Scout Notes – Pre-Season Round-Up

Chelsea end Liverpool’s summer winning streak thanks to a Gary Cahill header. Andre Ayew is amongst the goals again as Swansea breeze past Swindon, Bojan Krkic fires Stoke to victory against Orlando City, whilst Sunderland’s Joel Asoro and Palace’s Freddy Ladapo take their chance to impress.

Chelsea 1 Liverpool 0

Gary Cahill earned the Blues a narrow win in a bad-tempered affair that saw Cesc Fabregas red-carded for a shocking two-footed challenge and five Liverpool players cautioned earlier this morning.

Antonio Conte continued with a 4-2-4 formation, allowing Willian and Victor Moses the flank roles on either side of Bertrand Traore and Ruben Loftus-Cheek, whilst Fabregas partnered Nemanja Matic in the heart of midfield.

Fabregas provided the assist for Cahill’s tenth-minute winner before blotting his copybook midway through the second period. Despite losing the Spaniard, Conte made just four alterations and replaced each of his front quartet as the match unfolded – this saw new boy Michy Batshuayi earn minutes off the bench along with the likes of Pedro and Juan Cuadrado.

Liverpool tasted defeat for the first time this summer, having previously won all four of their friendlies.

Jurgen Klopp started with Sadio Mane, Philippe Coutinho and Roberto Firmino as a front three, with the latter having a goal ruled out for offside before making way just after the hour-mark. The Merseysiders made nine alterations after the break but were unable to capitalise on their one-man advantage after Fabregas was sent packing on 70 minutes.

New centre-half Ragnar Klavan started alongside the likes of Dejan Lovren and Alberto Moreno in the back-four and the Reds boss confirmed that the former did not suffer any injury as a result of the challenge that led to Fabregas’ dismissal.

The German also went on to reveal that he reckons Joel Matip will be fit for the start of the upcoming campaign as the Cameroon international steps up his recovery from an ankle complaint:

“I expect him to start the season. But for this, he has to train a little bit more. The first two-and-a-half weeks were really good, he became better and better and then he was out. Now I think it is a week or more he has been out. He was in a training group today and hopefully he can be back in team training as soon as possible. The season start at this moment is not in doubt.”

Klopp also rolled out an injury update on midfielder Marko Grujic, who was subbed off at the break with concussion:

“The biggest problem for me in this moment is that Marko Grujic is in hospital, because he can’t remember anything. That’s not too cool. Hopefully it’s not too serious but of course a young boy in this situation is not too cool. Injuries after games like this in pre-season is the biggest problem obviously.”

Chelsea XI: Begovic; Aina, Cahill, Terry, Azpilicueta; Fabregas, Matic; Willian (Pedro 67),Traore (Batshuayi 67), Loftus-Cheek (Chalobah 72), Moses (Cuadrado 67).

Liverpool: Karius, Randall (Milner 64), Lovren (Wisdom 64), Klavan, Moreno (Alexander-Arnold 82), Stewart (Brannagan 82), Ejaria (Henderson 64), Grujic (Lallana 45), Mane (Markovic 64), Coutinho (Ojo 64), Firmino (Ings 64).

Dijon 2 Sunderland 3

Youngster Joel Asoro was the star of the evening as the Black Cats maintained their 100% summer record in France last night.

With Jermain Defoe still sidelined due to a groin injury, Asoro was handed his first start for Sunderland, with David Moyes fielding Fabio Borini and Wahbi Khazri out wide in a front three. The teenager opened the scoring and teed up Khazri for his second of the summer before making way for Duncan Watmore just after the hour-mark.

Watmore – who netted twice at the weekend – was brought down for a spot-kick, which Borini duly converted to chalk up another win for the Wearsiders.

The fit-again Jan Kirchhoff returned to action and played from start to finish in his first appearance of the summer. After being utilised as a centre-half at the weekend, the versatile Jack Rodwell started at right-back as Billy Jones dropped to the bench.

After the match, first team coach Robbie Stockdale admitted the club won’t take any chances with their top scorer Defoe:

“Jermain picked up a little thigh strain in one of the sessions. It won’t be a long injury and I’m sure Jermain will be keen to be fit for the first game of the season, and we are as well. At the moment it’s probably too early to say and we don’t think it’s anything serious, but obviously with a player like Jermain you don’t to take any risks”.

Stockdale was a lot more optimistic on the fitness of Patrick van Aanholt, though, after the left-back was forced off injured early on in the second period:

“At the break Patrick felt some groin tightness but he said he’d have a go and see if it would loosen off. There is absolutely no major issues there; whether we risk him on Saturday will depend on how he settles down over the next couple of days, but he will be fit for Borussia Dortmund.”

