In a weekend marred by the Eduardo injury, Ronaldo reminds us yet again that you just can’t ignore his genius, Torres reminds us that braving rotation might just be worth it and Spurs remind us that they used to win things by err…actually winning something.
Birmingham 2 Arsenal 2
McCleish made just one change to the side that drew at Upton Park last time out – leading scorer Kapo returned on the left of midfield for McSheffrey who dropped from the sixteen.
Wenger was forced to make two changes – Eboue served the first of a 3-match ban here, while Toure was sidelined with a calf injury. Walcott and Senderos came into the lineup. The other change was unforced and saw Almunia come back from a thumb injury and illness to return in goal for Lehmann. Rosicky and Diaby were both still sidelined.
McFadden has clearly emerged as the Birmingham player to watch. He’s made four full appearances for his new side and has 3 goals to his name in the process. As well as penalties, McFadden has clearly been handed the free-kick responsibilities so while his star is rising, Kapo’s has dwindled. Before McFadden’s arrival he had a hand in both spot-kicks and free-kicks.
For Arsenal, Flamini and Hleb again took the bonus points from Fabregas. Hleb has received bonus in six of his last seven Premiership appearances while Flamini has scored 8 bonus points in the last four games. It’s almost as if those dishing out the FPL bonus points are purposely compensating for months of Fabregas-fancying. Despite this, Fabregas still sits top of the leader board for bonus points with thirty two for the season.
I’ve written more elsewhere on the Fabregas situation so I won’t go into detail on that again here. As for Hleb and Flamini – they clearly offer excellent alternatives in this Arsenal midfield if you were looking to offload the Spaniard. Meanwhile, Walcott’s goals coincided with Eduardo’s injury and should hand the young Englishman a chance to step up over the next few weeks – at least while Van Persie remains on the sidelines. Wenger has remarked that he doesn’t see the Dutchman returning for the Milan game on March 4, so that could and should see Walcott start against Villa at the very least.
Arsenal may well have had a bad week but don’t go jumping ship with them just yet. Adebayor still contributed an assist here to keep his tally ticking over and their forthcoming games aren’t bad. Villa at home, Wigan away and Boro at home will test them – particularly Villa next weekend, but it should be three wins from three there. Clean sheets may not be easy to come by in those three games though – all three sides are scoring right now. Also bear in mind, in terms of clean sheets, that Arsenal follow the Boro game with Chelsea away, Bolton away, Liverpool at home and United away.
Injuries and Suspensions
Taylor will serve a 3-match suspension for the tackle on Eduardo. To be honest, there’s a dobut that we’ll see him in a Birmingham shirt again this season given the attention his challenge and the awful Eduardo injury has had.
Eduardo will apparently be out for around 9-months with the injury, so he could make a return before Christmas.
Fulham 0 West Ham 1
Hodgson handed a start to McBride up front, his first since August 15. Nevland dropped to the bench to make way as Kamara kept his place – shifting to the right of midfield to cover the absence of Davies. Dempsey came back into the side and lined up on the left. Hughes came back into central defence in place of Baird. Eddie Johnson made his first appearance in a Fulham shirt, arriving from the bench on 76-minutes.
Curbishley shifted Ljungberg to the left and brought in Faubert on the right of midfield. Noble returned to central midfield having missed out last weekend with a knock. Boa Morte came in to partner Cole up front with Ashton dropping to the bench.
A bitter blow Fulham’s survival hopes – Hodgson’s side have now scored just twice in six games. Bullard was once again at the heart of Fulham’s attacking play but couldn’t influence the game to the same degree he did against Villa earlier in the month. He’ll remain the only real source of attention from fantasy managers in the coming weeks, but fixtures against United at home and Blackburn away, don’t appear to present many opportunities for the midfielder to contribute. After this however, a run of games see Fulham take on Everton, Newcastle, Derby, Sunderland and Readng. That run is likely to decide Fulham’s fate and appears to be a decent stage to renew interest in Bullard.
This was only West Ham’s second clean sheet in 11 Premiership games. Having said that the defence has been performing well of late – they’ve conceded just 4 goals in the last 6. That kind of form will turn some attention the way of Green in goal and Upson and McCartney in the back four, particularly with a double gameweek coming next. West Ham’s fixtures aren’t kind however. They face Chelsea and Liverpool in this gameweek before travelling to Spurs the weekend after. A home game with Blackburn could offer better opportunities for clean sheets but this is followed by consecutive away games at Everton and Sunderland which will be tough.
