It’s simple. I examine each of this weekend’s games. Look at the team lineups, the manager’s decisions, the injuries and the top performers – then draw some terribly presumptuous conclusions on how this all affects Fantasy Managers. Have a read – you never know, some of it might acutally be useful.

Arsenal 2 Reading 1

Wenger surprsingly elected to drop Bolton 1 Blackburn 2

The only real talking point with Bolton’s team selection was Big Sam’s decision to put Pedersen at left-back over Gardner. Clearly Gardner is not in favour and with Meite returning next time out, it seems likely that Ben Haim will return to left-back with Gardner slipping further down the order. Giannakopoulos played again today but it seems likely that Davies will be fit for Bolton’s next Premiership clash, which should see the Greek dropped to the bench.

For Blackburn McCarthy returned to the lineup and claimed both the goals from the spot. He was partnered by Derbyshire, who appears to be Hughes’ first choice as McCarthy’s foil, although today, Nonda was apparently absent through illness. Dunn came in for the rested Tugay, although Dunn is suspended for Blackburn’s FA Cup Quarter-Final so Tugay will return next week.

Fulham 1 Aston Villa 1

Gareth Barry appears to be back in midfield. Wilfred Bouma returned for Villa today. Barry got the assist for the Carew goal and has to be considered, even though Villa’s penalty supply seems to have dried up recently. Laursen also returned for Villa which means that Cahill was relegated to the bench. However, Laursen left the field with yet another injury, so it’s worth monitoring that situation further before considering selling Cahill. Ridgewell however, has clearly slipped further down the pecking order. Agbonlahor was also on the bench and it appears that O’Neill will rest him now that he has Maloney, Young and Luke Moore at his disposal.

Coleman chose Pearce to partner Bochenegra, Knight failed to make the 16, despite being in the squad. Niemi returned in goal. Coleman continued with Radzinski supporting McBride and there was still no start for Dempsey. However, McBride went off with an injury so there could be changes next time out. The major interest point with Fulham’s selection was the omission of Volz from the squad. Rosenior lined up at right-back and Coleman went with a Diop, Smertin, Brown and Davies midfield. Volz was presumably reseted, although it does look likely that the German will struggle to earn a place back in the Fulham side at either full-back or in midfield.

Liverpool 0 Man United 1

Not too many surprises in the Liverpool lineup. Rafa restored Agger to the centre of defence, dropping Hypia to the bench. Riise played at left-back with Gonzalez wide left in midfield.

United lined up as predicted. Larsson played his last Premiership match, so Saha is set for a run in the side from this point, partiucluarly as Solskjaer is out until April. Rooney went off and had stitches in a gash on his knee. It wasn’t thought that the injury was of a serious nature but Rooney will undergo a scan today to assess the damage. He is a doubt for the Champions League game. Evra was subbed again but didn’t have an injury. That’s 2 consecutive games that Silvestre has replaced Evra midway through the second half – a worrying habit that Sir Alex is developing, as owners of Evra are in danger of missing out on clean sheets.

Newcastle 0 Middlesbrough 0

The lineup in Newcastle’s midfield is getting ridiculously hard to predict. Today, Roeder brought in N’Zogbia, Dyer and Milner. He employed Solano at right-back and played Milner on the right, N’Zogbia on the left. Duff was out of the 16 and Sibierski dropped to the bench. Butt’s forthcoming suspension will shake things up again next time out and it doesn’t seem worth going near Newcastle’s midfield right now, unless you’re the gambling type.

No real surrises for Boro except the fact that Xavier failed to displace Parnaby at right-back, despite recovering from a hamstring injury. He clearly faces a fight to get back in the side.

Portsmouth 0 Chelsea 2

Owners of Wayne Bridge know exactly where they stand now, with Cole returning for today’s game at Portsmouth and set up both goals. There’s clearly little value in keeping Bridge.

For Pompey, both O’Neil and Davis recovered from injury and played. Kanu was preferred to Cole up front and did well. There’s likely rotation with Kanu and Cole, although Lua Lua looks to be a regular starter now.