Sunderland XI: Pickford; Rodwell (Jones 62), Kone, Kaboul, Van Aanholt (T Robson 53); Cattermole (E Robson 71), Kirchhoff, Lens; Borini, Asoro (Watmore 62), Khazri (N’Zogbia 79).

Wimbledon 2 Crystal Palace 3

Substitute Freddy Ladapo played a pivotal role as Palace chalked up a second win in the space of 48 hours last night.

Connor Wickham grabbed the Eagles opener, courtesy of a Zeki Fryers assist, before the youngster emerged from the bench to tee up Yannick Bolasie and then net the winner thanks to a cross from Ben Wynter.

Having started against Colchester on Monday evening, Andros Townsend was afforded a 30-minute run-out as a second-half sub, whilst Jason Puncheon was fielded in the double-pivot alongside Mile Jedinak.

Although Pape Souare returned to action for the first time this summer, Alan Pardew was without James Tomkins, Wilfried Zaha, James McArthur and Bakary Sako due to injury last. The Palace boss is now sweating on the fitness of Fraizer Campbell, who was replaced by Ladapo just two minutes after the interval after picking up a muscle problem.

Palace XI: Speroni, Kelly (Binnom-Williams 79), Dann (Wynter 72), Delaney (Croll 67), Fryers (Souare 46); Jedinak (Boateng 72), Puncheon (Mutch 79); Kaikai, Bolasie (Lee 72), Campbell (Ladapo 47), Wickham (Townsend 60).

FC Twente 1 Southampton 2

Southampton recorded a third straight win under new manager Claude Puel thanks to goals from Virgil van Dijk and substitute Sam Gallagher.

Dusan Tadic recovered from a minor leg problem to take his place in the Saints’ XI and supplied the assist for Van Dijk’s opener. The Serbian was fielded just behind front pair Charlie Austin and Jay Rodriguez, with new boy Pierre Emile-Hojbjerg afforded his first start at the base of the midfield diamond. Post-match, the latter’s displays at both ends of the pitch earns the praise of the local press.

Jose Fonte, Cedric Soares, Shane Long, Fraser Forster, Ryan Bertrand and Steven Davis were not selected as Puel allows them to build up their match sharpness after featuring in Euro 2016.

Nathan Redmond replaced Austin at the break and bearing in mind both the former Norwich man and Rodriguez are listed as midfielders in Fantasy Premier League (FPL), Puel’s preferred starting XI is clearly worth keeping an eye on as we assemble our 15-man squads.

Southampton XI: Lewis; Martina (Valery 62), Yoshida (Jones 62), Van Dijk, (Stephens 62), McQueen (Targett 46); Clasie (Ward-Prowse 46), Hojbjerg (Hesketh 62), Reed (Romeu 46), Tadic (Gallagher 62), Austin (Redmond 46), Rodriguez (Isgrove 62).

Swindon 0 Swansea 3

Mo Barrow grabbed a goal and two assists as Swansea swept aside Swindon to chalk up a second win in four days.

After both sides went in goalless at the break, Francesco Guidolin’s decision to make eight alterations to his XI proved the difference. Barrow needed just five minutes to set up fellow sub Andre Ayew – fielded up front once again – to net his second goal in as many appearances.

With Gylfi Sigurdsson and the Swans’ Euro 2016 contingent still yet to feature, Barrow was handed a share of free-kick duties and provided the assist as Jay Fulton extended the visitors’ lead on 55 minutes. Barrow then supplied the finish after being played through by Jefferson Montero, who was featuring for the first time this summer.

Swansea (first-half): Tremmel; Naughton, Fernandez, Van der Hoon, Kingsley; Fulton, Cork; Dyer, Gorre, Routledge; McBurnie.

Swansea (second-half): Tremmel; Rangel, Roberts, Amat, Van der Hoon; Fulton, Fer; King; Barrow, Ayew, Montero

Orlando City 1 Stoke 2

Goals from Mame Biram Diouf and Bojan Krkic earned the Potters their first win of the summer in the early hours of this morning.

Mark Hughes opted for a 3-4-3 formation, which saw the fit-again Ryan Shawcross play as part of a back-three alongside Phillip Wollscheid and Marc Muniesa. Glen Johnson and Erik Pieters (priced at 5.0 and 4.5 in FPL respectively) were fielded as wing-backs, with Marko Arnautovic and Bojan playing as inside forwards behind Diouf.

Johnson supplied the assist for the Senegal international’s opener, which was his second in as many matches, before Charlie Adam teed up Bojan – who comes in at 6.0 and is classified as a midfielder this time around – to fire home the winner from 25 yards out.

Stoke XI: Butland; Shawcross, Wollscheid, Muniesa; Johnson (Bardsley, 66), Adam, Imbula (Shenton, 82), Pieters; Bojan (Joselu, 66), Diouf (Crouch, 66), Arnautovic (Lecygne, 71).