There was bound to be goals at St James’ Park this weekend. No chance of a clean sheet with King Kev’s magic in the air and the Bolton defence in town. Meanwhile, down at Fratton Park, what chance did Benjani have of getting a hat-trick when nobody has been able to find the net for Portsmouth in nine hours? At least you can rely on Ronaldo and Bramble to be predictable. Here’s my notes on the weekend’s funny business…
Birmingham 0 Chelsea 1
Chelsea got the points in a hard-fought encounter at St Andrews. Pizzarro heading the goal from a Belletti corner after replacing Wright-Phillips on the half-hour mark.
Easy one lineup wise this one with both sides naming almost unchanged sides. That meant that McFadden was on the bench with O’Connor partnering Jerome up front in a 4-4-2. Kapo kept his place on the left of midfield. Queudrue was at left-back with new signing Murphy still getting over a hamstring injury.
Birmingham were so unlucky here – creating a handful of good opportunities to break the deadlock before Chelsea finally took the initiative. They’ve had a horrible run of fixtures with United, Arsenal and Chelsea over consecutive games. Things get far easier from here though with a home game with Derby sandwiched between trips to Sunderland and West Ham. They then face Arsenal and Spurs but both at home. The likes of Jerome, Kapo, Larsson and McFadden could certainly be worth a look over the next month then. Be cautious though – McCleish hasn’t finished his business in the transfer window as yet with talk of City’s Samaras among others, arriving. His strongest lineup is far from cut and dry at the moment, although it’s highly likely that McFadden will get starts from this point on.
The one change for Chelsea saw Anelka make an expected debut with Pizarro dropping to the bench. The Chelsea back four were superb with Alex and Carvalho reacting to the arrival of Ivanovic by putting in solid performances in the driving rain. It’s just two goals conceded in the last four Premiership games with two consecutive clean sheets. Chelsea now have thirteen clean sheets for the season.
The injury to Wright-Phillips could well have opened the way for a return for Lampard . However there are reports suggesting that Lampard is still some way off a return. Despite that news, expect some pretty heavy rotation from Grant now on. Although his options are restricted by his African Cup of Nations absentees, he now faces four matches thirteen days and, with the Champions League looming in mid-February, we’re likely to see Grant beginning to introduce Bridge, Ferreira and Ivanovic regularly once more over the next month.
Injuries and Suspensions
Jerome took a knock and limped off on 72-minutes.
Wright-Phillips picked up what looked like an ankle injury and was replaced after just half-an-hour. Grant said after the game that it “wasn’t looking too good”. He’s due to have a scan on Monday.
Blackburn 1 Middlesbrough 1
Blackburn struggled once again at home and were fortunate to see Boro miss countless chances at the other end. Derbyshire saved the points for Hughes after coming off the bench to prod home Robert’s fluffed shot. Boro took the lead early on with a Wheater goal from a delicious Downing delivery from a free-kick.
Hughes made just one change to the Blackburn lineup, dropping McCarthy to the bench and drafting in Roberts after his wonder goal at Bolton. Ooijer kept his place then with Emerton kept on the bench. Pedersen passed a fitness to turn out.
Boro had Arca back from suspension – he came in for Rochemback oly to pick up a knock and be replaced by him for the second half.Woodgate was still sidelined so Wheater and Huth formed the centre-back partnership once again.
Wheater’s goal was his fourth of the season and he also hit the bar in the second-half. He was even used as a decoy at a direct free-kick, indicating that perhaps he even fancies set-piece strikes on goal in the future. Helped by the quality deadball delivery of Downing, Wheater has put himself in the same bracket as Laursen and Lescott as defenders with such a threat in front of goal that it negates their lack of clean sheets. True enough, Wheater’s clean sheet potential is lower than Laursen and Lescott , it’s just four this season for Boro, but then he is also a cheaper option in most fantasy games.
Boro have Wigan, Newcastle and Fulham next in the Premiership – games which should promise opportunities and goals for Boro and perhaps a decent run of games with which to have a look at Wheater as a budget defender.
