A second half strike from Wigan’s forgotten man – Henri Camara, was enough to see off a drab Everton display at the JJB. Here’s the notes from gameweek curtain closer…
The team sheets offered few surprises. We were well prepared for the absence of Amr Zaki although his specific injury remains confusing – there are reports of a persistent calf injury, while some state that the striker is carrying a hamstring problem. Whatever the ailment, Wigan are working hard to have him fit for the West Brom game next weekend. Whether that will be enough reassurance for his owners is another matter.
Zaki’s absence and Boyce’s suspension saw Brown came into the midfield, allowing Scharner to shift to centre back. Heskey returned from a hamstring injury to replace Camara who dropped to the bench. As for Everton, Moyes kept an unchanged side. Pienaar missed out with a knee injury, so Cahill and Fellaini remained in central midfield with Arteta and Osman on either flank.
This was a deserved win for Wigan who have now gone four without defeat – slowly but surely they have crept back into some form then, even though Zaki has wilted. Valencia was a threat throughout and cropped up with his third assist of the season, providing a perfect cross for sub Camara to slide in the winner. Valencia continues to offer a decent differential in the low-to-mid price midfield bracket, while Camera needs monitoring as a possible budget purchase, should the Zaki’s injuries continue to trouble him.
Wigan have a missing fixture in gameweek 18 – so bear that in mind before considering investment. Fixture-wise, things could be be worse, with a decent run of games after that blank gameweek. Valencia clearly looks the pick of the bunch, with confidence in Zaki dwindling with a drop in form and recent injuries. Ryan Taylor is also worth a look as an alternative to the popular Figueroa. He kept his place with Melchiot still sidelined through injury but his ability from set-plays may see him hold down a place, maybe even in midfield, in the weeks to come. Worth monitoring.
Everton, having hinted at a revival a few weeks ago, remain inconsistent. In attacking terms they are still struggling badly – it’s worth noting that in the last 7 games they’ve only managed to score more than once on one occasion – the 3-1 win at West Ham a fortnight ago, a result which flattered Everton.
Arteta’s contribution is particularly disappointing. Having started the season so well with 4 assists in the first 4 games, the midfielder has contributed zereo goals and just 1 assist in his last seven games. That’s not good enough for such a talented player and one that is priced in the mid-to-high fantasy price bracket across the games. Somehow however, he came away from tonight’s game with three bonus points – another very very odd decision by our friends at the Press Association.
Cahill is another struggling to make an impact – he had chances tonight but he badly needs to shift behind the striker in a 4-5-1. Surely Moyes will recognise this and make the shift soon, even if it means sacrificing Saha. Tonight’s injury to Saha could well prompt that move. The striker was subbed on 65 minutes with a reported hamstring injury.
One look at Everton’s forthcoming fixtures shows that we should be very cautious about the fortunes of Arteta, Cahill and their team-mates improving. Moyes men take on Tottenham (away), Villa (home), Chelsea (home), Hull (home), Liverpool (away), Arsenal (home) and United (away) – seven tough-ish games in the next ten. I can’t see many clean sheets amongst that lot, and in their current goalscoring form, I won’t be backing their attacking players either. Goodison is a no-go area for me right now.