Scout Notes – New Year’s Day

Christian Eriksen grabs a goal and assist as Tottenham win at United. David Moyes hints at resting Wayne Rooney. Theo Walcott notches as Arsenal leave it late against Cardiff. Yaya Toure is in the goals again for City at Swansea. Luis Suarez manages just a single goal against Hull, Dimitar Berbatov returns to help Fulham see off West Ham, whilst Oscar climbs off the bench to inspire Chelsea to victory at St Mary’s:

Eriksen the Catalyst for Spurs Win as Moyes Admits Rooney Groin Concerns
A goal and assist from Christian Eriksen helped Spurs to victory at Old Trafford and left their hosts 15 points off the summit. The Dane continued his impressive recent showings under Tim Sherwood to arrive on Fantasy radars in time for the winter wildcard – he has racked up 27 points in four games (two goals, an assist and six bonus points ) now compared to 17 points in seven games (a single assist and bonus point) under Andre Villas-Boas. At 7.1, Eriksen has played every minute since Sherwood’s installation and is set to receive plenty investment ahead of a home clash against Palace, whilst Emmanuel Adebayor is also being eyed up by Fantasy managers. The Togo international has produced 31 points over the last four – more than any player under Sherwood – but his withdrawal on a stretcher has deterred any would-be investors until further prognosis is revealed. Post-match reports indicate it was an acute case of cramp, with Sherwood only saying:

“It’s always a danger you’re going to break down and I hope he’s not too badly injured. He’s got ice on every part of his body so we’re not sure which [part] is hurting him more.”

For United, Danny Welbeck’s fifth goal in as many games wasn’t enough to prevent the champions from tasting defeat in front of their own fans for the fourth time already this term. David Moyes’ side have now scored just five times in their last five league matches at Old Trafford and the Red Devils boss admitted he is “not sure” whether Robin van Persie will be ready in time for the next league game. Furthermore, Moyes’ post-match comments sound somewhat worrying for Wayne Rooney owners – the England star played the full match yesterday but it’s clear his manager is desperate to hand him a rest as he struggles for full fitness:

“The plan was to play Wayne for 90 minutes, but he has a bit of a groin injury. The longer it went on, we had to try to get more attacking players on the pitch to try and find more ways to score. If I could (rest Rooney) I would, but the games are coming thick and fast. He has missed a game with his groin and he may well miss some more coming up.”

Toure up to Double Figures as Bony Bags a Brace
Rested for the previous league match against Palace, Yaya Toure returned to the City starting XI to continue his sensational Fantasy campaign. The Ivorian’s second-half strike at the Liberty means he has now notched 10 times in the league this season – only Luis Suarez and Sergio Aguero have netted more. Whether it be via free-kick or penalties or, in yesterday’s case, deflections, Toure continues to punish those who are reluctant to snap up his services due to the “casuals favourite” tag but his ownership of 44% only looks set to rise after his display – he has now scored or assisted in 12 of 19 appearances this term.

For the hosts, Wilfried Bony’s two-goal haul served a reminder of his eye for goal. The Ivorian has now notched six times – at least double any Swansea player aside from Nathan Dyer, with four – yet has only started nine of the Welsh side’s league games. Michael Laudrup’s side are just four points off the bottom three now but with the fixtures smiling a little more kindly from Gameweek 23 onwards, Bony, at 7.3, may yet come into consideration for our three-man frontlines if he nails down a regular role.

Theo Strikes Again as Injuries Build for Gunners
Snapped up by over 118,000 Fantasy Premier League (FPL) managers in each of the past couple of Gameweeks due to injuries to team-mates Aaron Ramsey and Mesut Ozil , Theo Walcott delivered once again. The Gunners wide-man has now produced five goals and an assist in his five starts since returning to the first XI in Gameweek 16 – with seven bonus points also accrued over that period, that’s a total of 47 points since mid-December. With Olivier Giroud injured, Lukas Podolski was handed the lone-forward role but his replacement, Nicklas Bendtner, is also set for a spell on the sidelines after sustaining an ankle injury – after the game, Arsene Wenger hinted Walcott also offers an option through the middle:

“He [Bendtner] sprained his ankle, [for] how long we don’t know but it looks weeks. We have Lukas Podolski and Theo Walcott who can play striker but over the longer period we want more specialists to play through the middle. With two players injured it is difficult. Don’t be too quick at the moment, we will just say we have two centre forwards injured.”

Elsewhere on the injury front, Wenger also revealed Ozil “should” be back for the Gameweek 21 visit to Villa. The Bluebirds face a wait over the fitness of Jordan Mutch, though. Coming in at just 4.6, the midfielder has been pencilled into wildcard teams after scoring four times this season but Cardiff caretaker manager David Kerslake revealed he is set for scans after limping out of the action with a hamstring injury.

Puncheon on the Radar
Whilst a 1-1 draw with Norwich took Palace’s recent record to a single clean sheet in five, their winger racked up his first set of double figures of the season yesterday. Sporadically used by Ian Holloway, Puncheon’s pace and direct approach down the right have proved a crucial part of Tony Pulis’ tactics and, at 4.9 in FPL, he certainly has the home fixtures to prosper and help the Eagles climb the table. Having picked up points in two of his last three home appearances, Puncheon now welcomes Stoke, Hull and West Brom to Selhurst Park in the next five and could well appeal to those eyeing up a cheap fifth midfielder.

