Scout Notes – Gameweek 24 – Monday

A solitary strike from Branislav Ivanovic is enough to clinch the points for Chelsea at the Etihad. Jose Mourinho’s defence stands firm as City’s 100% home record comes to an end without the services of the stricken Sergio Aguero:

Blues Backline Defies the Etihad
In spite of conceding just two goals in their previous seven league fixtures, Chelsea rolled up to the Etihad as underdogs last night. With the hamstrung Sergio Aguero sitting in the stands and Fernandinho’s agility missing in central midfield, Jose Mourinho’s side were able to repel an attack that had hit Arsenal and Spurs for six and stuck four past United in front of their own fans. Branislav Ivanovic’s first goal since Gameweek 1 earned the Serbian a 14-point haul, though it’s perhaps debatable whether many of his owners were confident enough to hand him a slot in their starting XI.

Having passed the toughest test of all now, Mourinho’s defenders have shown we can rely on them regardless of fixture difficulty. At a time where Arsenal are set to play six of the current top seven over the next nine Gameweeks, doubling up on Chelsea’s backline looks a very viable tactic and, whilst John Terry and Gary Cahill also offer a goal threat, Cesar Azpilicueta has now started 13 of the last 14 Gameweeks and, at 5.3, may appeal to those with limited finances.

Oscar Benched in Tactical Reshuffle
Whilst there’s no doubt the Brazilian is Jose Mourinho’s preferred choice for the role in “the hole” behind a lone striker, it’s clear that his manager will, at times, sacrifice him for the sake of the team. With David Luiz partnered by Nemanja Matic in the double-pivot, Mourinho shifted the versatile Ramires onto the right of the midfield three and opted for Willian behind Samuel Eto’o as Oscar dropped to the bench. Willian has now started seven of the last nine, whilst Oscar has featured in the first XI on five of those occasions after returning from injury. Games against Newcastle and West Brom next week are likely to see the playmaker reinstalled to the first-team after a mere eight-minute appearance last night but, at a time when so many mid-price midfielders are producing the points, many will feel they cannot afford to have an 8.9-priced asset under the risk of rotation.

Negredo‘s Game Time a Worry
The Spaniard returned to the City first-team after missing out against Tottenham with a shoulder complaint. Snapped up by over 25,000 Fantasy managers as a result of Aguero’s hamstring injury, Negredo left his 11% owners thoroughly frustrated after failing to score at the Etihad for only the second time in his last eight home starts. More concerning was Pellegrini’s decision to sub the former Sevilla forward off with just 56 minutes on the clock as Stevan Jovetic got the nod to partner Edin Dzeko for the remainder of the game – after the match, the City boss admitted Negredo is not yet 100% after his recent shoulder complaint. Negredo has now managed 90 minutes just once in the last seven Gameweeks, whilst Dzeko has played the entire match in four of the previous five now, suggesting the Bosnian looks far more reliable to last from start to finish under Pellegrini at the moment.

Etihad Resilience Fading
Last night’s result also continued a run of form which has seen City struggle to keep out their opponents at home. Pellegrini’s side racked up five clean sheets in their first seven at the Etihad and conceded just twice – over the subsequent five, they’ve registered a single shut-out (against Palace) and shipped seven goals. As the Chilean plots to recover from Monday evening’s setback, he’ll be buoyed by City’s remaining visitors – Sunderland, Stoke and Villa roll up in the next five and, with Fulham, Southampton, West Brom and West Ham all yet to arrive, those owning City defenders will be happy to hold in the meantime.