Their attacking players appear to be better options then, with Ljungberg the most obvious target. He drew a blank here after being amongst points in recent weeks. It’s remains to be seen if he can cope with three games in seven days, so there is a doubt over him turning out in both games in this double gameweek.
Solano’s goal from the bench is likely to see him get at least one start this coming week, so he could be worthy of some attention given his influence at set-pieces. Cole up front is another option. He gained all three FPL bonus points here although one factor to consider here however is the likely return of Zamora. He is targeting a return against Chelsea at the weekend, should his appearance for the reserves tonight go without any problems. Noble is another option, although with Solano likely to figure in one of the two games, Noble could miss out on penalties and free-kicks.
Injuries and Suspensions
Andreasen will face a one-match ban for seeing red in this game. He’ll miss the United game next weekend. Davies will be back from his ban to compensate.
Liverpool 3 Middlesbrough 2
Rafa made just one change to the side that saw of Inter by bringing Arbeloa into his back four alongside Hyypia to replace Carragher who was serving a one-match ban. Skrtel was available but left on the bench – presumably with doubts over his match fitness and with Liverpool’s busy programme in mind.
Southgate brought Tuncay back into his side after three weeks on the sidelines. Mido dropped to the bench to make way. Elsewhere Pogatetz continued at centre-back with Huth saved for the FA Cup replay with Sheffield United in midweek – Wheater is suspended for that game.
Liverpool looked fragile at the back once more, despite coming into this game on the back of two straight clean sheets. Carragher’s absence was undoubtedly a contributing factor so there’s still value likely to be had from Reina and the defence for the double fixture in the current gameweek and for Liverpool’s forthcoming run of games that find them at home three times in the next four games.
It’s difficult to predict who will play out both the Bolton and West Ham games, particularly with Agger due for a return. Each one of the back four is under threat of rest and rotation. Certainly it’s unlikely that Hyypia will have the legs for three games in seven days so Skrtel looks odds on for at least two the next three, Arbeloa and Finnan could rotate at right-back, Aurellio/Arbeloa/Riise at left-back. Agger is wildcard but has to be considered but if I had to predict one defender that’s likely to line up in the next three games, it has to be Carragher having sat this one out. To be absolutely certain of Liverpool clean sheets over the next three – only Reina offers a guarantee.
In attacking terms, I got it badly wrong in the picks by going for Gerrard over Torres. The Spaniard justified his number two spot in my current rankings with another superb display of goalscoring talent. He’s now notched nine goals in his last nine Premiership starts. It’s hard to see how Rafa can risk resting him for the the West Ham game so owners of Torres should be able to bank on two appearances this week, making him a very strong contender for FPL captain. Gerrard meanwhile came away with a pair of FPL bonus points but his record of just one goal in the last eight Premiership games is a worry. He’s another strong candidate for the FPL captaincy but managers will need more than bonus points from him over the two games to justify it.
Boro will be encouraged by the display at Anfield. Once again they showed imagination and ambition in attack and Downing’s assist and goal here may well be a sign of things to come. Alves is not far from his first start and Aliadiere’s 3-match suspension (pending an appeal) could well push that full debut forward a week.
Boro play Reading at the weekend, a side that is shipping goals – a perfect platform for an Alves debut. His arrival in the starting lineup should provide a further catalyst for Downing assists, although Alves may impact on his role at set-pieces and penalties. Regardless, with home games with Reading and Derby in the next five, expect to see Downing enter the midfielder rankings when they’re updated early this week – he could also be pushing for this week’s scout picks.
Injuries and Suspensions
Aliadiere will serve a three-match ban for seeing red in this game. He’ll miss the Cup replay in midweek, the Reading game next weekend and the trip to Villa that follows. Young will also miss that one after picking up his fifth booking here.
Newcastle 1 Man United 5
Keegan brought Faye back into his lineup with Cacapa dropping to the bench. N’Zogbia also made a return after serving a one-match ban at Villa Park. Carr dropped out with a knock. Elsewhere Newcastle were unchanged with Geremi, Ameobi and Carroll on the bench.