Berbatov Returns to Steer Cottagers to Victory as Nolan Sees Red Again
Having missed the previous three games with a groin injury, the Bulgarian returned in time for yesterday’s crucial clash with West Ham. Berbatov’s second-half winner means he has now scored in each of his last three starts for Rene Meulensteen’s side and, with an assist also accrued in his first match under the new manager, he has returned 27 points in four appearances since Martin Jol’s departure. With home games against Sunderland and Southampton and a trip to Swansea in the next four, Berbatov may yet be set for a resurgence in Fantasy interest – at just 7.0 and with a 3% ownership, he’s starting to look an enticing differential.

For the Hammers, Kevin Nolan’s brief resurgence in form lasted just two games. The midfielder rolled up to the Cottage with a goal and three assists in his last couple of matches since returning from suspension – 44 minutes later, he saw red once again and is now set to serve a four-match ban. Nolan will miss only two league games, though, due to his side’s cup commitments and will be available for the Gameweek 23 clash against Chelsea.

Berahino Stakes a Claim as Defensive Woes Blight Magpies
Despite scoring against West Ham at the weekend, the youngster was dropped to the bench as Keith Downing moved from 3-5-2-to 4-2-3-1 and handed Nicolas Anelka the lone striker role. Berahino was afforded the chance after the break and kept a cool head to fire West Brom to victory against Newcastle courtesy of a late spot-kick – his tally of four goals is now move than any Baggies player, despite featuring for fewer than 700 minutes this season. At 4.5, he’ll be a real steal if the midlands outfit keep faith in his goal-getting abilities.

For the visitors, the defensive worries piled up. Fabricio Coloccini is set to be sidelined for up to six weeks with the knee injury that forced off him yesterday, whilst Mathieu Debuchy is set for a three-match ban after seeing red – he’ll miss the upcoming FA Cup clash with Cardiff in addition to league matches against City and West Ham. Steven Taylor and Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa look set to benefit at centre-half and right-back respectively.

Baines Helps Toffees to Late Britannia Draw
Given that Stoke had only been beaten once at home this season, Everton weren’t going to have it easy yesterday. Staring defeat in the face thanks to a strike from their hosts’ on-loan wide man Oussama Assaidi, the Toffees had their “Mr Reliable” to thank for salvaging a last-gasp point courtesy of the penalty spot. While Seamus Coleman has understandably garnered most of the defensive attention in recent weeks, his fellow Everton full-back served a reminder of his own attacking potential by firing home his third of the season. The difference between the pair is stark, though – Baines’ other couple of goals came courtesy of set-pieces, whilst all five of Coleman’s efforts have arrived in open play.

Black Cats Fall to Agbonlahor Strike
Having beaten City in the league and Chelsea in the cup at home, Sunderland’s Stadium of Light fixtures had been earmarked as a potential source of Fantasy returns. The Wearsiders welcomed Villa on the back of three clean sheets in four and, with Paul Lambert’s side scoring twice in the previous five, expectations were high that Gus Poyet’s side would deliver. With Wes Brown serving the last of a three-game ban and John O’Shea still injured, though, the hosts fell to a narrow defeat courtesy of a Gabby Agbonlahor goal and remain rooted to the foot of the table. Brown is now free from suspension ahead of a schedule which hands Sunderland four favourable fixtures (ful, SOU, STO, new, HUL) in the next five and may persuade some to take a punt on their cut-price assets in spite of yesterday’s setback.

Tigers Limit Suarez to a Single Goal
The rout we were hoping for never quite materialised as Hull limited Liverpool to a 2-0 win at Anfield. Steve Bruce’s side are one of only three teams (along with Arsenal and City) to prevent Suarez from picking up the points this season but they were helpless to prevent him from firing home a sublime 30-yard free-kick after the break – he has now scored in all seven of his home games since returning from suspension and, with Villa and Everton the next two visitors, looks likely to continue that streak. Yesterday’s match also saw Brendan Rodgers switch to a 4-2-3-1, with Philippe Coutinho shifted into the middle as Iago Aspas was handed his first start since September.

Oscar Racks up the Points as Blues Cruise at St Mary’s
Having started the previous two matches, the Brazilian was dropped to the bench as Chelsea rolled up to Southampton. The introduction of Oscar and Willian for Juan Mata and Andre Schurrle proved the turning point, though, as Jose Mourinho’s side turned a goalless draw into a 3-0 canter – Oscar proved the main protagonist by scoring once and teeing up the visitors’ other couple of strikes, with Eden Hazard settling for just a single assist.

Certainly, a run of two starts in five hardly bodes well for those eyeing up the Brazilian’s acquisition but Mata’s reaction to being withdrawn led Mourinho to admit that although he is reluctant to sell, “the door is open”. A move away for Mata would surely bode well for Oscar’s prospects – at 8.7 compared to Hazard’s 10.3, for example, he looks an intriguing prospect if such a situation arose. On the injury front, the club’s official website confirmed Branislav Ivanovic and Frank Lampard are sidelined until the end of the month with the injuries that forced them out of Sunday’s win over Liverpool.