Friendlies Round-Up – Saturday

With as many as 12 Premier League teams in action over the previous 24-hours, we ‘ve plenty to ponder this morning. Edin Dzeko proves the difference for City again, Kevin Mirallas notches once more for Everton, Jermain Defoe scores a hat-trick in a cruise for Tottenham, Michu nets another for Swansea as Wilfried Bony lays on two assists, while Rickie Lambert climbs off the bench to inspire a Southampton comeback…

Manchester City 1 Sunderland 0
Edin Dzeko grabbed the match-winner for the second game in a row as City clinched the Barclays Asia Trophy with a narrow victory over the Black Cats. Manuel Pellegrini started Alvaro Negredo up top alongside the Bosnian, while the likes of David Silva, Jesus Navas and Samir Nasri were afforded 45 minutes apiece on the flanks as the City boss assessed his options. Pellegrini revealed after the game Navas’ pace out wide could be crucial for his side next term and also spoke highly of Dzeko’s displays after the latter was voted Player of the Tournament; another indication he could be set to feature more than many expected after the recent acquisition of Negredo and Stevan Jovetic:

“He (Navas) gives us something different. On the wing, man-to-man he is a very difficult player to stop. His pace is one of the reasons I brought him here. He can give to the team a lot of choice…Not only in Hong Kong. I have a lot of trust in him (Dzeko). Everyone was talking before I arrived that we will bring in Cavani, Lewandowski, all those players. But I always trusted in Edin Dzeko and he is now playing the way I want. I am sure he will continue improving.”

Pellegrini also confirmed he’s awaiting news on the ankle injury that forced Matija Nastasic off with 15 minutes left to play. The Serbian received a kick in the ankle earlier in the game and was eventually stretchered off after failing to shake off the problem –Joleon Lescott could come back into the equation if the youngster is ruled out for a lengthy absence.

Paolo Di Canio named an unchanged XI from the side that beat Spurs in midweek, with Vito Mannone retaining his place between the sticks, though Kieran Westwood replaced the Italian at the break. The back-four of Craig Gardner, Wes Brown, John O’Shea and Jack Colback were handed 90 minutes apiece and, with Steven Fletcher still unavailable due to an ankle injury, Di Canio’s favoured formation remains a 4-4-1-1, with Emanuel Giacherrini and Adam Johnson on the flanks and Stephane Sessegnon in “the hole” behind Jozy Altidore.

Blackburn 1 Everton 3
The Toffees lined up in a 4-3-3 formation, with Kevin Mirallas and Steven Pienaar flanking Arouna Kone up top. Bryan Oviedo was fielded at left-back after Leighton Baines missed out with a minor injury, while Tony Hibbert and Seamus Coleman were afforded 45 minutes apiece on the opposite side of defence. Mirallas opened the scoring, notching his second in successive games, before he made way at half-time as one of seven changes by Martinez. Nikica Jelavic climbed off the bench to bag a brace for the Toffees – after the game, he was the subject of his manager’s praise, as Martinez admitted there is plenty of competition for the lone forward role:

“He [Jelavic] is desperate to help the team. He has come back fully focused and I thought his work-rate was fantastic and he was a real threat in front of goal. It’s really pleasing when you have got Nikica Jelavic, Arouna Kone and Victor Anichebe, who has been playing really well in the last two games before today. There is Apostolos Vellios as well so that shows you the competition that you want in the squad going forward.”

Eintracht Braunschweig 0 West Ham 3
Sam Allardyce named a strong side as the Hammers registered their sixth win of the summer. Joey O’Brien got the nod at right-back, while elsewhere in defence, Adrian was preferred to Jussi Jaaskelainen in goal, with James Collins, Winston Reid and Razvan Rat making up the rest of the rearguard. Ricardo Vaz Te – fielded as the lone forward last time out – moved to the flank as Allardyce handed Modibo Maiga the chance to impress and the latter made the most of the opportunity, scoring twice and teeing up Momo Diarra for the visitors’ other goal as they grabbed a three-goal advantage prior to the break. Allardyce made eight changes over the second-half, introducing the likes of Kevin Nolan and Matt Jarvis to the proceedings but his side were unable to add to their tally.

