The Big Friendly Catch Up – Wednesday

It’s been a slow news Friday, giving us the perfect opportunity to catch up with some of this week’s friendly encounters, starting with a round-up of a bumper Wednesday programme…

Aston Villa progressed to the semi-finals of the Peace Cup via a 3-1 win over Atlante but the victory was marred by the shoulder injury suffered by Stylian Petrov. Villa prevailed with goals from Marc Albrighton, Ashley Young and Carew but it was a lacklustre performance that offered little of note, aside form the dislocation for Petrov. The Bulgarian could well miss the first few league fixtures, although he is optimistic of a return for the opening clash with Wigan. In fantasy terms this has little impact. Sidwell, Reo-Coker and Gardner will likely compete form the central midfield roles in absence, barring new signings. None of those three are likely to tempt us early doors – particularly with Villa missing gameweek 2.

Arsenal’s 1-0 win over Hannover was notable for a number of reasons. Firstly Wenger again started with the Vermaelen/Gallas partnership, which, with Toure departed and in the absence of new signings, appears to be the pairing that will start the season in defence. Secondly, the Arsenal boss tried out a new 4-3-3 formation. This saw Fabregas, Song and Denilson form a midfield three, whilst in attack Arshavin and Bendtner took the roles wide of Van Persie down the centre.

Fabregas got the goal on the night. The Arsenal playmaker made a forward run into the box after nine minutes and got on the end of a Van Persie reverse pass to stroke the Gunners in front. There could well be more of that to come should Wenger persevere with this 4-3-3 formation; Denilson and Song should provide ample protection for the Spaniard’s forays forward.

Alex McLeish’s Birmingham scored a first goal of their pre-season ion a 1-0 win at Dagenham and Redbridge - Marcus Bent with the strike. He started on the bench for the Blues as McLeish opted for a strong eleven which saw Taylor start in goal ahead of Hart, while Fahey and Ferguson started in central midfield, with McSheffrey and Larsson either side. McFadden and Jerome were paired up front in a 4-4-2. Birmingham next take on Forest on Saturday.

Forest have already entertained Premier League opposition this week, holding Tony Pulis’ Stoke to a 1-1 draw. Dave Kitson again getting on the scoresheet here. Pulis was without both Abdoulaye Faye and Ryan Shawcross through injury but aside from their replacements at the back, he fielded a strong lineup which again saw Kitson partnering Beattie up front. Fuller was kept on the bench then, as was Delap as Whitehead and Whelan continued in central midfield – Lawrence and Etherington occupying the wide roles once more.

Barring new signings, it appears that the Stoke midfield is looking settled. Up front though, Kitson is fast becoming a viable option for Pulis. Another smart finish here will have Fuller and Beattie on their toes. The latter is yet to impress in pre-season, while Fuller made a first appearance of the summer here.

Everton ended their US tour with a victory on penalties against an MLS All Stars lineup. Tim Howard was the shoot-out hero with three vital saves, whilst Louis Saha got Everton’s goal early on in normal time. It was a 4-5-1 from Moyes again, this time with Saha leading the line. Fellaini lent his considerable support from midfield once again. Interestingly, Saha has been handed the number 8 shirt at Goodison this season – perhaps indication that Moyes is looking to get more starts from the former United man. That’s heavily dependent on Saha’s fitness of course, which is always a major issue when it comes to fantasy selection.

The Barclays Asia Trophy involves three Premier League teams and was concluded today with Spurs claiming the trophy – more on that in another post. Back on Wednesday it was Hull City who first progressed from the semi-finals thanks to a 5-4 win on penalties after a 1-1 draw with Beijing Guoan. Significantly, it was Geovanni who struck the Hull goal – a typically stunning strike from 20 yards that harked back to the first few months of last season. The Brazilian started up front with Folan, while Halmosi again earned a starting role out on the left. He looks set to figure in Brown’s Premier League plans, unless signings are made in that position.

In the other semi, Tottenham beat West Ham by a 1-0 margin – Defoe with the winning goal.

Zola started with a 4-3-3 here, with Luis Boa Morte, Kieron Dyer and Jack Collison in a midfield and Luis Jimenez and Junior Stanislas flanking Carlton Cole up front. Zola has stuck with this formation all through pre-season so far, so all the signs are we’ll see this from West Ham when they travel to Wolves on day one. Jimenez is beginning to attract our attention, not only due to his attacking role in the side but also his dominance of West Ham set-pieces. Given his modest price across the fantasy games, he warrants careful consideration. Sir Paulos is scouting him out for a report on your behalf as you read this.

West Ham had a miserable day here – not only did they suffer defeat they also saw Boa Morte sustain a serious knee injury. This was later confirmed as anterior cruciate ligament damage and he’ll now miss at least five months of the season. To be honest in fantasy terms this has little impact – his place in the Hammers midfield was always in doubt going into the season, with Noble and Parker waiting in the wings.

As for Spurs, they also boasted a strong lineup in this game, with Corluka and Huddlestone paired in central defence due to injuries elsewhere. Hutton again started at right-back, with new signing Naughton playing in front of him in a wide midfield role, picking up his manager’s praise in the process. It’s difficult to see him deployed in this role long-term however, given that Lennon should have that position sewn up. Elsewhere, Pavlyuchenko partnered Keane up front, with O’Hara on the left and Modric bombing on from midfield, protected as ever, by Palacios.

There’s not too much to report from a Spurs perspective – aside from the fact that they were the better side on the day. Redknapp’s lineup remains tough to call – particularly up front with Crouch now among the ranks.

Both West Ham, Spurs and Hull have been in action in this tournament today – notes on those games to come in a follow-up post.