The big four all draw blanks in possibly the most forgettable fantasy weekend of the season so far. Defences are king with ten clean sheets in total, as the big FPL captain contenders – Ronaldo, Lampard, Anelka and Bent all bring in paltry returns. Here’s the notes…
The Lineups
Let’s start with Tony Adams who made few friends amongst the fantasy fraternity but did at least give us a few lessons learned. He left out injury doubts Kranjcar, Campbell and Diarra as expected but, having declared that Defoe looked okay for this game in midweek, the striker missed out. Utaka started in his place. First lesson then – we can’t trust Adams’ appraisal of injuries. He has been consistently vague with his team news before matches – this was the first week he offered up an insight into his squad’s fitness and it turned out to be inaccurate.
Second lesson – Traore is well and truly frozen out. Adams left him on the bench despite all the injuries, with Hughes coming into the side. Third lesson – don’t count on clean sheets from Belhadj. Adams brought Traore on for Belhadj after 58 minutes – not the first time he’s made such a sub at that 60 minute mark. It didn’t cost anyone a clean sheet this time but it’s a worry for future games given Pompey’s fixtures.
We knew Gerrard was missing from the Liverpool lineup but I certainly expected Alonso to benefit as a result. He didn’t – he found himself on the bench with Lucas starting. Clearly Alonso finds himself caught between two stools here – he’s not quite an automatic first choice but he is a player that Rafa wants to protect prior to Champions League football.
Rafa later defended his decision stating that he wanted to play some players with fresh legs. Another lesson learned – Alonso is now too much of a risk. Even if he doesn’t start when Gerrard is out, it’s difficult to nail down just when he will be assured of a role. Torres started up front with Keane as expected. Rafa went with 4-4-2 then.
No major surprises in the team news from the Bridge. Lampard started, much to our relief, as did Joe and Ashley Cole. Cech returned in goal so Chelsea’s injury doubts – Alex aside – all came good. Kinnear made one notable change that will disappoint bargain hunters – Ameobi was benched with Owen starting. Once a decent budget purchase – Ameobi’s potential will take a big hit from this point on, particularly with Viduka close to a return. Time to get rid.
Southgate made a couple of changes at the Riverside – Arca dropped out with Aliadiere returning from illness. Wheater came in for the injured Riggott. No sign of Mido.
Kitson got a start for Stoke with Fuller suspended. Soares started in midfield – Olofinjana was benched. Mowbray also made two changes with Brunt and Kim coming in for Bednar and the injured Morrison.
Predictably, we saw lots of changes in the Arsenal lineup for their trip to City. Fabregas (suspended), Toure (injured), Sagna (injured) and Gallas (naughty) all missing. In came Van Persie, back from suspension while Djourou started at the back alongside Silvestre and Gavin Hoyte got the nod at right back, leaving Song to start in midfield. Adebayor was out of the squad having picked up an ankle injury whilst on international duty in midweek.
Hughes, in contrast, made just one change – Dunne returning from suspension for Ben-Haim. No surprise there. Hart’s recovery from an ankle injury to take his place in goal was a major surprise. He was due to be out for 3-4 weeks – that’s some magic sponge.
In the evening game at Villa Park, we saw O’Neill bring Reo-Coker into the right back role to replace the injured Cuellar – Luke Young shifted to left back so it’s clear that the Villa boss really doesn’t fancy Shorey at the moment. Elsewhere, Sidwell and Milner kept their places with Carew left on the bench.
Ferguson was able to call on Ferdinand at the back having included him as a major doubt in the week. That saw O’Shea remain at right back. Giggs came in alongside Carrick in central midfield, while Park and Ronaldo started out wide. Tevez and Rooney were partnered up front with Berbatov sidelined with his hamstring.
At the Lane today, Redknapp opted to bring Lennon into the side to replace the injured Modric, while Pavlyuchenko came into a 4-4-2 to replace Zokora. Interestingly, Lennon took the right midfield berth with Bentley playing on the left but tucking into a central midfield role. Ince brought Emerton back into his side, while McCarthy also returned to partner Santa Cruz up front.