South China 0 Tottenham 6
Andre Villas-Boas made just two changes from the side that lost to Sunderland in midweek, with Hugo Lloris and Jermain Defoe replacing Brad Friedel and Emmanuel Adebayor. The Spurs boss rolled out a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Gylfi Sigurdsson and Aaron Lennon on the flanks, Clint Dempsey fielded in “the hole” and Danny Rose once again getting the nod at left-back. Defoe grabbed a hat-trick and an assist in the rout, with Dempsey and second-half substitute Andros Townsend also finding the net, while Spurs’ other strike came courtesy of an own goal from the hosts.

After the game, Defoe admitted he’s more than comfortable with the system as he tries to move ahead of Emanuel Adebayor in the pecking order in a week that has seen Spurs step up their bid for Valencia’s Roberto Soldado:

“We tried it last season and it is a system the manager likes. It’s a system I enjoy because I work both sides. I can work the line and when you have that ‘No 10’ behind you and he comes on the ball, that’s when I come alive and make my runs.”

Cheltenham 1 Cardiff 1
Having rolled out a two-man frontline for the midweek win over Forest Green, Malky Mackay started with his preferred 4-5-1 formation before reverting to a 4-4-2 after the break. The Cardiff boss changed all his outfield players in the second-half, meaning only keeper David Marshall featured for the full 90 minutes for the visitors. Kim Bo-Kyung notched the Bluebirds only goal, courtesy of a Craig Bellamy assist, in a match that saw new right-back John Brayford make his debut after climbing off the bench to replace Matthew Connolly with 30 minutes remaining. From Mackay’s comments post-match, it would appear that Brayford is set to be established in the role over the remaining pre-season matches and into the season kick-off.

“He’s [Brayford] a very attack-minded full-back – the best right-back in the Championship last season, consistently in the divisional team of the season – and I think he can kick on with us at Cardiff City. He can take the step into the Premier League and stay there for a number of years.”

Birmingham 2 Hull 1
Steve Bruce continued with a 3-5-2 formation against his former club, with a back-three of James Chester, Curtis Davies and Maynor Figueroa in front of Allan McGregor. Danny Graham was partnered by George Boyd up top as the Tigers looked to improve upon a pair of goalless draws but despite making seven changes during the second period, their form remains unimpressive – Sone Aluko notched the consolation from the spot, with regular spot-kick taker Robert Koren subbed off at the break.

Crawley Town 3 Crystal Palace 0
It was a day to forget for the promoted sides as Palace also fell to defeat. Having won their previous two games, the Eagles arrived in decent form and with new boys Jerome Thomas, Dwight Gayle and Jose Campana playing together in the same starting XI for the first time, Ian Holloway’s side were hopeful of retaining their 100% pre-season record. Holloway rolled out a 4-4-2, starting with Gayle and Aaron Wilbraham up top, but despite making 11 alterations over the course of the second period, his side were unable to make a breakthrough. After the game, the Palace boss was typically frank in his assessment of his side’s display and admitted he is desperate to bolster his attacking options before the closure of the summer window :

“Well done to Crawley. They looked ready for their season – we’re nowhere near ready for ours. It’s as simple as that. We had lots and lots of chances and we didn’t take one – that might be our problem if I’m not careful. We’ve lost Glenn Murray and Wilf Zaha, I’ve got to do a lot of work to replace them. The first-team that I put out did not do what I wanted. I need to get some players in – the chairman and I have got a meeting on Monday to try and finalise some of these deals or move on. We are playing catch-up and unfortunately we’re at a standard that is pretty relentless.”

