Scout Scribbles – Cup Capitulation for United

United stumble out of the Carling Cup after serving up another display to forget. Dwight Gayle nets a hat-trick as Palace progress, while summer signings Graziano Pelle, Bafetimbi Gomis and Diafra Sakho all open their accounts for Southampton, Swansea and West Ham respectively.

United Humiliated

Things went from downbeat to desperate last night for Louis van Gaal and his Man United side as they were crushed 4-0 by League One hosts MK Dons in the Capital One Cup second round. The likes of Danny Welbeck, Javier Hernandez, Shinji Kagawa and Anderson were handed a chance to prove their worth to their new manager, and failed resoundingly, in an entirely uninspiring performance for the Red Devils, whose only positive to take from the encounter was the return of centre-back Jonny Evans from injury.

The Scout Says: With morale set to be at rock bottom for United right now, it’s fortunate that Van Gaal’s team have the comfort of a strong set of fixtures in the coming weeks to pick themselves back up from the dirt. Nonetheless, the Dutch manager has now got plenty of work to do to help his side get over last night’s humbling defeat and convince the doubters of his suitability for the job. He will be hopeful that the return of starlets Wayne Rooney, Robin van Persie and Juan Mata to the starting XI on Saturday against Burnley will have the required effect. For now, though, we seem to still be looking at a United side that has fallen far from its perch. Could it be a pair of Angel’s wings that lifts them back up?

GAYLE HAT-TRICK INSPIRES PALACE

A 41-minute hat-trick from Crystal Palace striker Dwight Gayle saw his side advance past Walsall into the third round of the Capital One Cup in their first win of the season.

The Scout Says: You only need ask Liverpool what a danger Gayle can be, and the young forward’s performance last night may possibly see him rival Fraizer Campbell for league starts in the coming weeks. Having lost both their opening Premier League fixtures, last night’s victory for the Eagles may give them the necessary boost to take advantage of a decent upcoming schedule (new, BUR, eve, LEI, hul) and the 5.4-priced Gayle could well prove an important component for Keith Millen’s side across those fixtures.

GOMIS OPENS SWANS ACCOUNT

Swansea edged past Championship side Rotherham 1-0 thanks to a goal from Bafetimbi Gomis on his full debut for the Welsh outfit. Garry Monk made ten changes to his side from the weekend, handing debuts to Federico Fernandez, Jefferson Montero and Tom Carroll, with only Nathan Dyer retaining his place from Saturday’s victory over Burnley – the winger added to his goal that afternoon with an assist for Gomis’ winner last night.

The Scout Says: Three wins out of three for the Swans now this season, and their encounter with West Brom at the Liberty this weekend could hold further promise for Monk’s side. Current Fantasy favourite Gylfi Sigurdsson should be fully refreshed for the clash after only featuring as a second half substitute for his side last night, as should Wilfried Bony who likewise only came off the bench in the latter stages. However, Gomis’ goal last night gives Bony’s owners something to dwell over, as the former may now push the Ivorian for starts – Monk has shown in the last few weeks that he is only prepared to play with one striker and, as we saw last Saturday, Bony’s minutes could well be cut if Gomis continues to impress.

PELLE REWARDS KOEMAN WITH GOAL

Recently ordered by Ronald Koeman to be more aggressive on the pitch, new signing Graziano Pelle adhered to his manager’s advice by grabbing his first goal for the Saints. The former Feyenoord man netted in injury time against Millwall, giving them a 2-0 victory over the hosts after Jack Cork’s earlier headed goal from a Dusan Tadic corner. Shane Long was afforded his debut by Koeman in a two-man frontline alongside Pelle, with youngsters Matt Targett and Lloyd Isgrove also brought into the starting XI.

The Scout Says: Pelle’s first goal will have managers looking at mid-price forward options on alert – the Italian looked a real danger throughout the game, and well surpassed the performance of fellow striker Long. Tadic’s second assist of the season also promotes his qualities, with his set piece duties being a major factor of his appeal, and both he and Pelle – at 7.5 apiece – could turn out to be a canny gamble for Fantasy managers with such a kind fixture list ahead for the Saints (whm, NEW, swa, QPR, tot, SUN).

