Chelsea’s 2-0 win at Middlesbrough earns them a place in the Sixth Round of the FA Cup and means they no longer have a Gameweek 29 fixture. Bacary Sagna may be back in time for Sunday’s north London derby, Brendan Rodgers is concerned over the fatigue affecting Raheem Sterling’s form, Martin O’Neill reveals Kader Mangane will soon get his chance at centre-half, while Santi Cazorla hails the influence of Jack Wilshere on his current form:
Middlesbrough 0 Chelsea 2
Rafa Benitez made a raft of changes ahead of Saturday’s home game with West Brom. With Gary Cahill and Cesar Azpilicueta sidelined with a virus and leg problem respectively, John Terry and Paulo Ferreira were handed starts, with Ryan Bertrand also replacing Ashley Cole at left-back. Juan Mata’s owners will be pleased to hear he was rested from the squad completely, Demba Ba and Frank Lampard were unused subs, while Eden Hazard and David Luiz were afforded second-half sub appearances. The Blues took the lead after a Ramires effort found the net after deflecting off Fernando Torres before Hazard climbed off the bench to tee up Victor Moses for the second. Chelsea will now face United in the Sixth Round on Sunday March 10 instead of travelling to Fulham in the league. With a Europa League home game against Steaua Bucharest on Wednesday March 14, there is no available date within Gameweek 29 for their Cottagers clash, leaving both clubs with a blank.
In Other News
Reports suggest Bacary Sagna has returned to light training ahead of Sunday’s north London derby with Spurs and is set for a final fitness test later this week. The right-back missed out against Villa last weekend due to a knee problem and initial reports had suggested he was struggling with ligament trouble – any potential length of absence would once again bolster Carl Jenkinson’s chances of game time but it seems the youngster may be set to warm the bench again, with Sagna expected to be fit for the Tottenham showdown. Given his recent poor form, though, Andre Villas-Boas could potentially shift Gareth Bale out to the left to go head-to-head with the Frenchman as Spurs look to avenge their 5-2 Emirates hiding earlier in the season.
Brendan Rodgers has admitted he is likely to be cautious with Raheem Sterling’s game time over the remainder of the season. The Reds boss reckons tiredness has crept into the winger’s game and affected his performances:
“This is a kid we’re talking about so we have to take a wee step back. I was talking to him the other day about this, and if he didn’t kick another ball this season he’s had a good one. It’s a very physically demanding league and what you’re seeing now is more tiredness of the legs when before he could go up to people and take them on. That zip has gone and that’s down to fatigue. He’s made such an impact that everyone is looking at him now. But the job is to nurture him.”
Having started all but one of the first 17 Gameweeks, Sterling rose as high as 5.7 in FPL due to his initial cut-price appeal but with the addition of Daniel Sturridge and Philippe Coutinho in the January transfer window, he has been afforded just two sub appearances in the last five. Sterling still has an ownership of over 10% but going on Rodgers’ words, his owners have plenty reason for concern – all the more frustrating, given the Merseysiders’ strong run of fixtures.
Martin O’Neill has admitted on-loan centre-half Kader Mangane is edging towards full fitness after the defender turned out for Sunderland’s development squad earlier this week. With the Black Cats sitting just five points above the drop zone, their manager seems somewhat reluctant to hand him a league debut, given his lack of experience in England’s top-flight. Titus Bramble has nailed down a role alongside John O’Shea at centre-half in recent weeks and looks a cut-price option at 4.3 in FPL over the short-term, though O’Neill has revealed the new boy will soon be afforded an opportunity:
“I think Kader is approaching what he would consider real, proper fitness. I’m hoping that his attitude continues and that he doesn’t get too disappointed at not playing at this moment. The truth is, if we had a few more points on the board and were nearer to that magic figure, maybe we could try a few things. I wouldn’t want to just throw him in in the same manner [Sotirios] Kyrgiakos was last year, when maybe he wasn’t physically prepared. But everything is going fine and he will get his chance.”
Santi Cazorla has lavished praise on Jack Wilshere’s recent set of displays for Arsenal and spoken of the knock-on effect on his own form:
“He has liberated me because, when he is on the pitch, the opposition have to think about him, how to handle him and that gives me even more space.. It’s not a question of playing wide. As long as I have freedom, I don’t mind. It’s true that for me, it’s not that I don’t like the wing, I don’t feel as comfortable to be alone out there. I like to get involved in the middle, to get on the ball. The boss lets me do that so, in that sense, it doesn’t matter whether I’m on the wing or in the centre.”
Wilshere’s recent move to a more advanced role has seen Cazorla shifted wide left with Lukas Podolski resultantly dropping to the bench. Certainly, the Spaniard has stepped up in performance, scoring all three of Arsenal’s goals over the past couple of Gameweeks to move 10 points clear of Theo Walcott as the Gunners top scoring FPL midfielder. With Wilshere also chipping in with an assist in three of his last five, Podolski’s owners have every reason to be worried over his lack of game time.
Kevin Nolan could be set for a spell on the sidelines, according to reports. The West Ham skipper was subbed off during the first-half of Monday’s defeat to Spurs due to a foot problem and it is believed that the foot is still so swollen a scan has yet to be made to ascertain the damage, though a club source is quoted as saying:
“”Kevin’s tough and if he can play with a pain-killing injection, then he will. But it’s impossible to determine the extent of his injury yet. It could be one week, it could be eight.”
A potential length of absence would be a bitter blow for Sam Allardyce – with Mark Noble missing out on Monday with a shoulder injury, the Hammers boss has real question marks over his two main midfielders as he looks to address a run of form which has produced one win and five defeats in the last seven. The likes of Matt Taylor could be called to cover in Nolan’s absence, while the onus will be on Joe Cole to maintain the run of form which has produced two goals and an assist in his last four starts – with trips to Stoke and Chelsea on either side of a Gameweek 29 blank, the short-term schedule is far from straightforward.
