Gameweek 17 - FPL

Stoke City 1-1 Swansea City
Suarez --------- Kane

Two similar formations with both teams having varying strengths and weaknesses. A blend of these two teams would be a great team, with Swansea's strong defence and Stoke's great attack. They ultimately cancelled each other out as neither could win the pivotal midfield battle, and both sides' wingbacks were also relatively evenly-matched.

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Middlesbrough 1-1 Watford
Dybala -------------- Ramos

I was close to giving Watford the edge here, as I do not like the look of Middlesbrough's back 3 at all, but the strength of their attackers and midfield cannot be ignored. Alonso and Vidal vs Kante and Kroos would be a great match-up in real life and ultimately led to the stalemate in the title challenge. Sanchez and Ronaldo ahead of Dybala is not viable long-term I feel, but it did enough today and exploited Sule, who is arguably Watford's biggest weakness going into the new season.

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Hull 0-0 Bournemouth

Both sides have imperious defences which led to a boring draw. Messi inevitably would have made a difference to this game, but the formation didn't work quite as well without him. Bournemouth have 2 strong midfielders but Hull flooded the midfield and it seemed to stifle Thiago in particular.

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Crystal Palace 0-1 Burnley
------------------------- Aguero

The injury to Azpilicueta may have been a blessing in disguise as the away side look much more comfortable in this standard formation. de Bruyne is in the position he naturally flourishes in and, reunited with Aguero, they threatened all day. Palace missed Herrera's energy and tenacity in midfield, which allowed Nainggolan and Castro a lot of room to dictate the play. Palace still need defensive reinforcements, but aren't far away.

Sunderland v West Brom

Sunderland look very strong all over and have a well-balanced side. Terry stands out as the obvious weakness albeit only as temporary cover for injury, whilst I really like the look of the central midfield trio. West Brom also look much better with a natural AM to link up the midfield with attack and their front 4 caused the Sunderland defence problems. No obvious weakness for this side who with a strong position in the draft are likely to go into next season in a healthy position. Whilst there were no real weaknesses in either side I felt Sunderland had the edge in terms of match winners with some genuinely top class players now in their ranks.

Sunderland 2 – 1 West Brom
Ibrahimovic x 2 : Falcao


Stoke v Swansea

Hard to separate these two which is a testament to how far this Swansea side have come as they were up against top opposition today. As always Stoke remain strong going forward however Swansea had the tools to take the sting out of their attack by virtue of a strong defence. I can see Mane causing Lindelof problems with his pace although on the flip side I can see this vibrant Swansea attack causing the Stoke backline problems with a draw a fair result

Stoke 1 - 1 Swansea
Mane : Kane


Hull City v Bournemouth

A defensive masterclass at the KC saw this tie end in a goalless outcome. I like the tweak in formation for Hull, particularly at home, which saw them abandon their usual shape and looking much more potent going forward as a result. Unfortunately for them they were up again what is in my opinion the best defence in the league who remained watertight all afternoon. The loss of Messi proved a crucial one as Totti just wasn’t able to offer the same wizardry as the Argentine as this one ended all square.

Hull City 0 – 0 Bournemouth


Crystal Palace v Burnley

Palace always carry a threat going forward however they seemed to be missing a few key players today which somewhat hampered their usual attacking play. Given his current form I felt the loss of Herrara was a big one as Burnley’s quality in midfield saw them dominate this area. The visitors have a very well rounded side and are also beginning to look extremely potent going forward whilst still remaining strong at the back. Both sides look well set going in to next season and with a couple of key signings I can see them both being very dangerous. On the day I just felt the visitors had that little extra quality in their side which saw them leave with the points.

Crystal Palace 1 - 2 Burnley
Hazard : Aguero, De Bruyne

Sunderland vs West Brom
The first thing that strikes me on the Sunderland teamsheet is John Terry, who needs an upgrade, along with their defense in general which is average. Going forward they look a threat and I especially see Draxler and Robben getting joy against Mendy and Aurier. I like the West Brom midfield in Keita and Dembele, and Carrasco and Costa are both under-rated. It's a tough game to call and I feel a draw is fair.

Also as a point - the West Brom bench is very strong.


Sunderland 2-2 West Brom
Robben, Draxler; Falcao x2


Stoke vs Swansea
Good choice of formations from both teams which leads to them cancelling one another out a bit. It's a tough game to call - with Swansea slightly stronger in defense, whereas Stoke have better forwards. Really tough game but Stoke win by the skin of their teeth because of that world class front three.

Stoke 2-1 Swansea
Suarez, Reus; Son


Middlesbrough vs Watford
An interesting set up from Middlesbrough, and I can see the logic with Sanchez and Ronaldo upfront. However, defensively I'm not a fan. Cahill has played LCB for Chelsea but doesn't like defending wide areas and Pepe the same. Sane and Bernardo Silva would have some joy I'm sure. Also not a fan of Hector, although I know others can shoot me down for that. It's hard to pick fault with Watford, perhaps a top-top AM/WG is required?

