate (Collins 71), Reid, Fonte, Cresswell; Feghouli (Calleri 90), Obiang, Noble, Snodgrass; Antonio, Carroll (Lanzini 56).
- Slaven Bilic made two changes for the trip to St Mary’s, with the returning Cheikhou Kouyate replacing the injured Sam Byram, while Robert Snodgrass was handed his first start for the Hammers in place of Manuel Lanzini.
- Kouyate filled in at right-back, while Snodgrass operated on the left of a four-man midfield. Michail Antonio continued to play alongside Andy Carroll in the 4-4-2 formation.
- With Carroll continuing to deal with a minor groin issue, the forward made way for Lanzini shortly before the hour mark. That change saw West Ham switch to a 4-2-3-1, with Lanzini taking up the No 10 role. Shortly after, Bilic was forced into making his second change, with James Collins taking over at right-back after Kouyate was forced off with a knock. Jonathan Calleri earned a brief run-out late on in place of Sofiane Feghouli.
- Byram (hamstring) and Kouyate will need to be assessed ahead of Saturday’s home clash against West Bromwich Albion. Both players look to be battling it out to start at right-back, although Kouyate could also be an option in his preferred position in central midfield. James Collins will be on standby to start should the pair be ruled out along with Havard Nordtveit (ankle). Lanzini may push for a recall, but after a strong performance against Southampton, Bilic will be tempted to stick with the same players in attack, providing Carroll is fit to start as expected. Andre Ayew should also return to contention following his return from the AFCON.
Current Status: Fairly Settled
Risk Areas: Right-Back, Attacking Midfield, Flanks