No major surprises at the Stadium of Light today. Keane brought Reid back into the side for this home game – Tainio dropped out. Gordon sat out with an ankle injury once again, McCartney was also still sidelined. Zola made a couple of changes – Bowyer and Faubert came in for Sears and Collison.
The Form
With goals at a premium in the early stages of Saturday, it was Bolton who stole after 45 minutes, with both Steinsson and Taylor blinking brightly on the fantasy radar. Steinsson notched his second goal and third assist of the season against Boro, while Taylor contributed his third goal in eight games. Elmander found the net and some form at last with Bolton’s third. Worth a look? Not with Bolton’s forthcoming fixtures which are hardly conducive to profit at either end – Bolton have Chelsea and Liverpool to come in the next five.
Robinho moved onto eight goals for season – his sublime finish against Arsenal raising his fantasy profile even further. He is now second only to Anelka on form for strikers in the FPL game. His away form remains a concern though – seven of those eight goals have come at Eastlands and with the likes of Berbatov and Anelka in his price bracket – he is perhaps not getting the attention that his output this season deserves.
Team-mate Ireland, in contrast, has plenty of fantasy owners and rewarded them again with his sixth goal of the season – along with Hull’s Geovanni, he continues to give extraordinary fantasy value. There will be further investment in the City pair – although the next home game sees United come to Eastlands and after that, City have four of the next six away from home – the opposition do look favourable enough however and City should still bring in attacking points.
As for Arsenal, their passing was uncharacteristically careless throughout and they got punished. They continue to look brittle at the back – not surprisingly given the recent upheaval. Investment opportunities in Wenger’s side looks limited then – with Villa, Liverpool and Chelsea in the next five, the fixtures are against them too.
Glen Johnson was outstanding for Portsmouth and provided a goal of the season contender against Hull. Portsmouth’s fixtures are very strong in the coming weeks and their players warrant investment. Belhadj looks a good option at the back given his midfield role but Johnson is having an excellent season. While he has only contributed two goals and an assist so far, there was indication that Adams is looking to use Johnson’s shooting ability more often, which suggests that there is more to come from him over the next month, given the opposition lined up.
Portsmouth have decent home games against Blackburn, Newcastle and West Ham in the next five but we shouldn’t expect too many defensive points in those. Adams’ defence continue to disappoint at Fratton Park. The Hull game was their fourth consecutive home game without a clean sheet. I covered Defoe’s injury elsewhere today – so I won’t dwell on that here. Needless to say however, Pompey’s attacking output will take a hit, despite their kind fixtures, as a result.
In the same game, Hull’s Turner found the net for the third time this season. His first goal in six games arrives just as fantasy managers were beginning to get a little restless with the big defender. Two more bonus points also helped. Hull’s fixtures suggest that Turner will need to keep contributing goals and FPL bonus to keep his output ticking over. So far this term, Brown’s side have enjoyed most success on the road but the next three away games – at Stoke, Liverpool and City look tough. Those three have three of the strongest home records in the league.
While I find it hard to admire their football, Stoke recorded their fourth home win in the last five with another clean sheet coming their way. This was their third consecutive home cleanie. Along with Fulham – they are nestled in amongst the big sides when it comes to home form, making the likes of Delap, Fuller and Shawcross decent investments over the next month (although Shawcross picked up a knock heree). The opposition over the next four is pretty kind with Hull, Newcastle, Fulham and Blackburn on the menu.
Liverpool and Chelsea continued their superb defensive form – gaining the ninth and tenth clean sheets of the season on Saturday. Those who have invested in three or four defensive players from this pair have seen strong rewards as the top defensive players begin to close the gap on attacking players over the fantasy games. Both struggled in attacking terms though – Fulham providing typically stubborn opposition at Anfield. Newcastle’s resistance at Stamford Bridge was far less predictable and immensely frustrating for owners of Lampard and recent investors in Anelka.
However unlikely these results seemed – there is a pattern of form. Chelsea have been far less prolific at Stamford Bridge than on the road. While they average 2.71 goals away from home, it’s 1.85 goals a game at the Bridge.
Liverpool meanwhile, have the best home record in the division with five wins and two draws in seven games. However, they have scored just 11 goals despite that record – that’s the same number of home goals as Stoke and less than United, Chelsea, Arsenal and City. When sides come to Anfield and park the bus – they are currently struggling to open them up – particularly when Gerrard is not there to drive them from midfield.
