Arsenal escape a Villa fright with a point. United rest Ronaldo and still stroll at the Cottage. Liverpool hit three more at the Reebok and the Fantasy Premier League bonus points take an even more dubious twist than normal. Here’s my notes on another lovely weekend in the Premiership…
Arsenal 1 Aston Villa 1
Team Lineups
Wenger brought Diaby back into the lineup after he recovered from a calf injury. That saw Walcott moving from a right midfield position, to an attacking role alongside Adebayor. Bendtner started on the bench but came on to replace Diaby early in the second-half.
O’Neil was still without Mellberg who failed to recover from a foot injury so Gardner remained at right-back. Maloney kept his place in midfield. Harewood was once again on the bench.
Notes and Form
Arsenal preserved their unbeaten home record this season with a last minute Bendtner goal. Adebyaor earned the assist once again, maintaining his strong fantasy return recently. The striker has now earned a goal or an assist in his last nine Premiership appearances. There were no retuns from Fabregas once more. He had just one effort on goal – Arsenal’s best opportunity in the first-half, spooning over from Adebayor layoff just before the break. It’s three straight games without a goal or an assist for the midfielder. He surely has to produce against Wigan and Boro over the next two to justify further selection – particularly if Lampard’s ban is rescinded. More on that in a bit.
Bendtner’s equaliser could promote him to start at Wigan next weekend. Although the returns of Rosicky and Van Persie could disrupt that, on the JJB pitch, it would make sense that Wenger would adopt a more direct, physical approach that would favour an Adebayor/Bendtner pairing. Walcott is likely to make way next weekend then.
Villa looked very strong once again and were desperately unlucky not to keep Arsenal at bay. Young, Carew and particularly, Agbonlahor, were a real threat here, while Barry pulled the strings and went away with the three FPL bonus points. It’s just one defeat in the last 12 Premiership games, although Villa have gone 14 games without a clean sheet. Goals are guaranteed with Villa then and their fixtures looking promising (particularly their home games) over the next five, their players are likely to rise in the rankings when I updated them tomorrow.
Injuries and Suspensions
Villa lost Reo-Coker to injury after 32-minutes and then Davies was carried off with a ruptured achilles on 41-minutes.
Birmingham 4 Tottenham 1
Team Lineups
Ridgewell passed a fitness test to take his place in defence and Jaidi came in alongside him for the suspended Taylor. McSheffrey came in on the left of midfield for Kapo who is sidelined for a month.
Ramos made a string of changes. Woodgate failed to shake off an ankle injury and King was rested after his Carling Cup exploits. Kaboul came into the back four then, while Chimbonda moved to the centre of defence with Tanio moving to left-back and Hutton to right-back. Jenas and Lennon were also rested in midfield with Huddlestone and O’Hara coming in. Bent started up front with Berbatov with Keane benched.
Notes and Form
There will be huge interest in Forssell and McFadden after this result. Forssell’s hat-trick took him to seven goals for the season and at just 4.7 million in the FPL game and 5.4 in the Fantasy League, he’s sure to have a lot of attention in the coming days. McFadden’s influence and points potential, certainly in the FPL game, is even stronger. He’s now gathered 28 FPL points in the last three games thanks to 3 goals, 2 assist and 4 bonus points. At 5.7 he provides an ideal replacement for those managers losing patience with the likes of Sunderland’s Jones.
Ramos has made it loud and clear that the likes of Lennon, Jenas and Keane in particular, are vulnerable to rotation if Spurs maintain their run in the UEFA Cup. They face PSV in midweek, with the second leg to follow just three days after the West Ham game next weekend. Ramos could certainly rest Keane for that one, with the striker certain to be recalled for the first leg on Thursday. The likes of Jenas could also be protected, depending how the first leg goes this week.
Tottenham do have a double gameweek approaching. They face City at home and Chelsea away in gameweek 30. That will raise the profile of the likes of Jenas and Berbatov who should play both fixtures – Keane will be a risk however, with Bent a threat from the bench. At the back, Spurs are a far better proposition with Woodgate and King restored but it’s hard to predict whether both will be fit to make the three matches in 6 days that Spurs have been March 16 and March 22.
Derby 0 Sunderland 0
Team Lineups
Jewell was without Leacock with a hip injury so Edworthy returned at right-back. Savage, Ghaly and Fagan were all dropped with Lewis, Sterjovski and Jones coming into the midfield. Barnes was out with a knee injury sustained in training, so Villa earned a recall up front with Miller.