Middlesbrough 1-2 Watford
Ronaldo; Sane, Alli


Hull vs Bournemouth
An interesting diamond formation which I like from Hull. I have to question Barzagli in defense, and Locatelli but it's a solid side. Needs a top class attacker though. As for Bournemouth, clearly they've lost Messi and as good as Totti was he isn't the same. The side just doesn't click for me - and despite a good defense they narrowly lose this game for me.

Hull 1-0 Bournemouth
Dzeko

Sun vs Albion

2 well matched sides going pretty much man for man...I prefer Albions defence but think Sunderlands midfield would control the game that bit better, narrow home win for me

Sun 1-0 Albion
Zlatan

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Stoke vs Swa

Stokes defence truly is a tough nut to crack and with Kane up-top they'll always have a chance of a break-away goal
That said Stokes attack is frightening and for me they just have more match-winners

Stoke 1-0 Swa

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Boro vs Watford

nice game this between the 2 heavyweights - Boro have a lovely attack but it's not a natural triumvirate for me, feels a bit uneven - not sure why....I think Watford get a lot of joy out-wide and Boro's back 3 for me are in for a hard days night.

Boro 1-2 Watford
Ronaldo
Costa, Alli

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Palace vs Burnley

Not sure on palaces midfield 3, there doesn't seem alot of energy in there and think they'd get over-run. I do very much like their front three though and they'd cause havoc for Burnley's defence..Burnley I think have done well bringing in Aguero, he looks good in front of that trio

Palace 2-2 Burn
PEA,Hazard
Aguero,KDB

STO vs SWA

The home side's attacking quality was too good for the away side today who struggled. Whilst have an excellent attack line capable of scoring goals with some top flair players up front, Stoke need to focus on improving their defence bit by bit here. Rudiger the obvious improvement to make I think. For Swansea, their formation doesn't suit their best players like Kane and Dembele. They need to change their formation and exchange some of their current players for others that will work in a different formation. And for me, a bit of experience in the middle of the park as well.

Score: 3-1

MID vs WAT

Potential title decider here but I just can't separate these two sides really. Surprising changes for the home side and as much quality as it has, I have uncertainties about their defence. Cahill and Mascherano, as good as they are on their day, are too inconsistent for me. Watford for me are top class all over the field, but I'm not sure about Sule in this side because of the lack of game time I predict he will get in real life with Bayern. But no major concerns.

Score: 1-1

HULL vs BOU

Very narrow formation Hull worked wonders here to contain the quality Bournemouth have. Not a formation I would use every week for Hull, but effective here to stop the midfield and attack of Bournemouth dominating. Hull struggled to create many chances because of a world class defence, but Belotti has the quality up front which they once lacked to win it for them, a match winning striker. Bournemouth were out-done by the formation here, but themselves have a world class defence, just needed a match winning goalscorer that Hull have here to snatch something.

Score: 1-0

CP vs BUR

A very high scoring game to compensate from 1/2 other games that were very tactical. The home side need a defensive improvement, they couldn't cope with the away side's front line. I'd say at least 2 top class defenders required to make them a force here but excellent going forward. Burnley are a good side, but not convinced by their full backs in this game at all and that cost them here. But it was a thriller.

Score: 3-3

Sunderland 3 - 0 West Brom

Sunderland have a very strong set up, that is hard to break down. They could do with improving on Ghoulam, but even he was too good for a West Brom side who could do with changing almost all of their team, as, in my humble opinion, they are unlikely to beat many teams with their current formation and players.

Boro 1 - 2

Boro have a strong attack full of world class players, but not played in their best positions. They lacked anyone for the trio up front to play off, and all three were pulling in different diretions and not as a unit. Watford have a good mix of flair and workmanlike players that helped to cancel out this threat.

Hull City 2 - 0 Bournemouth

Bournemouth struggled with the same problem as Hull and had nobody visibly leading the line. Their attack wasn't working cohesively and they struggled to make chances against a strong side.

Crystal Palace 1 - 1 Burnley

Even matched teams. Not much I can say about either. Burnley should improve upon Valencia. Palace could do better than Bertrand and Carrick.

Sunderland 1-2 West Brom

Middlesbrough 1-0 Watford

Hull City 1-1 Bournemouth

Crystal Palace 1-2 Burnley

if you want/need any feedback, message me after the liverpool game

Sunderland 2-2 WBA

I feel both sides have enough about them to avoid defeat today, both solid throughout but with a strong attacking threat.

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Stoke 2-1 Swansea

Stoke matched Swansea's formation with a stronger XI and it paid off, came down to personnel in the front three, Swansea need to improve on Antonio.

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Boro 2-2 Watford

Two incredible sides, Boro's front two look frightening and Watford have the solid base to keep Boro level, score draw for me.

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Hull 2-1 Bournemouth

Two strong sides, even with Totti in AM I feel Bournemouth were in this til the end, Hull dominate and saturate the midfield which made the difference, more Bournemouth width may have hurt Hull on another day.

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Sunderland 1 -0 WBA
Ibra

Stoke 2-1 Swansea
Suarez, Reus ; Kane

Boro 2 - 1 Watford
Ronaldo, Sanchez ; Costa

CP 1 - 2 Burnley
Hazard ; KDB, Mertens