We’re still waiting for the “Dalglish factor” to kick-in as Kenny fails to inspire a recovery in Liverpool’s fortunes; the Reds the latest to suffer defeat at the hands of Ian Holloway’s Blackpool in last night’s Bloomfield Road encounter. In the Carling Cup meanwhile, Wenger shuffles his pack and watches on while Ipswich expose defensive flaws to take a 1-0 lead into the Emirates second-leg…
Dalglish sprung a few surprises with his lineup. In the absence of suspended skipper Steven Gerrard, the Liverpool boss brought in Christian Poulsen and Milan Jovanovic to the midfield, while Glen Johnson returned after the birth of his baby boy. None of the trio made an impression and their places look far from secure ahead of the Merseyside derby with Everton at the weekend. Maxi Rodriguez and Paul Konchesky were left on the bench along with David Ngog as Dalglish again went with Fernando Torres as the lone striker.
Johnson took up an unfamiliar left—back role with Dalglish opting to keep faith in young Martin Kelly at right-back after his showing in the narrow defeat to United on Sunday. Kelly duly rewarded that decision by providing the assist for Torres’ opener within three minutes. At 4.2 in the Fantasy Premier League game, Kelly has emerged as a very decent short-term consideration. He would seem likely to hold his start for the Everton game and could cement this role for Liverpool’s run of three home matches in the next four (EVE wol FUL STK).
While Kelly has potential, Liverpool’s defensive frailty remains a big problem. Gary Taylor-Fletcher navigated past Dan Agger too easily for Blackpool’s equaliser, while Ian Evatt demonstrated Liverpool’s lack of aerial power by providing the assist for an unmarked DJ Campbell to head the second-half winner.
Torres’ early strike gave him his seventh goal of the season and just his second in nine games. Dalglish went into this game promising to get the best from the Spaniard and, with those three Anfield encounters to come, there’s every chance that we will see the Torres goal ratio improve in the coming Gameweeks. With Gerrard absence through suspension for the next two however, Torres would be a gamble given his price, even with the double fixture in Gameweek 24.
DJ Campbell’s goal was his second of the Gameweek and his seventh of the season. Campbell has now scored 5 in 5 games, providing outstanding value for his 4.6 price tag. With his place seemingly secure in Ian Holloway’s lineup, he remains a good option for Blackpool’s continued run of home matches and the two additional double fixtures to come in Gameweeks 24 and 27. The Seasiders have 5 home matches in the next 7.
Charlie Adam remains the jewel in Holloway’s crown however. Predictably, the Scot came out of this match with another maximum 3 point Bonus haul, giving him a total of 5 over the two Gameweek fixtures. Adam has now amassed a staggering 30 Bonus Points over the season – his nearest rival, Carlos Tevez, is back on 23.
Incredibly Adam has scored Bonus in 6 of his last 8 starts, totaling 17 points in that run. He has not scored a single goal and returned just 1 assist in the 8 game spell, emphasising that Adam’s influence is so strong, he doesn’t need conventional Fantasy returns to catch the eye and earn the supplementary Bonus Points. The only potential caveat to holding Adam over the next month is his future at Bloomfield Road. The Blackpool skipper continues to be linked with other clubs, with Liverpool now amongst those coveting his services.
Arsenal’s Carling Cup defeat came as a surprise, even if the weekend struggle against Championship Leeds hinted that the Gunners would face a task at Portman Road. Arsene Wenger’s side failed to raise their game and dispatch of the Tractor Boys, slipping to a 1-0 defeat that will likely force Wenger to field an even stronger starting XI for the second-leg in a fortnight.
Last night’s lineup saw the likes of Nicklas Bendtner, Andrey Arshavin, Kieran Gibbs and Theo Walcott earn starts as Wenger chose to rest Samir Nasri, Robin Van Persie, Tomas Rosicky and Gael Clichy. Cesc Fabregas and Jack Wilshere provided stability in central midfield, while Denilson came in for Alex Song in the holding role.
We can expect a full reshuffle for the weekend trip to Upton Park with Nasri, Van Persie, Clichy and Song all looking certain starters. Walcott and Arshavin’s starts look less secure and it seems likely that the two will rotate for the second half of the season, with Nasri swapping flanks accordingly. Up front the competition looks fierce, particularly if Wenger opts for a lone striker as expected. Bendtner failed to take his opportunity last night and remains below Van Persie and Marouane Chamakh in the pecking order.
Johan Djourou and Laurent Koscielny started in tandem at the back once again, with Sebastien Squillaci sidelined with a hamstring injury. That pairing look to be first choice, with Djourou providing potential with his 4.2 price tag. Wenger is in the market for a new centre-back however after Thomas Vermaelen’s recent setback in his recovery from a Achilles injury. Djourou’s potential could well be short-lived then, particularly given last night’s defensive showing.