Injuries and Suspensions
Boro lost Arca to an injury – he was withdrawn at half-time.
Samba earned himself his ninth booking of the season here and is now just one booking away from a 2-match ban.
Fulham 0 Arsenal 3
Arsenal coasted to victory with Adebayor hitting his fourteenth and fifteenth goals of the season before Rosicky volleyed home a third. His return to the lineup for Walcott was the only change to the Arsenal side.
Frustrating this one. While I tipped Adebayor for points I should have been more aware of Fulham’s lack of height at the back and Wenger’s abililty to isolate this weakness and use Adebayor to exploit it. Fulham just couldn’t cope with him while their full-backs failed to cut out the supply from out wide – Hleb and Clichy provided superb crosses for the two opening goals here. Eduardo notched the assist for Rosicky’s third.
Hodgson couldn’t get clearance to start with new signing Hangeland. The towering centre-back will surely help to shore up the defence that looked so vulnerable in the air here. King’s transfer from Watford hit a snag yesterday morning with talk of a failed medical. Hodgson said that the move was still “ongoing” and that he hopes things will be tied up in the next few days.
That meant that Hodgson went with just Dempsey up front then in a 4-5-1. Konchesky was suspended so Hughes came in at centre-back with Bocanegra moving to left-back. Ki-Hyeon came into the midfield on the right with Volz moving back to right-full back and Baird dropping out. Davies moved to left midfield. Smertin made up the extra midfielder with Healy dropping to the bench. Bullard was alongside him.
Injuries and Suspensions
Clichy earned his fourth booking of the season here.
Portsmouth 3 Derby 1
Over nine hours without a goal at home but the Derby defence was on hand to help Portsmouth and particularly Benjani, out with that little statistic. A second hat-trick of the season for Benjani then profiting from two assists from Mendes and another from Hreidarsson. Nyatanga got the Derby goal to open the scoring with Villa earning the assist (despite what the FPL game are currently saying).
Lots of changes in the Portsmouth lineup. Harry had Johnson back at right-back and shifted Pamarot to central defence. Hreidarsson remained at left-back, with Campbell out with a “sore back”. Lauren came in on the right with Mvuemba dropping to the bench. Diarra made his debut in midfield after his move from Arsenal, alongside Mendes in the centre. Hughes dropped to the bench to make way. Nugent kept his place up front with Benjani in a 4-4-2.
Derby had Miller back up front in a 4-4-2. Nyatanga came into the defence with Davis suspended and Mears out injured. Moore was also drafted into the back four. Surprisingly, Barnes dropped to the bench with Fagan preferred on the right of midfield and Savage and Ghaly in the centre.
There’s a temptation to take another good look at Benjani given his form here. However, Portsmouth face United and Chelsea over the next two. Reason enough to sit back and see if this win can give Harry’s side the confidence to go. My bet is they’ll struggle over the next two and pick up again once the Afrcian Cup of Nations players return in February.
Injuries and Suspensions
Fagan picked up his fifth booking of the season here and will miss the Premiership clash with City on 30/1. Mills picked up an injury and was replaced by Lewis after half-an-hour.
Reading 0 Man United 2
A free-flowing game with plenty of chances which was won by the clinical finishing of Rooney and Ronaldo. Reading gave it a real go and United just couldn’t settle under the pressure they exerted but the quality of Rooney, Ronaldo and Tevez prevailed. He provided a lovely chipped pass for Rooney’s opener, while Fletcher’s block set up Ronaldo to run seventy yards and slot the ball home with a Reading defence chasing back forlornly.
Coppell set his stall out with an attacking 4-4-2. Lita partnered Kitson up front who got over a knee problem to take his place in the lineup. Doyle was once again out wide on the right. Hunt tucked into central midfield then with Cisse at the back alongside Ingimarsson. Matejovsky was on the bench but got his debut late on in a central midfield role.
Ferguson brought Hargreaves into his midfield with Anderson dropping out of the sixteen. Giggs dropped to the bench with Park drafted in on the right. Brown returned from suspension to claim the right-back spot.
