Ferguson rests Vidic, upsets thousands of fantasy managers and almost pays the price. Liverpool and Arsenal stutter at home again, while Hiddink gets Chelsea back in a familiar groove. But this was a gameweek for inspired budget buys as the likes of Schwarzer, Beattie, Davies, Taylor, Parker and Bramble do the business. Here’s the notes…
Aston Villa 0 Chelsea 1
Hiddink’s lineup was predictable – Terry returned from suspension at the back and was partnered by Alex who shook off injury to make a start. Ferreira claimed the left-back spot with Ashley Cole suspended. Anelka and Drogba started as part of a front three with Kalou. Once again, Chelsea shifted to a 4-4-2 late in the game with the two strikers paired. It looks a safe bet that both will continue to start together for the foreseeable, so, in fantasy terms, they can come into the reckoning.
As for Villa, O’Neill made four changes from the side that lined up in the UEFA Cup on Thursday. Heskey, Milner and Cuellar all recovered from injury to start. Friedal returned in goal. Carew, Sidwell and Gardner were all benched.
Chelsea ended Villa’s unbeaten run with an efficient display reminiscent of their early away form under Scolari. Anelka’s goal was his first in 9 league games – a surprising stat for the league’s leading scorer. Lampard kept things ticking over with his second assist in the last 4, plus the maximum FPL bonus. He is now sitting on 34 FPL bonus points overall – the leader by 10 clear points. Defensively this was Chelsea’s third clean sheet in the last 4 games. With Cole due to return from suspension and maybe Carvalho from injury, forthcoming fixutres suggest that their defenders might well make decent investments over the coming weeks (WIG por MCY tot new).
This was a second consecutive home blank for Villa and Agbonlahor now has just 1 league goal in 9 while Ashley Young has just 2 assists in the last 7 games. Time to get fidgety on those two then and forthcoming fixtures don’t do them any favours in the mid-term (STK mcy TOT liv mun EVE).
Injuries and Bans
Bosingwa picked up his fifth yellow in this game and will now miss the home game with Wigan next weekend. Belletti or Ferreira are set to benefit.
Man United 2 Blackburn Rovers 1
Ferguson sprung a major surprise by resting Vidic to the bench and starting with Evans and Ferdinand at the back. In my book, a strange decision and one that certainly backfired. Not only did United concede their first goal in 14 league games, Evans also suffered an recurrence of his ankle injury and is now a doubt for Tuesday Champions League tie with Inter.
Elsewhere, Van der Sar was also rested along with Park, while O’Shea missed out with a heel injury. There were starts for Kuszczak, Nani and Rafael then, while Tevez was dropped to the bench to make way for Rooney. Rather surprisingly, Giggs was benched despite being rested for Fulham game in midweek. That seems to indicate that he’ll play a part in United’s Champions League game and, if they progress and that trend continues, it will doubtless have a effect in on his Premier League starts and fantasy potential.
As for Rovers, Allardyce was forced into a change in his defence with Samba suspended. New signing Givet earned a start. Ooijer returned for Simpson who was ineligible. Diouf came in for McCarthy who was left on the bench as Big Sam looked to pack the midfield.
Ronaldo’s winner was his fourth goal in 5 games – not bad for a fading fantasy star. So far, it looks as though he’s got away with yet another petulant kick-out, this time to David Dunn, so if he escapes a ban, he should remain cemented in fantasy lineups for another month or so, despite United’s missing fixture in the approaching gameweek.
That missing fixture will be a major concern though. With many FPL managers sitting on three United players, tinkering will be required. United follow the missing week with a fairly tricky run (new LIV ful AVL sun wig) and with tough home games with Liverpool and Villa looming in gameweeks 29 and 31, it might be worth looking at planning short-term trades for the likes of Berbatov, Vidic and possibly Ronaldo. That option in the FPL depends greatly on the price those players were bought. If you’re a recent investor then there’s little to lose on trading in for the next few weeks.
