Scout Scribbles – Gerrard Sees Reds Through

Steven Gerrard scores twice as Liverpool overcome Wimbledon to reach the fourth round of the FA Cup. Nacer Chadli and Sam Vokes grab a goal apiece as Spurs and Burnley share the spoils at Turf Moor. Sergio Aguero is back in light training for City, whilst Tim Krul and Aaron Ramsey also step up their respective recoveries ahead of the weekend deadline.

 GERRARD DOUBLE DOWNS WIMBLEDON

Brendan Rodgers opted to make for four changes to his Liverpool side for yesterday’s 2-1 FA Cup third round win over League Two outfit AFC Wimbledon. Rickie Lambert returned to the centre-forward role for the first time in six matches as Raheem Sterling was given the night off, whilst Lazar Markovic, Javier Manquillo and Martin Skrtel were all handed starts. Steven Gerrard grabbed both of the Reds’ goals, nodding home a Manquillo cross in the first half before firing in a unstoppable free-kick to send his side through to the next stage of the competition.

It wasn’t all good news for Rodgers yesterday, however, as the Anfield boss confirmed that Adam Lallana is set to miss the next month of action with the thigh injury he sustained against Leicester on New Year’s Day.

The Scout Says: After a dramatic past few days, the stage was certainly set for Gerrard to produce last night, and the soon-to-be-ex-Red duly delivered, with his second brace in as few as four days. The 34-year-old’s contribution looks as vital as ever, and Rodgers will be hoping for more of the same as the Reds prepare to face against Sunderland and Aston Villa. The Lallana news, meanwhile, could potentially force a change of system from Rodgers, with the possibility of pushing Gerrard up into a more advanced role in a 4-2-3-1 clearly an option. Alternatively, the former Swansea manager could choose to move Lazar Markovic or Jordan Henderson into his front three – the latter has returned 15 points in his last two home fixtures, and at just 6.0, could offer great value.

CHADLI SCORES IN CUP STALEMATE

Mauricio Pochettino made seven changes to his starting XI as Spurs were pegged back to a 1-1 draw by Burnley in their FA Cup meeting last night. Federico Fazio, Jan Vertonghen, Cristian Eriksen and Nacer Chadli were the quartet to keep their places, with the latter notching the opener courtesy of a Ben Davies assist.

The Scout Says: With Eriksen’s form continuing to dwindle, Chadli served up a timely reminder of his capabilities last night – at 6.4, the Belgian has grabbed two goals and four assists in his last five appearances in all competitions and looks a viable candidate for our five-man midfields right now. Nonetheless, Harry Kane is undoubtedly still the stand-out option in Spurs’ attack, and having come on at the break against the Clarets last night, is likely to return to the starting line-up against Crystal Palace at the weekend after replacement Roberto Soldado did little to suggest he’s capable of nailing down a starting berth.

CLARETS CLINCH REPLAY

Sean Dyche opted for two changes to his Burnley line-up last night, with midfielder Dean Marney and young full back Daniel Lafferty being introduced. The night belonged to Sam Vokes, however, who climbed off the bench to score his first goal of the season since returning from a serious knee injury.

The Scout Says: Last night’s strike has surely seen Vokes edge ever closer to earning his first start of the current campaign, though with Danny Ings and Ashley Barnes bang in form, it remains to be seen whether Dyche wll be willing to drop either to fit Vokes in. The Clarets certainly have a promising schedule ahead (QPR, CPL, sun, WBA), and should the 5.3-priced Vokes be handed the opportunity to re-establish his dynamic partnership with Ings and rediscover the form that saw him notch 21 goals last term, he could yet blink on our radars as a budget forward option in the latter stages of the season.

AGUERO ON THE ROAD TO RECOVERY
Sergio Aguero took to Twitter yesterday to announce that he has returned to light training and has stepped up his recovery from knee ligament damage:

“I wanted you to know I’ve already started field work. Slowly but surely I’ll be back at the right moment. Thanks for the wishes!”

The Scout Says: With Manuel Pellegrini having originally predicted that his star striker would return in mid-to-late January, it’s uncertain whether Aguero will be back for the Gameweek 22 clash against Arsenal on January 18 or their vital Gameweek 23 trip to Chelsea on the final day of this month. Given the obvious level of interest around his fitness, many Fantasy managers are willing to place their winter Wildcard plans on hold until the Argentine returns to the City fold, and Aguero’s lofty 12.3 price tag will clearly need to be taken into account when restructuring our sides to accommodate his services once again. Stevan Jovetic now looks set to lead the line for City in the meantime, and after his goal and assist last time out, the Montenegrin could be a canny two-week punt prior to pressing the button.

KRUL NEARING COMEBACK

Newcastle caretaker manager John Carver has revealed that Tim Krul is back in training following an ankle injury and could be in contention to face Chelsea on Saturday.

The Scout Says: It’s hard to overstate how important Krul’s return could prove for his side. The Magpies conceded just one goal in his last five appearances, compared to 16 in the eight outings they have completed since he was forced onto the sidelines, and with an extensive injury list and managerial upheaval currently blighting the Tynesiders, a reliable pair of hands in goal couldn’t be more called for. Jak Alnwick’s brief stint as a budget option between the sticks looks set to end imminently, then, though with a trip to Chelsea and clash with Southampton up next for Newcastle, few will be looking at Krul or his defensive team-mates in their immediate transfer plans.

SONG EARNS CAMEROON CALL-UP

West Ham’s Alex Song has been handed a late call-up by Cameroon for the Africa Cup of Nations (ACoN) and will now be unavailable for the Hammers until February.

The Scout Says: Truth be told, Song’s performances in a West Ham shirt this season have easily warranted his call-up from his international side. That will offer Sam Allardyce little consolation, however, with the east Londoners sure to miss the Barcelona loanee’s authority in the middle of the park. With Cheikhou Kouyate also set to leave in midfield and Diafra Sakho – injury depending – joining up with Senegal, the ACoN is hitting the Hammers hard, and Allardyce now faces a tough task to keep his team on the right track at a time when the fixture list (swa, HUL, liv, MNU, sou) turns against them. Indeed, we could see faith in the likes of Stewart Downing and Andy Carroll slip as a result of the seventh-placed side’s deficiencies elsewhere.

WEEKEND RETURN A POSSIBILITY FOR RAMSEY

Arsene Wenger has revealed that Aaron Ramsey has a “little chance” of returning in the Gunners’ weekend clash with Stoke.

The Scout Says: With a goal and assist in his last two league outings prior to picking up a hamstring problem, Ramsey was just beginning to knock on our door as an alternative to Alexis Sanchez in the Gunners’ midfield. The Welshman has struggled with injuries throughout this season, but when fully fit has proved his worth, as two goals and an assist in his first four appearances of the campaign evidences. The Wales skipper is now down to 8.6, and with three excellent home fixtures in his next five (STK, AVL, LEI), there is even a viability to the suggestion of doubling up on Ramsey and Sanchez for the weeks ahead; the recently returned Theo Walcott is another differential option, however.