Villa’s clean sheet was another unlikely shut-out although, as I mentioned in the midweek meander, I did have my suspicions that this would be a frustrating one for United. Even so, this was the first time that United have failed to score this season and in truth, they failed to create enough. Then again, O’Neill had his game plan and it worked well. He kept Carew on the bench, flooded the midfield and kept things tight in hope of catching United in the last 15 minutes. He tried the same tactic against Liverpool early in the season and achieved the same result.
A second consecutive cleanie and another FPL bonus haul for Laursen will likely see further interest in him over the week. Villa’s fixtures are strong over the next four and they are certainly worth investment again. Young and Agbonlahor are certainly worth another sniff – although Young is now without a goal in eight games. With so many of his owners selling up of late, he could be a nice differential over the next four if you need one.
United’s away form will be a concern for Ferguson – the opposition have been tough but one win in the last five away games is not a great looking stat for them. They’ve scored just five goals in those five away games – a factor that has obviously limited the returns of Ronaldo. United have City and Spurs as their next two away games – neither look easy propositions. They also have that missing fixture in gameweek 18 of course. In a nutshell then, there will be better times to invest or hold onto United assets – Ronaldo being the exception.
Sunday’s game at White Hart Lane was notable for Lennon’s performance – his sparkling display set up the winning goal for Pavlyuchnenko and handed the tortured Olsson an early bath. That was Pavlyuchenko’s third goal of the season – he’ll continue be overshadowed by the more prolific and cheaper Bent but he’s worth noting as a differential.
Bentley had an awful game in truth and I’m a little worried by Harry’s decision to put him out on the left – presumably the position that Modric will occupy when his fit. If Lennon can maintain his form, that would put Bentley’s place in the side under threat in a few weeks.
Defensively, it was another home clean sheet for Spurs – they have now conceded just four goals in their last six games at the Lane. It’s also worth noting that they have only scored six goals in those games and that was evident today as they struggled to break down Blackburn for a second time.
Later today, Sunderland were bitterly disappointing in their defeat to West Ham today. True enough, they perhaps should have had a penalty and Cisse certainly missed a few decent chances – but overall, Keane’s side struggled to break down the Hammers defence and continue to rival Boro in the consistency stakes.
Cisse personifies their plight right now – excellent one week, awful the next. Just six goals in the last six home games for Sunderland sums up just how much they’re struggling for goals and although Jones and Cisse look tempting – today was enough to convince me that caution is required before diving in for either of them. It’s Bolton at home next – given Megson’s side run of performances away from home – you’d have to fancy them Sunderland to struggle again next time out.
As for West Ham – it was a second consecutive clean sheet today. Is Steve Clarke working his magic behind the scenes? I’m not getting carried away but clearly the Hammers have tightened up as a result to a shift to 4-4-2. They were unlucky to concede three to Everton a fortnight ago but even with that result it’s still four goals conceded in the last four games. Zola’s side do face very tough fixtures over the next five though, so it’s difficult to see any major fantasy investment coming their way.
Injuries and Bans
Ronaldo suffered a battering at Villa Park and was finally withdrawn, limping from the field on 80 minutes. Ferguson remarked after the game that Ronaldo’s leg “was a mess”. The nature of the injury is not yet known, although we do now that he is a doubt for the Villareal Champions League game on Tuesday.
Robinho suffered an ankle injury against Arsenal and was replaced on 82 minutes. Hughes stated after the game that it was just a turn of the ankle and that Robinho should be fine for the clash with United next weekend.
Shawcross picked up a back problem against West Brom and was replaced by Cort on 79 minutes. In the same game, Kitson suffered a nasty looking knee injury and was replaced by Cresswell after just 19 minutes. Both Stoke players will undergo scans on Monday according to reports.
Diop, Song and Jenas are all new entries to the suspension tightrope this weekend.
The only forthcoming suspension concerns Blackburn Rovers. Olsson will serve a one match ban for his two yellows picked up at White Hart Lane today. He will miss next weekend’s game at Portsmouth.