VALENCIA AND SAKHO START IN HAMMERS’ PENALTY LOSS

Despite losing out to Sheffield United on penalties last night, there were some positives to take from the game for West Ham – namely, the fact that Enner Valencia and Diafra Sakho were handed their first starts as they edge towards full fitness, with the latter grabbing his side’s only goal on their way to the shoot-out.

The Scout Says: Both Valencia and Sakho will now be at forefront of Sam Allardyce’s mind ahead of the Hammers’ encounter with Southampton this weekend, and could well place the starting roles of Ricardo Vaz Te and Carlton Cole under threat for the clash. However, with so many attacking assets to ponder, Fantasy managers are advised to hold off from investing in Allardyce’s strike force until we gain a clearer picture of how he intends to make the most of his options. Valencia’s lofty 7.0 price tag in the Fantasy Premier League (FPL) should keep managers at bay for now, though Sakho – at 5.5 – could prove a cut-price differential to the Ecuadorian, as well as Mauro Zarate, if he can hold down a starting spot.

WENGER ISSUES INJURY UPDATE

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has provided an update on his side’s injury situation ahead of tonight’s Champions League play-off second-leg tie with Besiktas. The Frenchman has confirmed that Olivier Giroud and Mikel Arteta (both ankle) will miss the clash, whilst he expects Kieran Gibbs and Theo Walcott to make their returns from respective hamstring and knee injuries after the international break in two weeks’ time. Wenger went on to suggest that there remains a chance that Giroud’s injury could keep the striker out for a considerable period of time, but that an official announcement on the matter will be made in the coming days after he has seen a specialist.

The Scout Says: Of particular interest to Fantasy managers will be the news concerning Giroud, whose difficult start to the campaign looks to have become a whole lot worse. The striker, owned by 18.4% of managers in FPL, is feared to have sustained a broken foot during the Gunners’ 2-2 drawn with Everton, which could mean a lengthy spell on the sidelines. This certainly won’t come as a disappointment for owners of Alexis Sanchez – the Chilean was fielded as a central striker on Saturday and, although he was withdrawn at half-time after a fairly ineffective performance, he may now have the opportunity to make the role his own and afford Fantasy managers a real out-of-position option. The imminent return of Theo Walcott could change all that, however, if Wenger chooses to hand him the chance to cement the lone forward spot. Should that be the case, the 9.0-priced Englishman could be set to rival Sanchez and Aaron Ramsey for our attentions, giving us a real dilemma in selecting from the Gunners’ midfield ranks. All in all, managers will be eagerly awaiting the forthcoming announcement on Giroud.

PIENAAR OUT OF CHELSEA CLASH

Roberto Martinez has confirmed that Steven Pienaar will miss his side’s encounter with Chelsea on Saturday evening after he was forced off with a groin injury towards the start of the Toffees 2-2 draw with Arsenal. Martinez is, however, optimistic that Romelu Lukaku (who played the majority of last weekend’s game with a toe injury) will be fit to face his former employers:

“Romelu, we will keep assessing him. He has reacted well in the 48 hours after the game. At the moment it is too early to know if he will be available at the weekend but I am quite positive with Rom.”

The Scout Says: Saturday’s game is sure to be a momentous and emotional one for Lukaku, as he returns to face the team that froze him out for so long, and as such it seems likely the Belgian striker will push himself to be fit. Should he not make it, or go another appearance without a goal, it could however spell trouble for the 9.0-priced forward, as Fantasy managers may start to eye up other options proving better value for their price tags. One such player might be fellow Toffees frontman Steven Naismith who, at a full 4.0 cheaper than Lukaku, has outscored him by 11 points across the Toffees’ first two fixtures, though the arrival of Samuel Eto’o also affords Martinez extra options in the final third. Pienaar’s absence, meanwhile, should bring Aiden McGeady back into the starting XI for this Saturday’s clash – the Irish international acquired over 25,000 new owners after scoring in Everton’s opening game of the campaign, but then was left out of the starting line-up against Arsenal last weekend.