Fantasy managers prick up their ears as Fulham’s Norwegian poacher, Erik Nevland, celebrates Bobby Zamora’s likely departure with a hat-trick down under. Elsewhere, Glen Johnson gets a debut, although Rafa, at his unpredictable best sticks him out at left-back. Did I really say that Liverpool’s back four look settled?..

So yes, Glen Johnson earned a Liverpool debut as they were held 0-0 in Switzerland by St Gallen. The interesting/mildly disturbing point here is that Johnson was pitched in at left-back with both Fabio Aurellio and Andrea Dosenna sidelined. Johnson was part of a deluge of second-half changes, with Emiliano Insua occupying the left-back role in the first-half.

Rafa seemed pleased with his new acquisition, although he surely didn’t buy him to play out of position. Those considering Insua can still rest easy then – surely? One thing is certain – we’ll get more clues as to Rafa’s lineup thoughts in the forthcoming friendlies. Liverpool take on Rapid Vienna on Sunday before embarking on a tour of the Far East starting next Wednesday.

Spurs also got their pre-season underway on Wednesday, putting three without reply, past League One Exeter. Jamie O’Hara, Aaron Lennon and Darren Bent got the goals for Redknapp’s side. Like Liverpool, they were another side to select two separate elevens for each half. Most significantly, Redknapp went with a Keane/Defore partnership in the first 45, followed by a Pavlyuchenko/Bent pairing in the second. There’s no doubt that for us fantasy managers, the threat of rotation in the Spurs forward line is a key factor when considering both Keane and Defoe who, on paper, look strong candidates in the mid-price bracket.

On Tuesday night, Fulham ended their tour of Australia with an emphatic 5-0 win over Perth Glory. The form of Erik Nevland was the major point to take from this result – he fired a hat-trick as a second-half sub with Hull-bound Bobby Zamora back on the bench.

Nevland’s purple patch is coinciding with the imminent departure of Zamora. That would see Nevland move up the pecking order at the Cottage, although it’s difficult to see him being paired with Andy Johnson in a little/little partnership. It’s odds on that Hodgson will have targets to replace Zamora, with Eddie Johnson and Diomansy Kamara his only other options up front. Still, Nevland is worth tracking at this point given his form and likely budget price across the fantasy games.

Finally, staying in Australia, Wolves earned a 2-1 win over North Queensland Fury with goals by Andy Keogh and Jody Craddock. I’m sure I’ll have more to say about Wolves later. Struggling now though – I’m sure I’ve mentioned Sylvain Ebanks-Blake already.