Sheff Utd 1 Everton 1

Warnock pushed Jagielka into midfield today, pairing Davis and Morgan in central defence. They’ve both returned from injury and suspension respectively and Warnock now seems likely to keep faith with this pairing, although Morgan broke his nose in today’s game and could be a dobut next time out. Jagielka the midfielder is obviously a more attractive option, giving him increased opportunity for assists and efforts on goal. He’s also still on pens for the Blades. Elsewhere, Gillespie was kept on the bench today, despite his return from injury. Warnock clearly fancies the pace of Kazim-Richards on the right, so it’s clearly not time to reconsider Gillespie as a bargain option in midfield.

Everton were unchanged which meant Stubbs, Hibbert and Osman remained on the bench. Cahill went off on 55 minutes and we now know that he’s out for the season. One interesting note here – Arteta took the penalty even though Johnson was on the pitch. The penalty taking at Everton seems a little random now. Arteta clearly argued with Johnson last week at Watford when Johnson eventually took the kick. This week however, Arteta got the job. Are they alternating?

Man City 0 Wigan 1

Having recommended Trabelsi, with City have matches in a Premier League gameweek, he appears to have had a stinker against Wigan. The Tunisian was lucky to get away with just a yellow card for dragging back Valencia and was substituted by Pearce after just 32 minutes. The only good news for owners of Trabelsi is that he’s not injured. Samaras was replaced by Mpenza today and the Belgian striker now seems likely to start in place of the ineffectual Greek in the Cup quarter final.

No surprises for Wigan. They were unchanged today. Folan is clearly emerging as a very decent buy – much like Stead’s run at Blackburn in 2005 – Jewell has plundered the lower leagues to find a striker that’s getting the goals to keep them up. Folan is obvioulsy worth looking at if you’re looking for budget striker.

Watford 2 Charlton 2

Boothroyd shook things up a little by starting with Priskin and Williams. Henderson and Cavalli dropping to the bench. Both appeared second-half. Lee continued in goal as Foster failed his fitness test.

Charlton lined up as expected with Young switching to left-back and Sankofa coming in at right-back. Hasselbaink’s substitution at half-time is the only real point of interest. Pardew clearly doesn’t fancy him and, when Marcus Bent is fit, it’s pretty clear he’ll be included unless of course, Pardew adopts a 4-5-1 when Reid returns.

West Ham 3 Tottenham 4

Incredible game which, in all likelihood, saw West Ham throw away their Premiership status in the space of two minutes. Things began well for the Hammers. They welcomed back Neil and Upson to their defence, Neil playing right-back and Upson replacing Davenport. Interesting that, despite what the tabloids will have us believe, Curbishley kept faith with Ferdinand. He also kept faith with Konchesky who remained at left-back. Mullins was dropped with Noble coming in. The young midfielder rewarding the faith put in him with the first Hammers goal. Up front, Curbishley opted for a Harewood/Tevez combination and saw Tevez respond with a sparkling performance capped with a goal and 2 assists. Zamora came off the bench and scored however so there’s a slight selection headache for the the Blackburn game. Aside from the result, the bad news for the Hammers were the injuries to Upson and Quashie. The latter, in particular, looked serious and could result in a lengthy absence.

For Spurs the main interest point, in terms of team selection, was the return of Huddlestone on the bench. He came on for Ghaly at half-time but now faces a battle with Zokora and the Egyptian to win his place back in the side. Overall, Spurs continued their form – it’s their 4th win in a row and following the Cup Quarter-Final at Chelsea, they have 2 home games against Watford and Reading in the Premiership. Berbatov, Defoe and Lennon are all certainly worth considering while Spurs’ momemtum continues. Jenas should also join that list of players to consider, however, he was withdrawn today with a groin injury so it’s best to hold fire with him until we learn more on its severity.

Injuries

The following players were substituted with injuries today. Details on the severity of this injuries to follow.

Boyce (WIG) substituted with an injury on 77 minutes
Cahill (EVE) substitued with an ankle injury on 44 mintues. Broke his 5th metatarsal and is out for the season.
Morgan (SU) substitued with broken nose on 82 mintues
Rooney (MUN) substituted with a knee injury on 72 minutes. Will undergo scan and appears to be doubtful for Champions League game on on Wednesday.
McBride (FUL) sustituted on 80 minutes
Laursen (AVL) substituted on 55 minutes with a hamstring injury
Upson (WHM) substituted on 11 minutes
Quashie (WHM) substituted on 77 minutes with what looked like a serious injury
Jenas (TOT) substituted on 55 minutes with a groin injury