Scout Scribbles – Sunday Friendlies Round Up

Bojan Krkic nets again as Stoke draw with Blackburn. Newcastle summer signings Emmanuel Riviere and Remi Cabella grab a goal apiece in a 3-1 win at Schalke, Steven Naismith scores his second of the summer in Everton’s draw with Porto, while Alexis Sanchez is handed game time up front as Arsenal lose to Monaco.

Bojan Strikes Again for Potters
The summer signing grabbed his second goal in as many appearances as Stoke drew 1-1 at Blackburn. Mark Hughes trialled a rare 4-4-2 formation to get the match underway, with Mame Biram Diouf partnering Peter Crouch up front and Marko Arnautovic and Jon Walters handed the roles out wide. A half-time change saw Crouch withdrawn, however, with Bojan emerging from the bench as the Potters returned to their default 4-2-3-1 – coming in at 5.5 in FPL, the Spaniard continue to strengthen his case for consideration with a superbly-taken long-range effort.

Having afforded Geoff Cameron against Burton Albion on Saturday, Hughes fielded Phil Bardsley at right-back, ensuring Fantasy managers are left none-the-wiser over the 4.5-priced Cameron’s role in the first XI. Up front, Diouf was given the full 90 minutes and appears to be edging ahead of Crouch in the pecking order – after the game, though, Hughes dismissed reports that the latter could be set to leave, after the target man was linked with West Ham:

“There’s always speculation at this time of year. Peter was great for me last year – he’s a key part of what we’re trying to do this year. People assume that if you bring quality in, quality people have to go out but that’s not the case. We’re looking to build a strong squad and add to the quality we already have. Peter was very much part of that quality last year and we expect him to stay.”

Gunners Beaten by Monaco
After sweeping aside Benfica 5-1 on Saturday, the Gunners failed to build their pre-season momentum by losing 1-0 to French outfit Monaco. Arsene Wenger handed Mathieu Debuchy and Alexis Sanchez their first starts since joining this summer, whilst Callum Chambers partnered Laurent Koscielny in central defence once again. Wenger gave Olivier Giroud the chance to lead the line but after a sluggish showing, the Frenchman was withdrawn at half-time – this saw Sanchez move into the lone forward role and perhaps gives us an idea as to how his manager will utilise the Chilean’s versatility over the season.

Post-match, Wenger admitted that while he’s still undecided on where to play Sanchez, he felt the new boy performed better after the break:

“I don’t know yet because Giroud is not ready at all so I thought I’d take him out because he didn’t look ready. It was an opportunity for me as well to see Sanchez in the second half as a centre forward. He looked better in the second half than in the first. But that was also because Oxlade-Chamberlain gave us something we needed – some penetration and some power. Overall, the second half we dominated much more of the game than in the first half, when we were dominated.”

The Gunners boss also discussed Giroud’s fitness. After the game, the forward conceded the game was “really hard physically” and his manager concurred:

“He had only three weeks rest, it was not an eternity and he had to come back quickly. But sometimes when you come back late you want to work hard and in a game you are not as sharp. It’s nothing about him. He’s not put weight on, he’s not out of shape, he’s worked very hard this week and not recovered from the work he has done. Today at least he was not ready at all.”

Hammers Disappoint in Malaga Loss
West Ham’s toils in the final third continued yesterday after they were defeated 2-0 by Malaga. Sam Allardyce named an entirely different XI to the team that faced Schalke the day before, handing summer signing Carl Jenkinson and Aaron Cresswell starts in the back-four alongside Winston Reid, with new boy Mauro Zarate leading the line. Once again, though, West Ham failed to find the net and have now scored just twice in their last five pre-season matches – with Andy Carroll out for four months and Enner Valencia potentially three weeks away from match fitness, it’s fair to say Allardyce’s new attack-minded approach is failing to pay off; worrying signs ahead of a clash with Spurs and trips to Palace and Hull in the opening four Gameweeks of the season.

The Hammers boss also has injury worries to contend with at the back. According to reports, Carl Jenkinson limped off early with a hamstring problem yesterday and could face a race against time to be fit for the start of the season. With Guy Demel also sidelined with a similar complaint, Allardyce may be forced to turn to Joey O’Brien if neither of the former pair prove their fitness in time.

Blues Slump to Bremen Loss
Chelsea’s winning run came to an abrupt end yesterday with a 3-0 loss at Werder Bremen. Jose Mourinho started with Cesar Azpilicueta and Filipe Luis at full-back once again, with John Terry and Kurt Zouma replacing Branislav Ivanovic and Gary Cahill at centre-half, whilst Thibaut Courtois made his first start between the sticks before making way for Petr Cech at the break. Given that Cahill and Ivanovic both came on at the break, we’re still no closer to gauging Mourinho’s defensive intentions, though the Blues still have two more friendlies for their manager to fine-tune his side.

Further up the field, Cesc Fabregas was handed the role in “the hole” for the second successive match, while Fernando Torres started on the left wing in a 4-2-3-1, with Diego Costa leading the line again. Mourinho gave Didier Drogba and Eden Hazard their first taste of action this summer but neither was able to make much impact in a disappointing display.

At the weekend, Mourinho elaborated on Fabregas’ role for the Blues, hinting that the Spaniard will also be utilised in a more withdrawn berth over the campaign ahead:

“In this moment without Oscar and Willian, players who have more conditions to play as our No.10, we are using Cesc as a No.10. I also see him as a player who can play [deeper] in a pivot role. I see him as somebody who thinks football faster than the majority of the players. He is the kind of player we need in our midfield to bring us to a different dimension. The ball possession, the speed of the circulation, the decisive pass. He has everything.”

Naismith Nets in Toffees Stalemate
Roberto Martinez named a strong line-up as Everton drew 1-1 with Porto in Leon Osman’s testimonial match. New signing Muhamed Besic started in central midfield, while Tim Howard, Leighton Baines, Phil Jagielka and Ross Barkley all made their first appearances of the summer after playing in the recent World Cup. Steven Naismith was handed the lone forward role again, with Steven Pienaar and Aiden McGeady out wide on either side of Barkley, and the Scot’s encouraging form continued after he netted his second goal in three appearances. With Romelu Lukaku and Kevin Mirallas set to return to the fray this week, though, it remains to be seen whether Naismith can retain a starting berth ahead of the season opener with Leicester.

After the match, Martinez discussed Seamus Coleman’s progress from a hamstring problem. The Toffees boss fielded Tony Hibbert at right-back again as a result of Coleman’s ongoing absence but Martinez insisted that, while the Republic of Ireland international will miss the midweek friendly against Celta Vigo, he is expected to return for next Saturday’s clash with SC Paderborn.

“Seamus will be ready for the Germany trip and he should be involved in that game. If not, we’ll have a behind closed doors game the following week and we would expect him to be ready for the start of the season.”

Magpies New Boys in the Goals

Emmanuel Riviere and Remy Cabella grabbed a goal apiece as Newcastle defeated Schalke 3-1 yesterday afternoon. Having utilised 3-5-2 and 4-2-3-1 formations this summer, Alan Pardew started with a 4-4-2 against the German side – Riviere was joined by Yoan Gouffran up front, with Gabriel Obertan and teenager Rolando Aarons fielded on the flanks. Aarons was heavily involved in the Magpies’ attacking forays and picked up a goal and assist over his 68 minutes, whilst Facundo Ferreyra emerged from the bench on his debut to tee up fellow sub Cabella’s first goal for the club.

Siem de Jong missed out once again with a foot problem but Pardew stressed the problem is a minor one and the Dutchman is expected to return against Real Sociedad next weekend.