Scout Notes – Gameweek 4 – Monday

Jonjo Shelvey has a night of mixed emotions after playing a part in all four goals in last night’s 2-2 draw at the Liberty. Daniel Sturridge scores for the fourth straight game, Michu opens his account for the season and Victor Moses arrives on Fantasy radars after grabbing a goal on his debut for the visitors:

Sturridge Returns to Notch Again
The thigh injury that stopped him turning out for England failed to prevent Liverpool’s main man from lasting the full 90 minutes for the Reds last night. Sturridge’s deadly eye for goal shows little sign of abating after he pounced on a woeful Jonjo Shelvey backpass to score for the four league game in a row and take his tally to six strikes in five appearances this term for Brendan Rodgers’ side. With the threat of injury hanging over him during the international break, Sturridge increased just 0.1 in price in the Fantasy Premier League (FPL) game but the bandwagon can be expected to pick up pace after last night’s goal. His injury record at Chelsea and, on occasion in the latter half of last term with Liverpool, suggests Sturridge is almost always going to have that doubt hanging over him but, as he continues to prove, keeping the Fantasy faith more than pays dividend. With Sturridge, Olivier Giroud and Christian Benteke all notching four goals apiece already around the 9.0 mark, the case for going without Robin Van Persie has, so far, been proven a strong one.

Michu Breaks His Duck
Having failed to find the net in the first three fixtures, Swansea’s talisman suffered a price drop last week as Fantasy owners looked for alternatives. Michu’s equaliser not only denied Liverpool the points but served a reminder of his goal-getting abilities for the Swans as they edge towards a kinder run of matches. With an assist in the Gameweek 3 encounter against West Brom, the Spaniard is finally starting to hint at the form which made him such a Fantasy sensation last time out and with new boy Wilfried Bony subbed off with a knock, Michu may be forced into a forward role for the weekend trip to Palace. Once the Gameweek 6 showdown against Arsenal is out of the way, a schedule that reads (sou, SUN, WHM, car, STO, ful) will surely hand him the platform to further his returns.

Reds Clean Sheet Run Ends
Liverpool arrived at the Liberty as the last side yet to concede but a number of injuries in defence meant Rodgers was able to name just one of the back-four that started the first couple of Gameweeks. With Glen Johnson already ruled out and Kolo Toure nursing his way back to full fitness after a groin problem, the visitors were dealt a further blow after Daniel Agger was also sidelined due to a bizarre accident – new boy Mamadou Sakho slotted in alongside Martin Skrtel, with Andre Wisdom handed the right-back berth. After the game, though, Rodgers admitted the Dane is still a real doubt for the weekend’s Anfield encounter with Southampton, though talked up the prospects of Sakho after his debut display:

“It’s too early to say whether Daniel will be fit for Saturday (at home to Southampton). He had a real freak incident in the gym. Just before he was coming out to train, he overstretched trying to prevent a dumbbell falling on his foot. He has overstretched and yanked his side. We are waiting to see if that settles down over the next few days. If it doesn’t, we have got ample replacements. That is why we brought in extra players. Sakho did very well. He has played a lot over pre-season but he has come back in and done very well. I thought he was excellent and assured. Once he gets used to working with us, he will improve.”

Moses On the Radar
After signing the winger on loan from Chelsea, Brendan Rodgers was quick to reveal Moses’ ability to produce on the left would allow him to shift Philippe Coutinho into a central position. Many had anticipated a gradual introduction to the first-team but the Liverpool boss handed the Nigerian international an instant chance to impress and Moses wasted little time in serving up a debut goal, cutting inside from the flank to lash home past Michel Vorm after another woeful Shelvey pass went astray. With the above-mentioned run of fixtures in mind, Fantasy managers will be keen to add to their Liverpool contingent and Moses – at just 6.2 in FPL – looks a real contender already; Coutinho owners will be hoping he can shake off the shoulder complaint that forced him off just before the hour mark but those without the Brazilian will be eyeing up Moses as a strong mid-price option over the next few matches.

Following the game, Rodgers talked up Moses’ display and also rued Coutinho’s withdrawal before revealing it’s too early to ascertain the extent of his problem:

“I had a feeling with Victor coming here. When I was manager here, he always played well against us. He scored here and also scored for Chelsea here. I just had a feeling about him and his goal was very good….We had fluency and quality. But when Coutinho went off, we probably lost that connection between our midfield and forwards. He will have a wee scan. It’s his shoulder. He’s very sore in the changing room, and we’re hoping it will only be bruising.”

Eventful Evening for Shelvey
The former Liverpool midfielder will forever be associated with last night’s match after playing a part in all four goals in the 2-2 draw. Despite a couple of poor passes allowing Sturridge and Victor Moses the chance to notch for the visitors, Shelvey did, nonetheless, grab a goal, assist and maximum FPL bonus points to deliver a 12 point return for the hosts. Although Laudrup has plenty of midfield options available after a summer of squad restructuring, Shelvey remains a key player for the Welsh outfit and has started all four league games. Priced at just 5.5 in FPL, a possible absence for Bony could see him shifted into the role in “the hole” if Michu is moved forward and offer Pablo Hernandez owners a straight swap amongst the Swans midfield, after the Spaniard was ruled out with a hamstring problem last night; a bitter blow for the 180,000+ who drafted him in over the international break.

After the game, Shelvey was praised by his manager after recovering from his first-half display to tee up Michu’s equaliser:

“When you do that you go from heaven to hell in just a couple of minutes, scoring a goal in a very important game for you after two minutes but then you give away a goal – and another one with a ball lost. I told him [at half-time] ‘there are still 45 minutes, you have to learn from this and pull yourself together’, and I think he did great. He will become stronger out of this, his reaction in the second half was excellent.”