Things don’t get easier for Reading, with a trip to Stamford Bridge coming next. After that it’s Bolton and Villa at home with a trip to Everton in between. Those fixtures seem to indicated the continuation of a pattern that will see Reading continue to score at one end and concede at the other. Kitson is perhaps the most sensible signing to consider then. For United, fixtures hardly seem to matter. Lineup wise, Brown’s place at right-back will come under threat with Neville possibly being lined up for a return against Spurs. Scholes could also make a return in that game and certainly appears to be in line for return to Premiership action by early February.
I’ve a feeling that Ferguson will rest some names for the FA Cup tie with Spurs. Ronaldo, Rooney and Tevez are all contenders with Giggs, Nani, Fletcher and Park possible starters.
Tottenham 2 Sunderland 0
Spurs were fortunate to see off Sunderland who poured forward in the second-half, laying siege to the Spurs goal. However, goals from Lennon and Keane , with assists from Berbatov and Cerny – sealed the points.
Ramos made a host of changes to the Spurs lineup, perhaps with the Carling Cup semi on Tuesday in mind. He had Berbatov back from flu but kept faith with Defoe and even made him skipper. That kept Keane on the bench. O’Hara played out on the left with Malbranque suspended. Kaboul was out injured and King was also sidelined, so Huddlestone returned from suspension but slotted into the back four. Boateng partnered Jenas in central midfield. Stalteri came in at right-back with Chimbonda dropped to the bench. Cerny was once again in goal with Robinson on the bench.
Defoe’s start and appointment as skipper was a surprise as was the move to drop Chimbonda to the bench and bring Huddlestone back as a centre-back. King was presumably given more rest to prepare for the Carling clash with Arsenal on Tuesday. Cerny’s clean sheet – the first for Spurs in the last five Premiership games, and his assist here will no doubt get him some attention. He, like City’s Hart, is a good cheap option as a keeper. However, his place is not as secure and neither is the Spurs defence. They take on Everton at Goodison and United at the Lane next. Those fixtures will also test the Spurs attack and if there is a time to look for alternatives to Berbatov and Keane, the next two fixtures could be it.
Sunderland brought back McShane into the back four – he came in at right-back which pushed Whitehead into the midfield. Richardson missed out having picked up a hamstring injury in training. Elsewhere they were unchanged and went with a 4-5-1 with just Jones up front and Murphy taking the Richardson role, bombing on from central midfield. Keane changed that for the second-half, replacing Stokes with the fit again Chopra and shifting to a 4-4-2.
Sunderland’s forthcoming fixtures are patchy. A home game with Birmingham and a trip to Anfield don’t scream fantasy points at either end. With Richardson now sidelined for several weeks, Jones remains the only real obvious target in their lineup going forward.
Injuries and Suspensions
Chimbonda earned his fifth booking of the season here and he will miss the FA Cup tie with United next weekend.
Chopra also got his fifth booking for Sunderland and will miss the Premiership game with Birmingham on 29/1.
Newcastle 0 Bolton 0
An anti-climax then but certainly Keegan had few options with which to influence proceedings here. Suspensions and the African Cup of Nations butchered his midfield. That meant that Rozenhal came in as a holding midfielder while Ameobi started up front with Viduka out injured with a calf injury sustained in training. Owen took the captain’s armband.
There was little fluidity from Newcastle then, with very little created by way of chances. Bolton defended in numbers and Newcastle lacked the guile to break them down. It was clean sheet though – only the fourth of the season for the Magpies. Rozenhal certainly caught the eye in the holding midifield role. He looked comfortable on the ball and actually got forward on occasions. Even with the return of Butt and Smith from suspension, Rozenhal could well keep that spot next time out.
Megson handed debuts to Steinsson who came in at right-back and Taylor who came in for Stelios on the left hand side of Davies up front in a 4-3-3. Guthrie kept his place on the right with Joey O’Brien pushed into a midfield three to oust Cohen to the bench. McCann recovered from a knock to replace Campo in midfield who dropped to the bench.