Keane brought Higginbotham and Richardson back into his lineup after the pair returned to fitness. Higginbotham came in at left-back with Collins suspended, while Richardson replaced Etuhu. Leadbitter also dropped to the bench with Chopra coming in on the right of midfield. Murphy partnered Jones up front.
Notes and Form
There’s little to glean from what was a truly dreadful encounter – one that fully deserved its place at the tail-end of Match of The Day. Richardson’s return for Sunderland may be of interest to some – he is clearly their most creative player and could figure in the points considering that Keane’s men have three of the next four at home. That home form is likely to keep them in the division and, while Everton, Chelsea and West Ham will pose plenty of resistance in those home games, it could be that the likes of Richardson and Jones will earn some returns at last. Jones has now notched just one assist in the last six starts, so patience will certainly be wearing thin with him.
Fulham 0 Man United 3
Team Lineups
Hodgson brought in Volz for the suspended Andreasson in midfield. Davis also got a recall in midfield with Dempsey dropping out of the sixteen. Kamara dropped to the bench to allow for Johnson to make his debut wide on the right as Fulham went with 4-5-1 again with McBride the lone striker.
Ferguson rested a host of players with the Champions League in mind. Ronaldo and Rooney were the biggest names affected, dropping to the bench. Park came in for Ronaldo with Nani keeping his place and moving to a wide left role, while Saha started up front with Tevez. Vidic failed to recover from a calf injury so O’Shea came into the defence. Scholes and Hargreaves came into the midfield with Fletcher and Carrick dropping out.
Notes and Form
Fulham’s dreadful run continues, it’s just one win in nine under Hodgson now and despite the return of Bullard and McBride, they look doomed. Three away games in the next four won’t help their cause, although they do at least have their destiny in their own hands with games against Newcastle, Derby, Sunderland and Reading to come in the next six. Bullard just might, might, be worth considering for that run.
United won at a canter despite resting the big guns, earning their first clean sheet in four games. They miss the next gameweek of course, with FA Cup commitments but do have a double in gameweek 30 to follow. Their home game with Bolton has been switched to March 19 and that follows an away game to Derby, a double header which will surely see fantasy managers shipping in United players in preparation. Ni ether of those games fall around European commitments but Ferguson will doubtless look to rest players, particularly for the trip to Derby. Few of their lineup is likely to be safe, so it will take a great deal of luck/skill to get in a player that will turn in both games. Ferdinand and Vidic are certainly the best bets with Fergson already remarking that neither will be rested if fit.
Middlesbrough 0 Reading 1
Team Lineups
Southgate had Wheater back from suspension to partner Pogatetz in central defence but Huth was still sidelined with a calf injury. Rochemback failed a fitness test on his calf so O’Neil started here having been on the bench in the midweek cup tie. Alves made a full Premiership debut with Tuncay getting a start and Mido dropping to the bench.
Coppell made a string of changes – three in his back four. Rosenior, Ingimarsson and Bikey came in for Murty, Sonko and Cisse. Up front Long also got a rare start with Kitson dropped to the bench.
Notes and Form
Boro’s decent run of just one defeat in 10 games in all competitions took a blow with Harper’s last minute winner. Southgate’s side continue to offer significant fantasy returns – last week’s goals at Anfield was the first time in 12 Premiership games that they have scored more than once and there was little evidence in this game that that stat will change dramatically in the near future. Alves is clearly some way off the pace and with Aliadiere suspended for two more games, Boro seem likely continue their struggle in attacking terms. Three away games in four against Villa, Arsenal and Chelsea could spell trouble for Southgates men and appear to offer little fantasy potential for their players. Expect both Wheater and Downing to drop out of my five match rankings once updated.
Reading meanwhile, got their first win in eleven games in all competitions. Their fixtures over the next month look kind and certainly give them an opportunity to get themselves out of trouble. Three of the next four at home against City, Birmingham and Blackburn could even see some fantasy interest in Hunt and Shorey.
Newcastle 0 Blackburn 1
Team Lineups
Keegan made one change, bringing in Enrique at left-back and dropping N’Zogbia to the bench. He was sat alongside Martins who returned from an ankle injury to figure from the bench here.
Hughes brought Ooijer back into the side after he recovered from a hamstring problem. He came in at right-back with Emerton shifting into midfield to cover for Dunn who missed out with a groin injury.
Notes and Form
Newcastle are still without a win under Keegan then, despite laying siege to the Blackburn goal for long periods here. Milner and Duff were particularly lively but Owen and friends missed a series of quality chances – Friedal frustrating the Newcastle skipper on several occasions. The Newcastle ranks remain a no-go area then, particularly with three away games to come in the next four.