Ferguson recalled Carrick and Fletcher to the midfield with Scholes and Anderson dropping to the bench. Nani moved to the right wing with Giggs out of the sixteen. Tevez was recalled up front to partner Rooney. Saha joined O’Shea on the bench.
It was another superb performance by United, aided by abject defending from a Newcastle side that’s desperately low on confidence. It’s almost impossible to find anything in the their lineup to tempt fantasy managers. Indeed, it’s actually worth looking out for Newcastle’s fixtures right now in order to scout for players within the opposition lineup. Keegan’s side hosts Blackburn next before travelling to Anfield. Both of those games certainly promise goals for the opposition on the evidence of this game.
United meanwhile continue their pursuit of leaders Arsenal, with Ferguson rotating his troops to good effect here. Ronaldo broke the hearts of those who looked elsewhere for their FPL captain but chipping in with another two goals and an assist. Despite two consecutive blanks before this, he’s hit eight goals in the last six Premiership games.
United’s FA Cup Quarter-Final and Bolton’s UEFA Cup tie on March 13 sees them miss a Premiership fixture in gameweek 29 which will at least get FPL managers thinking about alternatives to “Captain Ron” for that week. Even in this current gameweek, with Gerrard and Torres facing a double fixture, it’s almost a gamble to deny Ronaldo his usual status.
Elsewhere in the United lineup, Rooney sparkled, maintaining the form he’s showed in recent games. He hit is seventh and eighth of the Premiership season in this one and came away with three FPL bonus points – still not enough to warrant his high price tag. Tevez remains a better alternative, although Saha’s appearance and goal from the bench offered a reminder to Ferguson that he could look to rest the Argentine and turn to Saha for an alternative cutting edge.
At the back United conceded for the third Premiership game in a row. The trip to Fulham next weekend looks a decent bet to help bring that run to an end, although the current run, combined with the missing gameweek may lead to some fantasy managers to look elsewhere, with Liverpool defenders the obvious short-term targets.
Injuries and Suspensions
Evra was subbed at half-time after feeling unwell while Vidic was withdrawn on 74-minutes with a calf injury. Both seem likely to be available for the trip to Fulham.
Portsmouth 1 Sunderland 0
Harry made just one change to the side that saw off Preston in the FA Cup last weekend – Baros came in for Utaka who dropped to the bench, as Portsmouth switched to a 4-4-2.
Sunderland recalled Leadbitter to their midfield after he returned to fitness – Chopra made way and dropped to the bench. Reid also started in midfield with O’Donovan sidelined through injury as Keane opted for a 4-5-1 with Jones the lone figure up front.
Defoe notched his second Pompey goal, taking over spot-kick duties from Muntari to fire home just after the hour-mark. Portsmouth struggled to that point, showing signs once agian of the stuttering home form that has plagued them for most of the season. The goal and introduction of Kanu brought them to life however and the talismatic Nigerian could now figure more regularly at Fratton Park.
Defensively this was a second consecutive clean sheet for Portsmouth. As I’ve mentioned in previous notes, the Pompey defence is certainly worth a look again after suffering a mid-season blip – a blip that proved difficult to recover from with Bouba-Diop absent at the African Nations Cup. With Harry employing him and Diarra to protect his back four, further clean sheets look likely. Portsmouth’s fixtures until the end of the season only offer further incentive – this weekend’s trip to Everton is the last time that Redknapp’s team face a top four side this season.
As for Sunderland, their dismal away form continues – they have the worst record in the division with two draws and twelve defeats on their travels. That kind of form has seen Jones struggle for goals of late – its none in seven now, although he remains the most popular target in the Sunderland ranks. A trip to Derby next weekend, followed by three home games in four, should provide some platform for an improved points output.
Wigan 2 Derby 0
Bruce handed a debut to new signing Edman at left-back, shifting Kilbane into midfield to compensate for the absence of Taylor who is sidelined with a rib injury. Heskey was fit to partner King up front in an otherwise unchanged lineup.
For Derby, McEveley made a return at left-back, Moore passed a fitness test to partner Stubbs in the centre. Ghaly returned to the midfield having been ineligible against Spurs. Savage shook off a foot injury to join him in midfield. Barnes was preferred to Villa and played just behind the lone frontman, Miller.