As for Blackburn, interest in their players should pick up with a double fixture to come in gamweek 28 with games at Everton and Fulham. Both look tough encounters but, given that their midfield and attackers guarantee an extra 2 points in that gameweek, we could turn to Blackburn to cover some of the cost of extra transfers required this gameweek with Spurs, United, Sunderland and Portsmouth all missing from the fixture list. Rovers travel to Hull next – that could bring profits for their attacking players – McCarthy, Santa Cruz (who now looks a likely starter) and perhaps Gamst-Pedersen at a push.
Injuries and Bans
United lost Evans to an ankle injury – he was replaced by Vidic on 64 minutes. Ronaldo is on the suspension tightrope after picking up his fourth booking here, although he is unlikely to start the Carling Cup Final next weekend, so should get through the five booking curfew without any problem.
Bolton 2 West Ham 1
Megson handed starts to Elmander and McCann who returned from injury. Gardner also earned a start and Puygrenier was again preferred to Andy O’Brien in defence. He dropped to the bench along with Muamba and Makukula. Steinsson moved from midfield to his familiar right-back role. Zola brought in Spector at right-back for the suspended Neill. Behrami returned for the injured Boa Morte and Carlton Cole surprised us all by recovering from an ankle knock that was thought to keep him out for a fortnight.
Davies and Taylor continue to catch the eye for Megson’s men. Davies struck his ninth league goal of the season, his fourth in 4 games. Taylor cracked his seventh goal this term, his second in 4 games. Both look strong options going forward given their run of fixtures (NEW stk FUL wba MID). Defensively, there are still some concerns however. Bolton almost lost another winning position and have now gone 14 games without a clean sheet. Steinsson – with assist potential, could still be worth a punt given those fixtures.
As for West Ham, their fixtures also look fairly kind (MCY wig WBA bla SUN) which will keep interest in Cole at a high.
Injuries and Bans
West Ham lost Collins after just 16 minutes to a hamstring injury. It’s been confirmed that he’ll be sidelined for 4 weeks.
Arsenal 0 Sunderland 0
Wenger handed Arshavin a full debut – he started on the right of midfield with Eboue dropping to the bench. Bendtner started for the injured Adeabyor as expected. Djourou was kept on the bench, despite a return from illness. Sbragia made a couple of changes to his lineup, with Ben Haim given a debut at right-back for the suspended Bardsley. Tanio came into a five man midfield to replace Cisse who was carrying a knock.
The Gunners continue to struggle to break sides down at the Emirates – they’ve now scored just 3 goals in the last 5 home league games. This was a third successive 0-0 draw. So, while defensively they remain worthy of investment – in attacking terms the doubts are growing over the merits of keeping faith with Van Persie. Fixtures are on his side (FUL wba BLA new MCY) but rest and rotation could come into play once Eduardo and Adebayor regain fitness.
Sunderland are much improved defensively and have conceded just 1 goal in the last 4 games. The missing fixture this gamweek will kill off any investment for now – after that the fixture list doesn’t appear to do them any favours (liv TOT WIG mcy whm), although those home games with Spurs and Wigan may bring further defensive profits.
Injuries and Bans
Arsenal lost Clichy to a knock on 84 minutes. Sunderland’s Jones picked up an injury late on and was subbed on 88 minutes. Richardson picked up his ninth booking of the season in this one and is now just a booking away from a 2-match ban.
Middlesbrough 0 Wigan 0
Southgate named an unchanged side, sticking with the same eleven and 4-5-1 formation that earned a draw at Upton Park in the Cup. That meant that Downing remained in a central midfield role, pushing forward to support Alves up front. Aliadiere did make an early return from injury however – he figured from the bench. In contrast, Wigan made four changes to their lineup. Zaki earned a start for the ineligible Mido, Boyce replaced Scharner in defence, Watson started for the sidelined Valencia and Kapo came in for Rodallega who was relegated to the bench.
