Scout Scribbles – Sore Night For Mourinho

Eden Hazard nets another spot-kick as Chelsea suffer a 3-1 Champions League loss to PSG. Jose Mourinho fields Andre Schurrle as the lone forward and is scathing over his other strikers’ recent displays. Ross Barkley remains a doubt for Everton’s clash with Arsenal, Kostas Mitroglou could be out for the season, whilst Stoke’s Oussama Assaidi continues to struggle with a knee problem:

Chelsea Slip to Parisian Defeat

It’s two losses in the space of five days for Jose Mourinho’s boys as they sunk to a 3-1 defeat in their Champions League quarter-final first-leg tie against PSG. Mourinho opted to go into the game without a named striker, instead fielding Andre Schurrle furthest forward with Eden Hazard, Oscar and Willian in behind the German. Hazard slotted home a 26^th minute penalty after Oscar was brought down in the area, before David Luiz donned his villain cap, slicing the ball into his own net to put Chelsea behind.

Post-match, Mourinho was quick to criticise his team’s defending for each of the three goals they conceded, and also commented on his frontline tinkering:

“Of course. It’s difficult for us to score goals. I’m not happy with my strikers’ performances so I have to try things. With André at least I know we have one more player to have the ball, and even not being dangerous because he’s not a striker, he can associate and the team can have control of the ball. But football is not just about that. It’s also about scoring goals, getting behind, and that is for strikers. Real strikers.”

The Scout Says: Last night’s result, coupled with Saturday’s loss to strugglers Crystal Palace, has clearly got to the Chelsea boss. With Samuel Eto’o struggling with a hamstring injury, Fernando Torres losing his manager’s faith and Demba Ba having never really earned it, Mourinho’s frustration with his strikers is clearly hitting boiling point. In light of this, Schurrle may well continue in the forward role; such out of position prospects will add plenty of appeal to a player who has scored four in his last four Premier League starts. Meanwhile, if it’s goals Mourinho wants, there’s one man still doing his best to find them. Another goal from the spot last night for Hazard will only remind his manager, and Fantasy managers, of the Belgian’s importance for his side; now up to 11.0 in Fantasy Premier League (FPL), Hazard is far from budget friendly, but his explosive potential will have those managers who recently sold the Belgian for the double Gameweek 31 looks for a way back in. Home games against Stoke City and Sunderland, with a trip Swansea sandwiched in between, offer Chelsea the ideal opportunity to overcome their dip in form and kick-start their hunt for the title, and Hazard is likely to be the central figure in ensuring that that’s the case.

Martinez Rolls Out Injury Update

Roberto Martinez issued an injury update on a selection of key players yesterday. The Everton boss stressed that Phil Jagielka will feature again soon for his side having missed the Toffees’ last six games with a hamstring injury, though he is still being monitored, and also revealed that Ross Barkley is ‘touch-and-go’ for Sunday’s game against Arsenal after picking up a calf problem last weekend:

“Ross had a knock on his calf and he is recovering well from it. Over the next three or four days we will have a clearer idea of where he is and we are going to treat every day as it comes.”

Martinez also declared his confidence that Steven Pienaar will feature again for Everton this season, after the South African picked up a knee injury playing in the FA Cup last month.

The Scout Says: Plenty of Fantasy managers will be keen to see Barkley prove his fitness for the weekend, with the youngster having started the last three games for the Toffees and scoring in two of those appearances. The midfielder disappointed his 92,000+ new owners last Sunday after he was forced off at half-time against Fulham, and those same owners will be desperate to see the 5.2-priced man make it four starts in a row this weekend. Should he indeed recover, and be handed another start by Martinez, Barkley will be hot property ahead of Everton’s double Gameweek 34. Meanwhile, news that Jagielka will still be eased back into action ensures that Seamus Coleman and Leighton Baines remain the Toffees’ defenders of choice, whilst a return to action for Pienaar in the coming weeks will come as yet another worry for owners of Kevin Mirallas, as the South African’s presence will only increase competition in the wide areas.

FULHAM FEAR FOR MITROGLOU

The injured Kostas Mitroglou has travelled to Italy to see a specialist, with fears mounting that the record signing could remain on the sidelines for the rest of season. The £12m man has only featured twice for Fulham since joining in January and has failed to show signs of fully recovering from a knee injury he picked up in training almost a month ago.

The Scout Says: If Fulham weren’t already beginning to regret their decision to splash out on Mitroglou in the winter, yesterday’s developments will truly have them ruing their luck. The striker was a sensation for former club Olympiacos, and Fulham’s capture of the big Greek looked set to lend them a major helping hand in the relegation battle. Subsequently, an initial FPL price of 6.5 was assigned to the Cottagers’ forward and he appeared to have the potential to make a mockery of that price tag. With the Greek international now set to continue on the sidelines and out-of-favour Darren Bent publicly criticising Felix Magath earlier in the week, it seems the Cottagers will be pinning their hopes on the inexperienced Cauley Woodrow or Moussa Dembele in their battle to beat the drop.

Assaidi Still Recovering

Stoke’s on-loan winger admitted he’s not completely over a recent knee problem and is struggling to stake a claim for inclusion in Mark Hughes’ plans for the run-in:

“Things are certainly getting better, but my knee is still not fully healed. I could forget about the pain and play, but that would be a massive long-term risk, so I believe it’s best to be patient and wait for it to get better before playing. I am recovering well so I hope it isn’t too long until I can be picked to play again.”

The Scout Says: Having scored three times in six appearances between Gameweek 15-20, Assaidi looked to have established himself as a regular for the Staffordshire outfit. His recent stint on the sidelines has allowed Marko Arnautovic to cement a role on the left of the attacking midfield three, with the Austrian turning in some crucial displays in a run that has now seen Hughes’ side drop just two points in the last five. With Charlie Adam, Stephen Ireland and Jon Walters now vying for the role in “the hole” and Peter Odemwingie frustratingly classified as a forward, Arnautovic – with 19 points in the last three Gameweeks – still has home games with Newcastle, Spurs and Fulham, in addition to trips to Cardiff and West Brom, to boost his differential appeal.