Scout Notes – Gameweek 1 – Sunday

Jose Mourinho’s second stint at Stamford Bridge gets off to a successful start thanks to strikes from Oscar and Frank Lampard. Fernando Torres edges Romelu Lukaku to the Blues’ bench ahead of the midweek match with Villa, while a Roberto Soldado spot-kick is enough to earn Tottenham the points at Selhurst Park in Sunday’s early kick-off.

Lukaku Rotation Woe
As many of us were more than aware, Romelu Lukaku was Chelsea’s form player over the summer. The big Belgian was backed by huge numbers heading into the double Gameweek after racking up five goals and a pair of assists in pre-season – surely, we thought, he had earned the right to start at home to Hull as Jose Mourinho looked for a win in his first match back at the Bridge. Instead, Lukaku had to make do with a cameo off the bench as Fernando Torres got the nod as the lone forward, with a 15-minute run-out failing to come to fruition.

Given his form, it looks a certainty – barring injury – Lukaku will be named in the XI for Wednesday evening’s match but yesterday’s turn of events is already an indication of what we can come to expect as the year unfolds. Last season’s exploits at West Brom underlined his potential but Lukaku, even in his current form, clearly cannot provide us with a security of starts under Mourinho. His Fantasy owners now have the small issue of a trip to United followed by a blank Gameweek 3 and with his manager admitting post-match he could be primed to bid for Wayne Rooney once again, an exodus looks on the cards as we reluctantly turn elsewhere for more secure options for our three-man frontlines.

Jose Hints at Midfield Fatigue
Having seen his side completely dominate the first-half, the second period proved a little more frustrating for Mourinho. The Blues boss cited the midweek internationals as a reason why he felt his three attacking midfielders fell off the pace – a worry for owners of Oscar and Kevin De Bruyne ahead of the Villa match. Indeed, Eden Hazard’s owners may also be a little on edge for Wednesday’s game after the Belgian lasted the full 90 minutes. Mourinho moved to a 4-3-3 after replacing Oscar with Marco Van Ginkel on 85 minutes and it’s certainly a possibility that the same system could be utilised against Villa, with Juan Mata and Andre Schurrle offering fresh flank options for the front three.

“In the second half we had no physical energy or mental availability. The three boys behind Fernando in the first half were fantastic but in the second half they disappeared. All of them played national team matches [in midweek]. Kevin played 85 minutes against France, Oscar played 80 minutes against Switzerland and Eden played 70 minutes against France. When the creativity disappeared we lost the danger in our game. I tried to make a couple of changes but at that time the game was bad, we sat back but our defensive block was very comfortable. The second half wasn’t comparable to the first half but the first half was fantastic.”

Bruce Shifts Shape
The 3-5-2 formation utilised in the Championship last season looks to have been left behind after a summer of tactical tinkering at Hull. Steve Bruce continued with his new 4-3-3 formation yesterday – a move which has seen new roles for both last term’s wing-back duo Ahmed Elmohamady and Robbie Brady. The former, in particular, has suffered from this alteration; classified as a midfielder, he has been shifted to right-back by Bruce, though Brady – who was part of the central midfield three – did move to the left after the introduction of Tom Huddlestone and Jake Livermore. With forwards Yannick Sagbo and Sone Aluko handed the wing roles on either side of Danny Graham, Hull’s Fantasy options look to have lessened by this new approach; while Robert Koren remained the most advanced central midfielder in the shake-up, it remains to be seen what Bruce’s plans are with Huddlestone and Livermore in the first XI.

Soldado the New Spurs Hero
Regardless of reputation, there’s always the fear that most new arrivals need time to adjust to the Premier League. The breakneck speed and physicality of the English top-flight can sometimes bypass the best of them initially but, despite his manager revealing he lacks match sharpness, Tottenham’s new number nine still opened his goals account for the season yesterday. Roberto Soldado not only delivered the visitors’ match-winner with a calmly-converted spot-kick, he also grabbed the maximum bonus points in the 1-0 Selhurst Park win.

As Gareth Bale edges towards the exit door, the former Valencia man will surely begin to rise in ownership as Spurs prepare for a superb run of games that sees them entertain Swansea, Norwich, West Ham and Fulham in the next eight Gameweeks, in addition to trips to Hull and Villa. In the unlikely event the Welshman stays put, he will still remain the main Spurs asset but if, as expected, he moves to Madrid, Soldado, at 9.5, looks a real armband contender over that upcoming schedule. Bale already looks unlikely to make next weekend’s game with Swansea after Villas-Boas admitted post-match he is still nursing a foot injury.

Dawson a Mid-Price Option
The return of Jan Vertonghen boosted the Tottenham backline and delivered an instant clean sheet at Selhurst Park. While the Belgian also picked up a couple of bonus points for his all-round exploits, Michael Dawson went quietly about his business and earned his owners a six-point return. Heading into the season, it appeared Vertonghen would miss out with an ankle problem, allowing Dawson and Younes Kaboul game time – yesterday’s selection suggest the Frenchman is still behind in the pecking order as he builds up his fitness after long-term injury. At 5.0, Dawson looks a decent defensive option in light of the above-mentioned schedule and with left-back Danny Rose classified as a midfielder in FPL, the centre-half currently represents the only mid-price route into Villas-Boas’ backline.

Palace Fitness Issues Ease
Ian Holloway rued his lack of starting options after the home defeat. The Palace boss fielded Aaron Wilbraham through the middle with summer signings Dwight Gayle and Stephen Dobbie on the flanks in a 4-5-1, but the hosts only improved after Kevin Phillips, Marouane Chamakh and Jonny Williams were brought on during the second-half. Holloway explained the reason behind the latter duo’s omission from the starting XI and suggested they, along with another new recruit, will be in contention for next weekend’s trip to Stoke as he looks to freshen up his options for The Britannia:

“Jonny Williams played on Wednesday night, a full 90 minutes and with his history you’ve got to be really careful. Chamakh should be able to train next week, Campana will have another week – he was out for two weeks – so we should be in a much better scenario for next week.”