Blackburn continue their excellent run of results in 2008. Hughes’ side have lost just one in eight games in the Premiership this year and that was to Arsenal. Their forthcoming fixtures should promote their players further in the minds of fantasy managers – Fulham, West Ham, Wigan and Reading provide the next four opponents.
Bentley picked up an assist and two FPL bonus points here – hit output picking up after a recent lull. He’ll be high in my revised rankings for the next five. Santa Cruz is without a goal or an assist in four but really should have put that right here. He’s still certainly worth considering given the opposition to come.
Defensively Rovers have kept 3 clean sheets in the last 8 – they’ve tightened up then and Samba remains a decent long-shot for a mid-price option over the next five.
Injuries and Suspensions
Butt picked up a knock and he was replaced by Martins on 66-minutes.
West Ham 0 Chelsea 4
Team Lineups
Curbishley kept an unchanged side to the one that won at Fulham last time out. That meant that Boa Morte started in support of Cole up front with Ashton left on the bench. Solano, scorer of the winner at the Cottage was also benched along with Zamora who returned from injury to make his first Premiership appearance since August.
Grant made an array of changes following the Carling Cup defeat. Both full-backs were rotated with Ferreira and Ashley Cole coming in for Belletti and Bridge. Ballack and Makelele got recalls in midfield with Obi and Essien making way, the latter dropping to the bench. Kalou and Joe Cole also got starts playing either side of Anelka up front, as Drogba dropped to the bench.
Notes and Form
An emphatic win for Grant’s men, who overcame the dismissal of Lampard to keep a fifth clean sheet in the last six Premiership games. Grants vicious rotation of his side with the midweek Champions League clash with Olympiakos in mind, will be a major concern for fantasy managers looking to profit from an approaching double fixture gameweek. That arrives in gameweek 30, in which Chelsea travel to both Sunderland and Spurs. Before that a home game with Derby next, provides the perfect opportunity to buy in Chelsea players early, however, such is the doubt surrounding Grant’s lineup, it looks extremely difficult to locate a reliable source of double gameweek goodness.
Lampard’s sending off and pendng 3-match ban could and should open the way for Ballack, although Chelsea could appeal that ban and have it rescinded. Elsewhere, Joe Cole proved once again that he should be indispensable to Chelsea’s cause but with the likes of Malouda, Kalou and Wright-Phillips in reserve, it looks a long shot for Cole to start the next three, regardless of his form.
As with United, the best option for the double gameweek could well come at the back where Terry and Carvalho could well get an uninterrupted run until the end of the season. Cech offers even more assurance if you’re looking to maximise your chances of clean sheets. Defenders and Keepers don’t offer the most spectacular returns on double gameweeks but Chelsea’s are at least proven to be reliable in their returns.
A quick mention of West Ham. They have their second match of a double gameweek to come at Anfield on Wednesday and will go there with trepidation after this mauling. They had only conceded more than one goal on just two occasions before this game so defensive changes are unlikely. Curbishley could start with Solano at Anfield though, with Faubert’s place under threat. Zamora could also be set for a start having appeared as a sub here.
The trip to Anfield is the first of four away games that West Ham face in the next five Premiership fixtures.
Injuries and Suspensions
Lampard is set to serve a 3-match ban for the red card earned after just half-an-hour here. He’ll miss the FA Cup tie with Barnsley, followed by Premiership games with Derby and Sunderland.
Man City 0 Wigan 0
Team Lineups
Corluka and Elano returned to the City starting lineup with Richards sidelined through injury and Petrov suspended. Johnson also made a return to the side after missing almost three months through injury. He came in with Hamann dropping to the bench. Caicedo and Castillo were both on the bench and were used as second-half subs.
Steve Bruce was forced into one change with Kilbane sidelined with a foot injury. Koumas came in on the left of midfield.
Notes and Form
City are still struggling for goals then. This was their second consecutive blank and they’ve only scored more than once on a single occasion in the last seven games – at Old Trafford of all places. Benjani and co were always going to find it hard to break down opposition without Petrov and so it proved. City’s lone striker did have chances – one particularly gilt-edged. However, with Petrov absent for two more games – his potential output will be a concern for his owners.
At least at the back City kept their first clean sheet in seven. Hart, rather bizarrely, gained all three FPL bonus points – his first of the season, despite making just three saves of note. However, three away games in the next four, plus a home game with Spurs, is unlikely to boost the popularity of Hart and his back four over the next month.