True to form, these two sides produced a dull encounter, bereft of goals and notable only for Cattermole’s challenge on Digard which has left the Frenchman sidelined for 12 weeks. There was little else to take from this other than both sides continued struggle for goals. Boro have just 1 goal in the last 9 while Wigan have just a single goal in 6. Both almost guarantee a clean sheet for the opposition right now. Defensively Wigan remain a value proposition. They’ve kept three straight clean sheets and conceded just 3 goals in the last 8 league games. Fixtures do look tough in the mid-term however (che WHM sun HUL eve ARS MUN) so Wigan’s bargain defensive boat may have sailed.
Injuries and Bans
Digard was stretchered off on 23 mintues and will be sidelined for 12-weeks. Boro’s O’Neil has now picked up 8 bookings and is just 2 away from a 2-match ban. That’s one less than Wigan’s Cattermole earned his ninth booking here.
Stoke 2 Portsmouth 2
Pulis handed a start to Liam Lawrence – his first since October last year. He and Pugh replaced the suspended Delap and Etherington. Sidibe earned an immediate recall to the side having recovered form injury to replace Fuller who is out for a month with a dislocated shoulder. Camara was left on the bench then. Higginbotham returned to fitness and came in at left-back, while Wilkinson started at right-back for the injured Kelly. Paul Hart meanwhile, named an unchanged lineup after the encouraging win over City in the week. That saw Nugent continue in support of Crouch from the left in a 4-5-1 with Kranjcar just behind the striker.
A game which came to life in the final 15 minutes and once again it was Beattie that stole the show for the Potters. His two goals took him to 4 in 4 league games for Stoke and his fantasy stock is still on the rise as a result. Portsmouth continue their mini-revival and did at least find 2 goals away from home for the first time since November. However, their missing fixture next gameweek means that no fantasy manager will be looking their way for a while. Kranjcar could be worth a look after that.
Fulham 2 West Brom 0
Hodgson was able to bring back Johnson and Konchesky from injury as expected, after they missed the midweek trip to Old Trafford. Etuhu also shook off a knock to start in midfield with Baird dropping out. Dacourt was left on the bench alongside Kamara who returned from long-term injury. Mowbray made a number of changes with Zuiverloon back from suspension and Filipe Teixeira earning a start on the left for the benched Brunt. Jay Simpson also made a welcome return from a hamstring injury to partner Fortune up front. Moore was back on the bench having recovered from injury.
Fulham dominated and full deserved the win and while Johnson and Zamora came away with the attacking points, Murphy caught the eye in midfield. Sadly the member of the Press Association responsible for dishing out the FPL bonus for this one either had both his eyes gouged out during the game, or slipped on the keyboard and inexplicably missed Murhpy’s contribution. Dempsey profited from that “Bonus Ball’s Up” (get ready for another podcast regular) and he, along with Murphy, Johnson and perhaps even the newly confident Zamora, remain worthy of attention.
Fulham now embark on a run of 4 home games in the next 6, including a double home fixture in gameweek 28. A trip to the Emirates doesn’t look tempting next time given Arsenal’s defensive form and Fulham’s goal record away from home. After that however, it’s time to climb aboard.
Defensively this was another clean sheet for Hodgson’s outfit, thanks to Schwarzer penalty save in the closing minutes. He continues to offer strong value in goal, while Hangeland showed his threat at the other end with a header that struck the bar in the second half. More investment will doubtless come their way in the next couple of weeks.
As for West Brom – Simpson’s return was at least good news and they do have a decent run of fixtures coming in gameweeks 29-32 which make him worth a second look. Other than that, there’s little doing amongst Mowbray’s bunch in fantasy terms.
