Scout Scribbles – Shawcross Close to Potters Return

Ryan Shawcross and Remy Cabella step up their injury recoveries after returning to training. Ashley Young is doubtful for the Red Devils’ pivotal encounter with Spurs. Nigel Pearson prepares to roll out his five-man defence at the King Power Stadium, and Radamel Falcao’s United career plummets to new depths.

Shawcross pushing for weekend comeback

Stoke City captain Ryan Shawcross is hopeful of being passed fit for the weekend Midlands derby against West Bromwich Albion. The 27-year-old centre-back has been recuperating from a back complaint sustained against Queens Park Rangers at the end of January. Speaking to the club’s official website, Shawcross played down the severity of the injury and explained that he was poised to step up training throughout the week with a view to being ready for the Baggies clash:

“I’m training again now and all being well I will step it up a bit over the next couple of days. I would love to be available on Saturday.I suppose it will all depend upon how I react to training and what the manager and the medical team think about it – they will have the final say. It’s an injury I picked up a while ago but I played on and it was feeling ok, but then I had a little slip in the game against Queens Park Rangers and it didn’t feel right. Thankfully it isn’t something that is too serious, it has just been a case of having a couple of injections and resting it up. Hopefully that has done the trick. It’s been five or six weeks since I last played and it has been difficult being out for so long. When you are out there putting your body on the line every week you just have to accept that sometimes you do pick up niggles.”

The Scout Says: The Potters have performed admirably in their skippers’ absence, recording three wins and a draw, with their only defeat arriving at the hands of champions Manchester City. Furthermore, they’ve shut out the opposition in their last two outings, even restricting Hull City to a solitary attempt on goal in Gameweek 27. With Philipp Wollscheid forced off on 16 minutes with a groin injury during the previous Gameweek’s win over Everton, Mark Hughes will undoubtedly be desperate for his captain to return, though if Wollscheid is sidelined for any period of time, Marc Wilson, at 4.3, could be set for a further run of starts, having appeared in the first XI in each of the last three league outings.

Cabella back in training

Remy Cabella has returned to training after a knee injury kept him sidelined for Newcastle’s last three league fixtures. The French midfielder could be made available for the Magpies’ Gameweek 29 clash away to Everton.

The Scout Says: Cabella has been far from the dominant creative influence many Toon fans hoped he would be in the wake of Yohan Cabaye’s decampment to Paris Saint-Germain, only mustering two assists so far in his debut Premier League campaign. That being said, the underlying stats suggest that recent outings for the 25-year-old have been more productive. Between Gameweek 1 and 20, Cabella fashioned 20 attempts on goal, created 23 chances and executed three through balls. While in his last five appearances for the Tynesiders, the Montpellier academy product scored his only goal, tallied 10 goal attempts, nine key passes and, again, three through balls – an indication, perhaps, that he’s growing in stature as the season progresses. His potential return, allied with Papiss Cisse’s seven-match suspension, could see John Carver move away from the recent 4-4-2 formation to accommodate the Frenchman in the attacking midfield three of a 4-2-3-1 system.

Liverpool’s long wait for FA Cup replay

Liverpool’s FA Cup quarter-final replay against Blackburn Rovers has been confirmed for a 7.45pm kick off on Wednesday 8 April. Due to UEFA regulations that stipulate domestic league and cup fixtures can’t run concurrently with European matches, the Reds’ trip to Ewood Park couldn’t be scheduled sooner.

The Scout Says: Liverpool’s cup replay falls between an away clash against Arsenal on April 4 and a visit to Newcastle on April 13. The fact that the Merseysiders Gameweek 32 match against the Toon takes place on a Monday – as opposed to Saturday April 11 – affords Brendan Rodgers’ men an extra two days rest following their midweek exploits, reducing the likelihood of substantial rotation. As we mentioned earlier in the week, a blank Gameweek 33 and double Gameweek 34 potentially awaits Liverpool if they progress into the FA Cup semi-finals.

Pearson keeping faith in five-man defence

Leicester City manager Nigel Pearson will employ a five-man defence for the first time at home this season when Hull City roll up to the King Power Stadium on Saturday. The Foxes boss has adopted the three-centre-back formation for their last four road ties and is adamant that the system doesn’t discourage attacking play:

“Formations are not the be all and end all. We have got some Premier League know-how out there now and it has also freed up some of our more creative players. I am not saying it is going to be the only way to go but it has proved to be a decent system.”

