Scout Notes – Pre-Season Round Up

Eden Hazard nets as Chelsea beat Barcelona, though Diego Costa’s hamstrings are again causing concern. Raheem Sterling and David Silva dazzle as City tear a Vietnam XI apart. Leicester’s Jamie Vardy and Villa striker Libor Kozak both bag braces. West Brom’s front two are in the goals, Watford’s Troy Deeney notches again, whilst Junior Stanislas scores twice as Bournemouth cruise to victory. Here’s a round up of the results over the past couple of days..

Chelsea 2 Barcelona 2 (Chelsea win 4-2 on penalties)

Jose Mourinho’s troops triumphed on penalties for the second time in as many matches to best the La Liga champions. Eden Hazard showcased exactly why he currently boasts the highest ownership (53%) of any player in the Fantasy Premier League, outfoxing a bevy of Barca defenders en route to a toe-poked finish. Gary Cahill headed in the equaliser four minutes from time but had to go off for treatment after taking a heavy blow from the keeper’s fist in the act of scoring. Thibaut Courtois, once again, displayed a propensity for fending off spot-kicks, saving his third in five days.

The Blues were deployed in their favoured 4-2-3-1 set-up, with Courtois positioned behind a back four of Cesar Azpilicueta, Gary Cahill, Kurt Zouma and Branislav Ivanovic. Nemanja Matic and Cesc Fabregas dictated proceedings from the double pivot, while Eden Hazard, Oscar and Brazilian youngster Kenedy (right wing) provided the service for lone frontman Diego Costa.

Speaking on the fitness of his players, Mourinho conceded that both Cahill and Costa will be assessed prior to Sunday’s Community Shield clash with Arsenal:

“Cahill has a chance of a broken nose, maybe yes, maybe no. If no, perfect. If yes, he will get a mask tomorrow to be ready for Sunday! Diego felt a little thing in his hamstring. We believe it is just a feeling, no more than that, but we have to wait.”

Vietnam XI 1 Manchester City 8

Raheem Sterling, Aleksandar Kolarov (free-kick and a penalty) and David Silva bagged a brace apiece as the Sky Blues capped off their tour with a resounding victory over the Golden Stars. Second-half substitutes Marco Lopes and Jose Pozo then applied the finishing touches beyond the hour mark, netting their maiden pre-season goals.

Manuel Pellegrini fielded his troops in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Bacary Sagna, Kolarov and a fit-again Eliaquim Mangala lining up at the back. Sterling, Silva and Jesus Navas formed a powerful trio behind behind Kelechi Iheanacho.

City were without Fabian Delph (hamstring) and Yaya Toure (concussion) – who both suffered injuries during the Real Madrid friendly – while Vincent Kompany is back at base after witnessing the birth of his child. Martin Demichelis has only just started training following his Copa America exploits so was asked to sit out this encounter.

Musing on Raheem Sterling after the demolition job, Pellegrini said that the jet-heeled Englishman brings a new dimension to City’s attack:

“Raheem is a really good player and that’s why we brought him to our team. He has a lot of things we didn’t have in our squad. If you watch the way he played tonight, he has a lot of pace, and I am sure in the future he will demonstrate why we paid so much money for him.”

Norwich City 0 West Ham United 1

Celebrating Carrow Road’s 80th anniversary, the Canaries fell to an unfortunate 1-0 loss when Harry Toffolo diverted a cross into his own net. The likes of Sebastien Bassong, Russell Martin, Youssouf Mulumbu and Lewis Grabban were given a rest, with Alex Neil retaining his favoured 4-2-3-1 set-up. The back five comprised of John Ruddy, Elliot Bennett, Ryan Bennett, Michael Turner and Toffolo. Alexander Tettey and Gary O’Neill occupied the double pivot, while Vadis Odjidja-Ofoe, Andreu and Gary Hooper supplied the ammunition for a lively Ricky van Wolfswinkel.

As for the visitors, Slaven Bilic elected to deploy a blend of experience and youth in both halves, with one eye on Thursday’s Europa League clash. Kevin Nolan, James Tomkins, Matt Jarvis, Diafra Sakho and Morgan Amalfitano were among the senior players given a run-out in the first period. After the break, Mauro Zarate, Enner Valencia and Dimitri Payet operated as a front three, with Mark Noble, Cheikhou Kouyate and Reece Oxford manning the midfield.

Dundee United 0 Everton 2

Ross Barkley and Conor McAleny delivered the goods against the Scottish Premier League outfit, boosting their respective pre-season tallies to two goals apiece. The latter netted with a precise low drive from just outside the area to open the scoring, while the former doubled Everton’s advantage with a calmly converted spot-kick.

Roberto Martinez opted for a 4-2-3-1 set-up, starting Joel Robles behind a back four of Seamus Coleman, John Stones, Tyias Browning and Leighton Baines. Tom Cleverley and James McCarthy mopped up at the defensive midfield berths, while McAleny, Ross Barkley (number ten) and Steven Naismith supported lone striker Romelu Lukaku.

Lukaku was substituted after 32 minutes amid fears that he’d tweaked his hamstring. However, manager Roberto Martinez was quick to allay any fears in his post-match interview, insisting that the Belgian was withdrawn as a precaution:

“Rom has obviously been playing a lot of minutes and it was important for him to get some sort of action. After the first 25 minutes, he was feeling his legs were a little bit too heavy and we didn’t want to take any risks. It’s not a problem at all. I think he got a lot of good work between the two games we’ve had up here, plus the games we had in Singapore. Now we have got a little period before the weekend to make sure he is ready and refreshed.”