A pretty awful game all round but Wigan dominated and deserved the victory. Scharner repaid my scout pick selection with the opening goal and the impressive Valencia capped the victory with the second. Kilbane once again pocketed the three FPL bonus points however, that six bonus points in the last six games.
There’s little to interest fantasy managers in either side. Scharner could be worth keeping as he always offers a goal threat from the back. Wigan have kept two clean sheets in the last three Premiership outings and they travel to City next who could well be struggling for goals judging by tonight’s performance. More on that later.
Blackburn 4 Bolton 1
A flattering result for Blackburn in a game which is traditional a tight affair, settled by a single goal. Blackburn went into the game desperate for goals at Ewood while Bolton went in on the back of five clean sheets in six games. Five goals were not expected but, with some rather dodgy decisions helping things along, five goals is what we got.
Hughes welcomed back Samba after a 2-match suspension and he came in for Ooijer who was nursing a hamstring injury. Pedersen and Dunn also returned to the midfield after serving single match bans. Berner and Tugay dropped out, the latter to the bench.
Megson had Gardner back available after injury and he replaced Samuel at left-back while Steinsson replaced Hunt at right-back having been cup-tied in midweek. Guthrie also returned from a knock after missing the Atletico game in midweek. He came in for Joey O’Brien who dropped to the bench. Campo came in for McCann who dropped out of the sixteen.
McCarthy’s brace took him to eight Premiership goals for the season. He hasn’t played a full 90-minutes since January 2 against Sunderland and that game, ironically, was the last time he scored in the Premiership. He tucked his penalties away with assurance today but it’s doubtful whether they’ll be enough to attract any attention from fantasy managers just yet.
Bentley nodded in the third goal, his first in seven Premiership games – just in time to keep his fantasy owners from pondering a trade. Strangely he was without FPL bonus points today though with Dunn picking up all three to add to the three assists he registered. Pedersen meanwhile, notched his first Premiership goal of what has been a bitterly disappointing season.
I like the look of Blackburn’s next five – Newcastle, Fulham, West Ham, Wigan and Reading should all grant the Rovers men goals and if McCarthy does get his confidence back he could yet be worth a look. Elsewhere the usual targets – Santa Cruz and Bentley should bear fruit. Samba presents the best defensive option.
Bolton players shouldn’t be written off – they played well here and created plenty of chances before and after Rovers got a foothold with the two penalties. Nolan had a decent game and was only denied a goal by the woodwork while I still feel Taylor in midfield and Cahill at the back are decent mid-price options. They shouldn’t get any interest in the short-term however. Megson’s men take on Liverpool at home next, then miss a fixture in gameweek 29 due to their fixture with United being postponed for the FA Cup Quarter-Finals.
Reading 1 Aston Villa 2
Coppell named an unchanged side despite having Ingimarsson back from suspension and Bikey and Fae available. Cisse partnered Sonko in central defence once more then, despite Reading’s recent defensive form.
As for Villa, manager O’Neill resisted the temptation to start with Harewood and kept faith with Agbonlahor, who shrugged off a hamstring injury in midweek to start. Mellberg missed out with a foot injury sustained in training, so Gardner came in at right-back. Maloney kept his place in the side, moving to left midfield with Petrov dropping out of the sixteen.
Reading have now suffered eight defeats in row, conceding nineteen goals in that time and scoring just six. Shorey’s consolation goal here was their first in four Premiership games. In simple terms, Reading are in big trouble and their players just aren’t worth considering in fantasy terms as a result. Coppell has at least announced that he plans to make changes for the trip to Boro next weekend but with Alves in line to make a full home debut in that game and Boro in decent form, it’s difficult to see any other result than a ninth straight defeat.
Villa meanwhile continue to impress under O’Neil. Young, Agbonlahor and Carew provide a real threat and have shared the goals up front, with Harewood now providing excellent support from the bench. Barry prompts from midfield while at the back, Laursen remains solid a threat from set-pieces. Of those players, Young stands out. In games where he is classed a midfielder he is almost a must – even in the FPL where he is classified as a forward, his fourteen assists and four goals make him a very decent target at 7.1 million.
Barry’s missed penalty in this one robbed his owners of some belated points but he still emerged from the game with a fifteenth FPL bonus point of the season. O’Neill could contemplate giving spot-kick duties to Carew or Young going forward – that’s certainly worth monitoring as it would certainly reduce Barry’s potential output.
