Notes From Europe

Liverpool slide out, the Gunners power through. The outcome of last night’s Champions League action was predictable enough. Now it’s time for us fantasy managers to pick the bones from Liverpool’s corpse, whilst counting the cost of Arsenal’s latest injuries…

In fantasy terms, Liverpool’s exit from the Champions League may mean that we are handed some respite when it comes to Rafa’s future rotation plans. Benitez must surely now focus solely on sealing qualification for next year’s tournament; a potential Europa League triumph should be no more than a sideshow, perhaps even an unwanted distraction.

Liverpool’s lineup last night was of course cursed by the absence of Torres up front and the inclusion of a Steven Gerrard still apparently struggling for full fitness. Johnson and Agger did at least complete the ninety, as did Aurelio on the left of midfield. Ngog meanwhile is beginning to convince as a potential stand-in with. It was his fifth goal of the season that sealed the hollow victory.

Looking at the Liverpool lineup going forward, there’s no doubt that both Torres and Gerrard will warrant inclusion in our squads once fitness is restored. The Season Ticker reveals a tough run of games over the next three gameweeks but that is immediately followed by a kind trio of games (WIG por WLV) which should coincide with a return for Torres and a sharper, more effective Gerrard.

As for the rest, the jury will remain out on Rafa’s defence. Liverpool have notched just a single clean sheet in their last eight league games – bizarrely that was against United in gameweek 10. We’ve got time to assess just how Rafa’s options will fall then, with Agger and Skrtel still competing for starts alongside Carragher. Glen Johnson is likely to be the chief target though, once fixtures and form improve, although Aurelio could prove an option should he hold down the left midfield role.

In midfield Kuyt and to a lesser extent the popular Benayoun will remain considerations – albeit as secondary to Gerrard. Benayoun’s omission from last night’s eleven is troubling but perhaps understandable given his recent injury concerns. We’ll need to monitor his role in the coming weeks before we can consider him further for Liverpool’s kinder fixtures.

Up front there is only one real option. Torres should make a return after the Merseyside derby this weekend – whether he’ll hit the ground running is another matter. Ngog meanwhile will tempt a few in the short-term given his price. He’ll undoubtedly make way on Torres’ return so it’s a question of whether he can return investment against Everton at Goodison and Blackburn at Ewood. Two sides who have strong home form.

In contrast to Liverpool, Arsenal’s Champions League passage was an easy one. Last night’s 2-0 win over Liege saw them top their group thanks to goals from Nasri and Denilson. Wenger’s lineup saw a return for the Brazilian in midfield then, while Vela started up front, flanked by Nasri and Arshavin. Eboue replaced Sagna at right-back again.

It’s not clear how this will impact on Wenger’s eleven for the encounter with Chelsea this weekend, although it is clear that Arsenal will be without Gibbs at left-back and possibly skipper Gallas in the centre of their defence.

Gibbs has been sidelined for around three months after suffering a fractured metatarsal in last night’s game. That will open the way for Traore to hold down the left-back role while Clichy regains his fitness.

Gallas meanwhile picked up an ankle knock in addition to a blow to the head via a clash with Arshavin. While the Russian has been cleared to play on Sunday, Gallas remains a doubt, with Silvestre likely to profit should he fail to make it. Silvestre vs Drogba is a match-up that’s likely to haunting Wenger in his sleep right now.

Elsewhere then, Wenger has hinted that he could start with Denilson in midfield with Diaby still sidelined. Rosicky and Eduardo were also handed rests so are firmly in the frame for the Chelsea game. Nasri and Vela appear to be the most likely to make way. I’d expect Sagna to return for Eboue.

We will of course keep you posted on all the latest concerning Liverpool and the Gunners via the Injuries and Bans table and our Team News section. Greek Fan will also keep you fully up to date via the Tweets service as per usual.