Leicester centre-back Matthew Upson echoed his manager’s sentiments, insisting that recent away performances have illustrated the set-up’s merits:

“I think this system is good and we have used it in some tough away games. It is interesting because we haven’t really used it at home yet. I think in the games we have played it in have been the right choice. The performances have maybe shown that, if not the results.”

The Scout Says: On the face of it, Pearson’s claims that their five-man defence is an effective system aren’t lent any credence by their recent away record. The Foxes have shipped nine goals in the four fixtures he’s fielded three centre-backs, while at home – where a four-man defence has been adopted – they’ve only conceded four in as many outings. However, Leicester’s recent road schedule has been as unforgiving as they come, with trips to Manchester City, Everton, Arsenal and Manchester United. Indeed, holding the Sky Blues to two goals at the Etihad and narrowly losing 2-1 to a buoyant Gunners outfit is no mean feat. Doubtless Upson and Robert Huth are strong advocates of the extra central defender, having started in Leicester’s last three sucessive road clashes. From a Fantasy perspective, Pearson’s system has still allowed Jeffrey Schlupp to operate on the left of a four-man midfield – with four goals to his name already in all competitions, the 4.5-priced defender faces seven home matches in the last 11 Gameweeks to benefit from his out of position berth.

Falcao’s United career hits rock bottom

£6 million loan signing Radamel Falcao lined up for the Manchester United Under-21s as they faced off against Tottenham Hotspur at Old Trafford, lasting 72 minutes before being substituted.

The Scout Says: The Colombian striker had a dismal evening for the youth team, failing to exert his influence and even getting in the way of two goalbound shots from the hosts. Ironic cheers are said to have accompanied Falcao’s departure from the field, as he offered little reason for Louis van Gaal to hand him a start against Spurs on Saturday.

Oxlade-Chamberlain could face month out

According to initial reports, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain could face up to four weeks on the sidelines after straining his hamstring in Arsenal’s 2-1 FA Cup victory over United. The 21-year-old winger is set to undergo further medical checks before a conclusive diagnosis is provided.

The Scout Says: If indeed Oxlade-Chamberlain is ruled out for a month, he’ll potentially miss home ties against West Ham and Liverpool, and visits to Newcastle and Burnley, as well the return leg against Monaco in the Champions League. The former Southampton starlet has bagged a goal in the Gunners’ previous two cup clashes and looked to be building momentum following a lengthy injury layoff. As a byproduct of Oxlade-Chamberlain’s absence, Theo Walcott or Danny Welbeck might be able to clock more minutes and forge a way back into the side due to reduced competition on the flanks.

Matic back for PSG duel

Speaking in his pre-Champions League press conference, Jose Mourinho confirmed that Nemanja Matic had recovered from an ankle knock sustained in the Blues’ Capital One Cup final celebrations, with John Obi Mikel the only absentee for their last-16 encounter against Paris Saint-Germain.
The Scout Says: Matic’s return is likely to spell the end of Kurt Zouma’s recent stint as a defensive midfielder for the Blues. The youngster was fielded alongside Cesc Fabregas in each of the last two as a result of Matic’s two-match ban – allowing Gary Cahill to partner John Terry in defence – but with Matic available, Zouma could shift into the back-four again, with Cahill dropping to the bench. Zouma has started each of the last seven home matches in all competitions ahead of this weekend’s Stamford Bridge showdown with Southampton.

Young doubtful for Tottenham tie

Ashley Young picked up a knock in United’s Fa Cup defeat to Arsenal last weekend and is a doubt for their league clash against Tottenham this weekend. The ex-Villa winger will undergo medical assessment at the Red Devils’ Carrington training facilities to determine the extent of the injury.

The Scout Says: Although Young has been handed sporadic starts by Van Gaal this campaign, the 29-year-old’s versatility on the flanks – either as a wing-back or traditional wide man – has been a useful tool in the Dutch manager’s arsenal. A potential injury setback would come at an unfortunate time for Young – in light of his winning goal against Newcastle in the previous Gameweek – and for the team itself in the wake of Angel Di Maria’s needless one-match suspension. Given that Young and Di Maria started on the flanks against Arsenal on Monday, Louis van Gaal has a major dilemma out wide, with Juan Mata and Adnan Januzaj perhaps set for a rare start in the pair’s absence.