Liverpool 1 Man City 1
Rafa went with his strongest possible lineup for this, even with Madrid lying in wait on Wednesday. You could argue that Dossena for the benched Aurellio was a act of rotation but apart from that the Liverpool lineup was first-choice with Kuyt, Torres and Skrtel all starting. Gerrard missed out of course but he is back in the squad for the Madrid game according to reports this morning. Mark Hughes kept Dunne in his defence following his return to action in the UEFA Cup in midweek. That meant that Kompany shifted to a midfield role alongside De Jong. Zabaleta stayed in midfield to replace the suspended Wright-Phillips. It will be interesting to see how Hughes shuffles things up again on his return.
Liverpool stumble again as City put on a spirited show built around the strong protection of the De Jong/Kompany pairing in midfield. Ireland has his chance to score, Bellamy did with the aid of an Arbeloa deflection. Encouraging stuff from City but the same old story for Rafa’s men who dropped more home points as they struggled to breakdown their opponents without the inspiration of Gerrard at the sharp-end. Kuyt’s goal, his second in two games, offered a reminder of his potential, particularly in the FPL where his classification as a midfielder makes him an option.
Defensively Liverpool continue to struggle for cleanies. It’s just 1 clean sheet in 5 now in the league. That should improve in the short term (MID sun) before a tough trio of games (MUN avl ful).
Newcastle 0 Everton 0
Hughton kept an unchanged side which meant that Ryan Taylor remained on the right of midfield with Gutierrez benched. Martins made a return to the subs bench after injury, along with Smith and Viduka. Moyes was without the injured Pienaar, Osman and Fellaini, although the latter did appear from the bench along with Saha. Gosling and Rodwell earned starts again then. Yobo came back into the centre of defence, allowing Jagielka to replace the suspended Hibbert at right-back. Cahill’s suspension meant that Anichebe kept a starting role despite the return of Jo to the side.
Arteta’s injury – one which has sidelined him for six months – was the main talking point from this game. I’ve written more about this earlier today and as mentioned, it’s a bitter blow for Everton at time when form and fixtures looked to be falling into place. The game itself was disrupted by the injury and later Nolan’s dismissal for the dreadful lunge on Anichebe which lead to another Everton injury.
Both sides did at least emerge with a clean sheet – Everton’s seventh in their last 10 league games. Newcastle’s first in 8 games.
Injuries and Bans
Everton lost Arteta, Anichebe and Gosling to injuries here. As mentioned, Arteta is out for the season. Anichebe suffered a knee injury as a result of Nolan’s challenge and Everton are awaiting scan results. Gosling picked up a knock late on. Duff also picked up an injury for Newcastle and was replaced at half-time.
Nolan’s red will see him sit out three matches and miss fixtures against Bolton, Man United and Hull.
Hull 1 Tottenham 2
There was suprises in Phil Brown’s lineup as Zayatte kept a midfield role, with Gardner alongside Turner in defence once again. Kilbane and Ashbee made returns after missing the FA Cup tie with Sheffield United and Marney and Garca kept their places which saw both Geovanni and Mendy on the bench and Cousin return from injury to lead the line. Mendy’s omission was a big shock for me – he’s looked Hull’s most lively attacking in recent weeks and this latest move from Brown will concern his fantasy owners. Redknapp also sprung a surprise, preferring Bent up front to Pavlyuchenko who was benched, while Ledley King replaced Dawson at the back.
Woodgate’s towering header won the game for Spurs then, after a much improved second-half performance. A precious win for Redknapp’s side but another defeat for Hull who are struggling to break a run of 10 without a win which has seen them lose 7 of the last 9 league games. Spurs miss the next gameweek, while Hull begin a vital run of kind fixtures that look set to decide their season (BLA ful NEW wig POR mid sun). Investment in Hull, especially now Mendy’s starting role is back under threat, looks unlikely though. Turner did notch his fifth goal of the season in this one and he could be the one exception.
Injuries and Bans
Dawson picked up his fifth booking in this one and he will now miss the away game at Fulham on March 4th. Ashbee is just 1 yellow away from a 2-match ban after picking up his ninth booking in this one.