Reading 0 Swansea 3
Michael Laudrup’s side made it seven wins from seven in their final match before the third round Europa League qualifiers against Swedish outfit Malmo. Michu was fielded in the role in “the hole” as Wilfried Bony made his first start for the Swans and both played a part in the victory – the Spaniard opened the scoring with his fourth goal of the summer while Bony provided assistd for both Jonjo Shelvey and Pablo Hernandez, with the latter also netting pre-season goal number four. Laudrup made five changes over the second-half, though gave Bony and Wayne Routledge (selected ahead of Nathan Dyer on the right) 90 minutes apiece in a match that saw Chico Flores miss out again due to an ongoing thigh problem, allowing new boy Jordi Amat to partner Ashley Williams in the heart of defence.

Derby 0 West Brom 2
Having trialled 4-3-1-2, 4-3-3 and 3-5-2 in recent friendly matches, Steve Clarke opted for a more conventional 4-4-2 formation for yesterday afternoon’s win. Nicolas Anelka and Shane Long led the line and with Graham Dorrans and Chris Brunt handed the flank roles, James Morrison took his place in central midfield – a more withdrawn position from his typical role in “the hole” last term. Dorrans netted for the second match in succession before Markus Rosenberg (one of only four subs introduced in the second-half) rounded off the scoring with his third of pre-season so far.

The Baggies assistant boss Kevin Keen had plenty to say after the final whistle:

“It terms of tactics and the things we’re trying to work on for the season, it wasn’t bad today. As we go into the next two or three games, we’ll input a bit more in terms of set pieces and formation. But we’re quite pleased with where we are at the moment. With the players we’ve got, 4-4-2 suits us. I think Nico [Anelka] and Shane [Long] can work as a two up front. We see things in training every day and we’re hopeful it could be a good combination. But Markus has also looked really bright during pre-season….I don’t think Steve’s decided ‘this is how we’re going to go for the season. This is my front pairing. This is my midfield four’. For example, we started without Claudio [Yacob] and he’s our defensive rock. It was just good to have a little look without him because at times this year we may be without him.”

Southampton 3 Besiktas 1
The Saints recovered from a midweek loss to Schalke in yesterday evening’s match in Austria. Mauricio Pochettino selected Artur Boruc between the sticks after resting him against the German side, while Calum Chambers started the fourth game in a row at right-back after Nathaniel Clyne picked up a training ground knock. Further up the pitch, Jay Rodriguez led the line, with Guly Do Prado, Adam Lallana and James Ward-Prowse providing the support. After a goalless first-half, Pochettino made a trio of alterations, introducing Luke Shaw, Victor Wanyama and Rickie Lambert to the proceedings and it was the latter who grabbed his side’s first, with Jack Cork supplying the assist. Pochettino made a further four changes as the game unfolded and it was another of his subs, Emmanuel Mayuka, who put the Saints ahead courtesy of a Lambert assist. Shaw also made an impact, supplying the cross for Lloyd Isgrove to notch the third just prior to the final whistle.

FC Dallas 0 Stoke 1
The Potters triumphed in the early hours of Sunday morning courtesy of a first half Jon Walters strike. Walters provided the finish on the end of an Erik Pieters assist to hand Mark Hughes his first pre-season victory following the 2-0 defeat to Houston Dynamo. Hughes made four changes to the lineup that lost that encounter, with Wilson Palacios, Glenn Whelan, Matthew Etherington and Kenwyne Jones all given starting berths against Dallas – five changes were made at half-time as Thomas Sorensen, Marc Muniesa, Charlie Adam, Cameron Jerome and Peter Crouch all saw action. So far, Hughes has opted for a settled defence, lining up with Geoff Cameron and Erik Pieters at full-back with Ryan Shawcross and Robert Huth in the centre. It’s in midfield and attack that the new Stoke boss is clearly looking at options. As a sidenote, Andy Wilkinson saw red late on and, if the referee submits a report as expected, the full-back could now miss the start of the Premier League campaign.

Post-match, Hughes was understandably relieved to claim his first victory and emphasised the change in style he is trying to bring about at the Britannia…

“It’s encouraging that we are trying to get the ball down and pass and move, and create space in the opposition penalty box. We are still getting used to the patterns of play, but I think we have got good players and that is evident in the two games we have played. They are capable of getting the ball down, moving it and creating chances. Tonight was another step forward for us – I feel we are where we would want to be at this stage of pre-season.”