Cardiff City 2 Watford 1

The Hornets succumbed to their first pre-season defeat at the hands of the Bluebirds, despite Troy Deeney’s best efforts to salvage a result. The imposing frontman received a 40-yard raking pass from Cathcart and raced on to fire home an equaliser for his third goal of the summer.

Quique Sanchez Flores stuck with the 4-2-3-1 formation that’s served Watford well throughout the close season, fielding Heurelho Gomes behind a rearguard of Allan Nyom, Sebastian Prodl, Craig Cathcart and Daniel Pudil. Valon Behrami and Ben Watson were tasked with shielding the back four, meaning Etienne Capoue was handed an unfamiliar role alongside Odion Ighalo and Jurado in an interchanging trio that supported Deeney. The Hornets’ latest recruit, Steven Berghuis, earned a brief cameo in the dying embers of the tie.

In spite of the result, Flores insisted his side are starting to gel at the back, though the Spaniard was a little less content with his attack:

“In general I am very happy with the team. You can see the shape of our defensive structure in the defensive fazes. In offence we are ready to play but perhaps we have to change velocity in the last third. We need more pace, more final passes and more crosses.”

Wolves 2 Aston Villa 2

Libor Kozak strengthened his case for a starting berth in the wake of Christian Benteke’s decampment, netting a brace that included a searing 20-yard opener. Left-back Jordan Amavi highlighted his attacking potential, too, serving up numerous crosses and through balls for the Czech striker to feed off.

Having lined up his charges in the 4-4-1-1 and 4-3-3 formations prior to this clash, Sherwood switched to a flat 4-4-2 set-up for their trip to the Molineux Stadium – perhaps pre-empting the reported arrival of strikers Dimitar Berbatov and Emmanuel Adebayor. Gabriel Agbonlahor and Kozak formed the strike duo ahead of a four-man midfield of Scott Sinclair, Idrissa Gueye, Ashley Westwood and Leandro Bacuna, while a back four of Alan Hutton, Ciaran Clark, Micah Richards and Jordan Amavi set up guard in front of keeper Mark Bunn. Jordan Ayew donned the Villa strip for his debut at the 77-minute mark.

Walsall 0 West Bromwich Albion 2

The Baggies extended their winning streak to four matches as frontmen Saido Berahino and Brown Ideye both found the scoresheet. It was James McClean (arguably the Baggies’ most impressive performer this summer) who shone the brightest, though, rampaging down the left flank to produce teasing crosses for both goals – the Ireland international started out at left-back but was shifted up to the left flank upon the introduction of Chris Brunt after the break.

West Brom retained their 4-4-2 set-up from the outset, with Berahino partnering Victor Anichebe at the vanguard. Craig Gardener (right-back), Jonas Olsson, Joleon Lescott and James McClean (left-back) proved an able buffer for keeper Boaz Myhill, with a quartet of Stephane Sessegnon, Claudio Yacob, Darren Fletcher and Callum McManaman spanning the midfield.

Gareth McAuley remains sidelined with a calf injury, yet the imminent arrival of Hull centre-back James Chester should compensate for his absence. After the match, Pulis gave an update on his bid for the Tigers defender:

“We’re very, very close so fingers crossed that will be done. I’ve met the lad and had a good chat. I’m hoping we bring him in. He’s a very good young player. He’s the type of player that I like. He’s a strong character, good defender, and he’s got good feet. He’s been brought up well as a Manchester United boy and they have that stamp on them. The people I’ve bought from Manchester United, Darren Fletcher and Ryan Shawcross for example, have been wonderful lads and Chester, from what I can gather from Steve Bruce and the people I’ve talked to in the Welsh camp, seems to be exactly the same. I speak to everybody and I have to make sure they are the right type. We’re really pleased we’ve got him in.”

Burton Albion 1 Leicester City 2

Jamie Vardy notched a seven-minute brace as the Foxes’ superior firepower proved too hot to handle for their League One opponents. The Sheffield-born marskman now boasts three goals in as many pre-season outings, rendering him the top scorer among Leicester’s crowded roster of forwards.

Vardy lined up alongside Andrej Kramaric and Shinji Okazaki in a 3-4-1-2 set-up, with a midfield four comprised of Andy King, Dean Hammond, Christian Fuchs (left wing-back) and Marc Albrighton (right wing-back). Marcin Wasilewski, Robert Huth and 18-year-old Ben Chilwell were the chosen trio of centre-backs. With a clash against Rotherham on tonight’s agenda, Claudio Ranieri handed last night’s XI the full 90 minutes.

Speaking after the match, the Foxes boss praised the form of his frontmen as his side’s fitness starts to pick up:

“I think it’s important for strikers to score goals. Vardy has scored, Kramarić has scored and slowly, slowly I think the other strikers will score as well. I’m very impressed because the tempo is very high. Today we played 90 minutes, which is important and we must now focus for Sunderland now.”

Yeovil Town 0 Bournemouth 3

Eddie Howe explored the depth of his squad at Huish Park, handing starts to those senior players who failed to feature against Nantes last weekend. Junior Stanislas slotted home the opener from the penalty spot after Marc Pugh was felled in the area, before adding a second just after the break. Joshua King rounded off the scoring from a tight angle when the Yeovil keeper botched his attempt at sweeping up.

The Cherries set up in a 4-4-1-1 formation, with a back five of Artur Boruc, Adam Smith, Steve Cooke, Sylvain Distin and Tyrone Mings. Shaun MacDonald,  Eunan O’Kane, Pugh (left wing) and Christian Atsu (right wing) patrolled the midfield behind number ten Stanislas and lone marksman Joshua King. On the injury front, Atsu had to be withdrawn after 30 minutes with a back issue, while MacDonald limped off close to the final whistle following a heavy challenge.