Joey O’Brien and Taylor could be worth exploring as options when Bolton’s fixtures look favourable if they continue to pushed forward of their classified positions. Taylor could certainly be amongst the assists from set-pieces in home games. Bolton need a goalscorer before any serious points look likely however. A home game with Fulham however, certainly appears to offer potential for points all round for Bolton. After this they travel to Reading before hosting Portsmouth.
Wigan 1 Everton 2
Everton move into fourth spot then with a third consecutive victory. Lescott moved up to seven goals for the season with the winner here. Johnson made only his third Premiership start since September – despite that, his goal here was his fifth in that time. A Jagielka own-goal gave Wigan hope in the second-half but Everton remained solid to hold onto the points.
Jewell brought Scharner back into his defence after his suspension. Boyce dropped to the bench. That was the only change in the Wigan lineup.
Everton hadOsman back from a broken toe having been out since mid-December. Johnson returns up front as Moyes shifted to a 4-5-1. Fernandes was on the bench with Anichebe.
The arrival of Koumas for Landzaat gave Wigan the initiative after they’d conspired to give Everton the half-time lead – Bramble, once again culpable with an awful error. Koumas may now have played himself back into the reckoning with a good performance here, although Taylor is likely to be available when Wigan return to Premiership action at Boro at the end of the month. Indeed their fixtures look strong with West Ham, Sunderland and Derby to come after Boro. Any fantasy potential would appear to come from an attacking source with Wigan scoring in their last nine games under Bruce. Bent would appear to be the best option then while the Taylor/Koumas situation is unclear.
The return of Osman and the decision to leave Fernandes on the bench was interesting. Clearly there is fierce competition in the Everton midfield which will only increase once Pienaar makes a return from Ghana in February. Valente once again got the nod at left-back, with Stubbs on the bench and Baines out of the sixteen with an ankle injury. Valente could be worth a punt then as a cheap Everton defender but it would be a risk. Sadly Moyes has so many options with his squad, it’s making fantasy selection difficult. Indeed, it would appear that only Howard,Lescott, Arteta and perhaps Cahill who seem assured of starts.
Those names are certainly worth considering given Everton’s forthcoming fixtures. I like the look of them. Spurs at home, Blackburn away and Reading at home appear to offer plenty of goals for Everton, although clean sheets look unlikely.
Injuries and Suspensions
Heskey was replaced on 52-minutes with a back injury. He’ll have a scan on this on Monday.
Hibbert got his fifth booking of the season here and will miss the game against Spurs on 30/1.
Man City 1 West Ham 1
City preserved their unbeaten home record in what was certainly a better game than the FA Cup replay in midweek. Cole put West Ham in front with a scissor kick from a Ljungberg cross. Vassell prodded the equaliser after Petrov’s cross deflected off Corluka in a packed Hammers box.
Sven was without Castillio after he suffered a fractured shoulder in the FA Cup tie in midweek. He brought Bianchi in up front and moved Vassell out wide. Corluka was once again at right-back with Onuoha on the bench.
Curbishley was forced into making changes. Ashton suffered a back injury in training ground while Etherington also suffered a knee injury. That meant starts for Cole up front and Mullins in midfield.
It’s Derby away next for City, followed by three of the next four at home. Still plenty of value to be had from Hart and the back four then, although in attacking terms it’s all about Petrov. There’s little else on offer with Elano disappointing again today.
West Ham have lost only two of their last eight but in fantasy terms aren’t setting the world alight at either end. They’re not conceding too many goals but haven’t found a clean sheet in seven games. Up front meanwhile Cole did well today but they still clearly lack firepower while Ashton and Bellamy continue to have their injury problems. Ljungberg is at least finding some form in midfield but his potential to fantasy managers is hamstrung by an over inflated value.
Injuries and Suspensions
Vassell picked up a knock and was replaced on the hour mark.
Boa Morte earned his fourth booking of the season here.