Wigan put up a battling performance and could have nicked the win in the dying moments. This was their third clean sheet in the last four and they’ll go into the Arsenal game next weekend, confident that they can give them a solid test. Scharner has emerged as their best source of points in recent weeks – he picked up a couple more FPL bonus points here in addition to his clean sheet.
Injuries and Suspensions
Elano picked up an injury and was subbed just minutes after half-time.
Bolton 1 Liverpool 3
Team Lineups
Megson was unable to select Guthrie against the club that owns his contract so Joey O’Brien came back into the midfield as expected.
Rafa brought Carragher back into his defence, shifting him to right-back with Finnan dropping out of the sixteen. Skrtel returned to slot alongside Hyypia with Arbeloa dropping to the bench. Alonso came into the midfield for Lucas who was also benched.
Notes and Form
A third win in four games for Liverpool – with Rafa’s men scoring three times in each. Torres failed to bring his double gameweek investors a return here but Gerrard did come up with an assist for the bizarre opening goal, plus a couple of FPL bonus points. Despite conceding in the second-half, Reina was the second keeper to get the three FPL bonus here. He made one very smart save in the first half but this still remains a mystery considering Babel has no bonus to his name, despite having one of his better games in a Liverpool shirt. Was there an ex-goalkeeper making the decisions this week?
Babel was one of two players to catch the eye here, Aurellio being the other. Both appear to have made the left side of this Liverpool side their own over recent games. Aurellio has started the last four matches at left-back with Riise apparently out of favour. Babel meanwhile has started in the last five matches and is beginning to show a reward in the faith being shown in him. Both could end the season strongly and will be worth monitoring as mid-price Liverpool options.
Bolton slumped to their third successive defeat and have dropped right back into the relegation dogfight as a result. Their defence has gone from keeping five clean sheets in six games, to conceding eight goals in the last three Premiership encounters. They miss a gameweek next so thier players aren’t likely to attract any interest regardless. They follow that up with a double gameweek with trips to Wigan and United – hardly a tempting pair of games. There’s little of interest at the Reebok for a couple of weeks at least then.
Injuries and Suspensions
Steinsson picked up a knocked and was replaced on 41-minutes. Nolan also picked up an injury and was replaced at half-time.
Everton 3 Portsmouth 1
Team Lineups
Moyes was without playmaker Arteta thanks to his continuing abdominal problems. That meant that Hibbert remained at right-back with Neville employed in midfield. Once again it was 4-5-1 then with Johnson on the bench. Baines recovered from a calf injury to sit alongside him.
Portsmouth went with two up front once again, although it was Kanu who partnered Defoe with Baros dropped to the bench. Portsmouth were otherwise unchanged.
Notes and Form
Everton’s superb run of form continued then. This was their third straight win and eigth game unbeaten in the Premiership. In those eight games they’ve conceded just two goals – Defoe’s today was that second goal. Everton’s defence, Lescott in particular, continues to offer value then, despite conceding here.
In attacking terms, Yakubu has well and truly rediscovered the goal touch – today’s brace was his sixth goal in three matches in all competitions. In contrast, Cahill’s goal was his first goal in eight starts in all completions. Pienaar was the other attackking player that caught the eye here. His industry throughout earned him the three FPL bonus points to accompany his assist for the Cahill goal. At just 4.5 in the FPL he remains a true bargain midfielder.
The game turned on the introduction of Johnson from the bench which saw Hibbert replaced and Neville move to right-back, as Everton moved to 4-4-2. That gives Moyes a selection headache going forward. He’ll struggle to incorporate Johnson and Arteta in a 4-4-2 without considering rotating Cahill, so his team selection next time out will certainly be of interest. Carsley is suspended next time out so Neville is likely to remain in midfield for the trip to Sunderland.
Everton have three away games in the next four Premiership fixtures but that shouldn’t necessarily put you off their players. Two of those three games are at Sunderland and Fulham, whilst the third is a crunch Merseyside Derby at Anfield.
Portsmouth had conceded just one goal in the last three Premiership games before they came face to face with Everton. This result was certainly a blow to their European hopes but three home games in the next four should certainly hand them opportunities to get back to winning ways. Defoe’s third goal in the last four starts for Pompey will no doubt continue to get him suitors as he goes into games against Birmingham, Villa, Spurs and Wigan. The defence, strong at Fratton Park, is also worth a look over the next month as a result of those fixtures.
Injuries and Suspensions
Bouba Diop picked up an injury and was replaced by Utaka on 76-minutes.