Defensively Shorey’s goal meant that Villa have now gone thirteen Premiership games without a clean sheet. Despite that, Laursen’s goal threat from set pieces keep him amongst the most popular and high-scoring defenders in fantasy terms, particularly in the FPL game where he has earned more bonus points than any other defender and is second only to Fabregas overall.
Man City 0 Everton 2
Sven kept the same lineup that won at Old Trafford last time out. That meant Corluka and Elano returned from suspension to sit on the bench.
Everton meanwhile were without Arteta who was suffering from a stomach injury. Despite that, Moyes moved to five in midfield recalling Osman and shifting Neville from right-back. Hibbert came in to replace him. Yobo also returned to the defence with Lescott moving to left-back to accommodate him. Valente dropped to the bench. Johnson was unfortunate to drop to the bench but clearly his appearances are destined to be limited with Moyes preferring a 4-5-1, particularly away from Goodison.
City were second best throughout this game with Everton threatening well before Yakbubu put them in front from a Cahill assist. Lescott then headed his sixth of the season from a Carsley cross.
This was a fourth consecutive clean sheet for Everton and another fine performance. Portsmouth, Sunderland, Fulham and Wigan now provide the next four opponents – fixtures that will surely only raise the profile of Everton’s players with fantasy managers. Yakubu followed his hat-trick in the UEFA Cup with another goal here, his tenth of the Premiership season. His star is rising then while Cahill and Pienaar are also likely to earn suitors over the coming weeks. The latter in particular, looks to be good value and seems assured of a starting role on the left of midfield although he was withdrawn before the hour mark here with a knock and could be a doubt for the weekend.
As for City, it’s no clean sheet in six now for the defence as the outstanding result at Old Trafford went to waste after a lacklustre home performance. Not for the first time City struggled for attacking ideas and even the arrival of Elano at half-time could spark them enough to get back into the game.
City do at least have the fixtures to help them regain some confidence. A home game with Wigan and a trip to Reading should offer some opportunity for an improvement on this result. However, they’ll go into those games without Petrov. He saw red for violent conduct tonight and his absence is likely to significantly reduce City’s attacking threat over the next three games – something that is likely to affect the output of Benjani who could struggle for chances in games that, on paper, promise goals for City.
Injuries and Suspensions
Petrov will suffer a three-match ban after seeing red for kicking out at Osman in the closing stages of the game. He’ll miss the games with Wigan, Reading and Spurs games.
Pienaar took a knock early in the second-half and was replaced just before the hour-mark.
Carling Cup Final
Tottenham 2 Chelsea 1
Tottenham’s Carling Cup victory was well deserved having peppered the Chelsea goal without reward in the first-half only to concede from Drogba’s free kick after a succession of Chelsea set-pieces.
The Ramos team selection saw Hutton return to left-back having been cup-tied for the European game in midweek. King also returned after missing the last three games to add considerable strength to the Spurs defence. Kaboul dropped to the bench to make way. Huddlestone and Tanio also dropped out with Jenas and Malbranque restored to midfield. Keane was also recalled alongside Berbatov with Bent on the bench.
The Chelsea lineup was more significant. With so many options, Grant perhaps took the expected route and went for the big names. Terry, Lampard and Anelka all started. The skipper returned to partner Carvalho in central defence with Alex on the bench. Lampard came in for Ballack who dropped to the bench, while Anelka was employed wide on the left of a front three with Drogba in the central role.
I’ve talked more about the Anelka/Drogba partnership elsewhere so I won’t dwell on that here. Terry appears set to renew his long-term partnership with Carvalho for the bulk of the Premiership campaign that remains but the Lampard vs Ballack situation is less clear. Ballack went public with his surprise at being dropped to the bench after recent performances and it remains to be seen how Grant approaches this pairing over forthcoming games. Certainly, as I’ve mentioned in my post on Anelka and Drogba, there are just so many permutations when it comes to Chelsea’s attacking players, it takes a brave fantasy manager to commit to any number of them in the next few weeks.
To compound matters, Chelsea have three of the next four games away from the Bridge, although they do face a double fixture in FPL gameweek 30, when they visit Sunderland and Spurs.