Saturday morning and the usual Fantasy fry up of dilemmas is in front of me.
Will Mikel Arteta and Charlie Adam shake off injuries to start? Will Mancini stay good to his word and start with Mario Balotelli at Wolves? And of course, Gareth Bale is troubling my thoughts with the usual doubts surrounding his start for Spurs. It’s a dogs dinner. Can the morning press help turn it into fine dining?
Will Arteta overcome his hamstring injury and make the linueup against Stoke?
The Everton playmaker is a vital component in Everton’s make-up and yet the Toffees went to White Hart Lane and put on a performance that earned them a point last weekend. Without the Spaniard, Leighton Baines stepped up at set-pieces and duly curled in a superb effort to boost his Fantasy repuration with one swing of a boot. Will Baines be on duty again this weekend or will Arteta’s owners get to see their man back out on the pitch?
The Sun: Arteta starts in midfield with Heitinga dropping out in what is a very attacking Everton lineup as Bilyaletdinov keeps his start on the left.
The Times: The Spaniard misses out here. Heitinga remains in a midfield role and it’s the same unit that took to the field against Spurs.
The Telegraph: This paper goes with the Times’ assessment. There’s no return for Arteta and it’s the same midfield that faced Spurs and David Moyes goes unchanged.
The Guardian: This paper levels it up. The Guardian pencil in Arteta as a doubt but include him in a midfield that has Pienaar wide left and no place for Bilyaletdinov.
I say: Personally, I don’t see Arteta making the game. Moyes seemed reluctant to commit on his chances of being available and his “wait and see” response indicated to me that the chances were more remote than he was willing to let on. Just a hunch perhaps, but if his prize asset is yet to return to training ahead today’s game then I can’t see him being risked against a combative Stoke midfield.
Will Gareth Bale be rested at Old Trafford with the Inter return tie looming?
Once again owners of Gareth Bale are at odds as to whether their man will take the field for Spurs. This time Harry Redknapp has offered clear indication that he could rest the Welshman for Tuesday’s Champions League tie with Inter and despite Bale being given a holiday this week, we could see him spared and kept on the bench at United.
The Sun: Bale starts in an unchanged midfield five for Spurs.
The Times: Another vote for the Bale start and again, Redknapp’s midfield five is unchanged.
The Telegraph: It’s looking unanimous. The Telegraph also have Bale in their XI although they have Harry changing his striker with Pavlyuchenko getting the nod over Crouch here.
The Guardian: Finally it’s another start for Bale and again, it’s the same midfield unit that faced Everton with Crouch leading the attack.
I say: Bale has been given some days off by Redknapp this week and to my mind, that was with the intention of Bale taking the field in two big games at Old Trafford and against Inter on Tuesday. I’ve no concerns that he’ll start at United then. Whether he come back with returns is another matter.
Will Mario Balotelli be handed his first start for City at Wolves? Could this possibly come at the expense of Emmanuel Adebayor?
Roberto Mancini has indicated that Balotelli needs starts and his statement that the Italian striker will be good for 50 minutes appears to indicate that he will go with his expensive signing and leave Adebayor on the bench to replace him in the second-half. Does all this really add up?
The Sun: The red top ignores Mancini’s claims and goes with Adebayor leading the attack. Strangely they have no place for Yaya Toure in their midfield with Johnson, Milner and Silva all starting along with De Jong and Barry. Kolo Toure returns in defence.
The Times: The first broadsheet also goes with Adebayor with no place for Balotelli. Both the Toures start here, leaving Adam Johnson benched.
The Telegraph: They also go with Adebayor up front and again there’s no start for Johnson here. Kolo Toure again is thought to recover from a hamstring to start.
The Guardian: The only paper to stick their neck out and hand Balotelli a start. There’s no place for Adebayor here then, he’s kept in reserve along with Johnson. Again, Toure returns at the back for City.
I say: My mind has changed on this several times. Right now I’m back taking the manager at his word and I’ve dropped Balotelli back into my predicted City lineup. If Mancini is indicating that he needs to start and is stressing the he could get 50 minutes, then it stands to reason that we will see Balotelli on from the start and subbed early in the second-half. If that is the case then Mancini has to keep Adebayor in reserve to carry out the swap. We know that Mancini wants to make the move to 4-4-2 but I don’t see it coming at Wolves without Tevez.
Will Charlie Adam overcome an ankle injury to lead Blackpool’s charge on three points at home to West Brom on Monday?
Ian Holloway’s playmaker is suffering from a wounded ankle and wounded pride following the defeat at Birmingham. Adam took a hefty knock which has led to him having stitches in the injury and left him unable to train. Holloway has indicated that he will look again in today’s training session before making a decision on Adam. How do the papers rate his chances?
The Sun: Adam starts in an unchanged Blackpool lineup.
The Times: The ankle injury keeps Adam sidelined and Hollway is forced into a change. Elliot Grandin comes back into the midfield area to cover the loss.
The Telegraph: Adam starts again here. He shakes off the injury to take his place in an unchanged Blackpool XI.
The Guardian: Again Adam starts here in an unchanged side but the Guardian do at least acknowledge him as a doubt.
I say: I don’t Adam making it. Holloway has said he will see if Adam trains today but if the ankle remains a problem and keeps him out of training, I don’t see him being risked. Losing his skipper will be a major blow to Holloway but I see him handing a start to favourite Keith Southern on Monday. I also wonder if Adam’s contract wrangles will be a factor in the mind of the player or the manager. Holloway has insisted that Adam won’t be affected by the recent off-field dispute but there’s a chance that Adam’s contract will be void, making him a free agent. If that comes about, Adam’s situation is going to a very interesting one and surely a distraction.
