Premier League Tactical Preview: Sanchez v Fabregas and other key battles

Alex Keble
22 February 2018

Fabregas has a crucial defensive role to play at Old Trafford on Sunday

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Alex Keble returns with his tactical analysis for the big Premier League games, including why Lucas Moura has a big part to play for Tottenham...

"Victor Moses’s main defensive strength is his ability to aggressively push up to meet the winger, meaning Sanchez will quickly abandon the left flank to avoid such confrontation. Cutting inside, the Chilean’s main opponent will be Cesc Fabregas, who is usually too slow to defend central midfield effectively."

West Brom's weak midfield v Huddersfield's pressing

West Brom v Huddersfield
Saturday, 15:00 GMT

Huddersfield Town's plummet down the table came as a consequence of a drastic change in approach from a high-pressing and aggressive system to one that was considerably more cautious. However, the 4-1 victory over Bournemouth earlier this month saw a return of his brave gegenpressing tactics, which if implemented on Saturday should tear through West Brom's weak central midfield.

Alan Pardew's insistence on playing a 4-4-2 formation is leaving them too light in central areas. Notably, this has exposed the Baggies to clever one-twos - played consistently by Chelsea, Man City, Liverpool, and Southampton in the last five West Brom league matches. With Gareth Barry and Grzegorz Krychowiak too slow on the turn, it is easy to pass the ball through the centre, as Olivier Giroud and Eden Hazard showed with their give-and-go goal at Stamford Bridge a fortnight ago.

Aaron Mooy's absence means this probably won't be a high-scoring game, but it is easy to envisage the Terriers winning the ball in midfield and breaking through on goal via Alex Pritchard and Rajiv van La Parra, both of whom ran directly at the Bournemouth defence in that slump-ending win at the beginning of February.

Recommended Bet
Back Huddersfield to win at 7/2

Richarlison & Deulofeu v Davies

Watford v Everton
Saturday, 17:30 GMT
Live on BT Sport 1

Watford are perhaps the most volatile team in the Premier League at the moment, although their 3-4-2-1 formation has been successful enough to make their tactical approach easy to predict of late. Richarlison and Gerard Deulofeu will lurk behind the striker as inside forwards, looking to get on the ball as much as possible in and around Tom Davies - the clear weak spot in the Everton team.

Sam Allardyce's side are too top heavy at the moment as the former England manager looks to answer his critics with a more attack-minded approach. This means the Toffees are likely to field Davies in midfield along with Wayne Rooney and Gylfi Sigurdsson - potentially a huge error given Everton have only won one away league game all season.

Davies is a very talented young player but he often vacates central midfield, leaving Idrissa Gueye with too much to do. Watford's use of dual playmakers should allow them to overload and overwhelm this area of the pitch.

Recommended Bet
Back Watford to win at 5/4

Van Aanholt v Moura

Crystal Palace v Tottenham
Sunday, 12:00 GMT
Live on Sky Sports Premier League

Roy Hodgson's deep-lying, counter-attacking system will make it very difficult for Spurs to get in behind. Mauricio Pochettino's team have long struggled to find the directness or unpredictability needed on the flanks to break down more defensive outfits (they drew their last two games against bottom-half clubs) but the capture of Lucas Moura could change all that.

Pochettino is reportedly considering starting the former Paris Saint-Germain winger this weekend following his superb performance against Rochdale in the FA Cup. Lucas completed eight dribbles, adding assertiveness and pace that the likes of Erik Lamela and Heung-Min Son cannot provide.

Whether as a starter or from the bench, Lucas should be able to get the better of the chaotic Patrick van Aanholt. The Dutch left-back too often lunges into challenges he cannot win or is caught ball watching, which should allow Lucas to get the wrong side as legs tire in the second half.

Sanchez v Fabregas

Manchester United v Chelsea
Sunday, 14:05 GMT
Live on Sky Sports Premier League

A typically cagey affair between Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte isn't likely to produce many goals. Chelsea will happily play conservatively in the hope of forcing United to hold aimless possession, while the hosts will probably take a point. This is the sort of match that will only be won by an individual moment of brilliance - and Alexis Sanchez is the man most likely to come up with something special.

Victor Moses's main defensive strength is his ability to aggressively push up to meet the winger, meaning Sanchez will quickly abandon the left flank to avoid such confrontation. Cutting inside, the Chilean's main opponent will be Cesc Fabregas, who is usually too slow to defend central midfield effectively.

However, the Spaniard was fantastic against Barcelona in midweek, putting in arguably the most defensively-disciplined performance of his career. Barca's insistence on playing everything in front of the Chelsea midfield certainly helped Fabregas, and Sanchez's directness poses a very different challenge. Ultimately, there won't be a big enough difference between the two players to create a high-scoring - or particularly entertaining - game at Old Trafford.

Recommended Bet
Back under 2.5 goals at 8/11