Pre-Season Catch-Up – Chamakh Off The Mark

Arsenal’s Marouane Chamakh registered his first goal in Arsenal colours last night, converting a spot-kick he’d won himself five minutes after appearing as sub. That was one of four goals that saw the Gunners ease past their Austrian third tier opponents SC Neusiedl.

Theo Walcott, Jay Emmanuel-Thomas and Carlos Vela were the other scorers on the night with Samir Nasri continuing his eye-catching pre-season by providing two assists. Nasri was once again employed behind the lone striker Chamakh although it seems likely that this setup will change once Wenger gets his full quota of World Cup stars back available…

The likes of Abou Diaby, Gael Clichy and Bacary Sagna all started on the bench last night, while both Emmanuel Eboue and Alex Song figured in a pre-season squad for the first time. They will doubtless be called upon as Arsenal step up their pre-season preparations with Emirates Cup clashes with Milan and Celtic, plus a friendly with Legia Warsaw on the horizon.

Cesc Fabragas and Robin Van Persie will be handed an extended rest which will see Wenger leave them out of his plans until the friendly with Warsaw. With the Fabregas speculation rumbling on there will be some doubts about his availability for the opening Premier League fixture at Anfield on August 15.

Fabregas and Van Persie and the World Cup fatigue factor are a concern for Wenger and he has recently stated that he doesn’t expect his skipper to get back to his best until September. Caution is therefore required with the illustrious pairing when it comes to considering our initial lineups. Wenger’s teamsheet for the Legia Warsaw friendly will be of great significance and should doubts over the availability and form of Fabregas and Van Persie continue then the likes of Nasri and Chamakh may well pick up further investment interest.

One note of interest on the injury front from last night’s game concerns the fitness of Johan Djourou. The Swiss international returned to the starting lineup for the Gunners but lasted just 26 minutes before limping off. There’s no confirmation of the injury from official sources as yet but should there be any long or mid-term concerns over Djourou, Arsenal would appear to be left with just Thomas Vermaelen and new signing Laurent Koscielny as options in central defence. Perhaps good news for those considering the new Frenchman for an Fantasy Premier League price of 6.0.

Arsenal were one of several Premier League sides in action last night but were one of only two who enjoyed a positive result. Blackpool, Stoke, Sunderland, West Brom and Wolves all suffered defeats whilst Fulham were held 0-0 by Malmo.

Aston Villa did manage a victory, a 2-1 win at Walsall handed to them by a brace from Andreas Weimann. Marc Albrighton gained further pre-season plaudits with Martin O’Neill gushing over his form in his post-match comments…

“I thought young Albrighton was absolutely outstanding in the game. His confidence was very high and he was enjoying himself a great deal.”

Albrighton is available as a budget midfielder across the Fantasy Games with a price tag of 4.5 in the FPL. With the future of both Ashley Young and James Milner in doubt, he certainly needs monitoring going into the season kick-off.

Villa do have injury concerns of their own as a result of last night’s action, with James Collins limping off with a calf injury just a minute into the game. He is set to undergo a scan and is an immediate doubt for Villa’s trip to Portugal for the Guadiana Cup.

For a full round-up of all of last night’s pre-season matches, including results, scorers and lineups, get on over to our Pre-Season Form guide.