The goals flow in force as Dimitar Berbatov, Robin Van Persie, Fernando Torres and debutant Darren Bent burst into life to make Gameweek 24 a heavy scoring affair even before the double fixtures arrrive. Here’s the notes from Saturday’s action…
Darren Bent’s debut goal will earn the headlines as the striker once again managed to notch on a debut. Ashley Young’s performance should also be noted by Fantasy Managers; playing in the hole in support of Bent, Young looked lively and was not shy at firing in efforts on goal. Young’s role in that position should guarantee starts for Marc Albrighton and, together with Stewart Downing – those three should guarantee a supply for Bent. In attacking terms then, we should anticipate an upturn in fortunes in Villa’s attacking output. They also have the fixtures to aid that development.
Defensively Villa also impressed. James Collins took the plaudits with a lionheart display in the centre of defence. Collins claimed 2 FPL Bonus Points with Bent awarded the maximum for his winning goal. Collins has claimed 5 Bonus over his last two starts for Villa and appears to have claimed the Bonus magnet mantle in the Villa defence, previously held by team-mate Richard Dunne.
Kyle Walker missed out against City with a back injury sustained in training according to Gerard Houllier. The much-fancied Tottenham loanee had previously kept Carlos Cuellar on the bench for the derby match with Birmingham and at just 4.0 in the FPL, had earned selection to the Scout Picks amidst plenty of wildcard interest. It will be interesting to see if Walker lines up at Wigan should he recover from the injury for the midweek fixture. Given the clean sheet against City, we should expect an unchanged back four.
The Man City full-back situation remains a mystery. Roberto Mancini went with Jerome Boateng and Aleksandar Kolarov at Villa. The inclusion of Kolarov was particularly surprising given the recent criticism of his defending in the home game against Blackpool. Mancini nonetheless backed the Serb, suggesting that perhaps he may have cemented his starting role at left-back. What is perhaps more surprising is that Kolarov is yet to register an attacking point this season. Against Villa he was once again a key threat, firing in crosses and goal attempts. He also took corners from both sides of the pitch. Clearly, if he can maintain regular starts, Kolarov will start returning attacking points soon to supplement any City clean sheets to come.
City failed to claim a point which perhaps their performance deserved. Mancini once again left Adam Johnson on the bench from the start but introduced him for Barry as they chased an equaliser. His introduction was key to the sustained pressure they applied as City’s attacks streamed down the right-flank. Johnson could well figure from the start at Birmingham next time out.
Carlos Tevez owners will be concerned by their man’s output in the Villa clash. Tevez, often came deep to fetch the ball and start play managed just one goal attempt over the 90 minutes. He has averaged 2.9 attempts per game over the season so far.
The Wayne Rooney/Dimitar Berbatov partnership clicked into gear at Old Trafford once again. The roles look pretty much defined – Rooney’s workrate and willingness to come deep allows Berbatov to lead the line and remain the spearhead, preserving his energies for doing what he does best this season – converting chances.
It means that Berbatov remains the major goal threat – his hat-trick against Birmingham was his third of the season and took him to 17 goals in total. Rooney once again played supplier with two assists on the day, taking him to 9 for the season – that’s three times as many as last season’s haul.
The partnership seems unlikely to be broken up for the midweek trip to Blackpool, although it remains to be seen whether United can take their Old Trafford form into an away game. Their attacking football has been nowhere near as fluid on their travels.
Rio Ferdinand missed the game and the clean sheet with a groin injury which allowed Chris Smalling (who has clearly edged ahead of Jonny Evans in the pecking order) to earn another start. Michael Carrick suffered an ankle injury and was replaced in the first-half. Both Ferdinand and Carrick will be major doubts for the Blackpool game.
John O’Shea came in for the suspended Rafael and put in a strong performance to give Ferguson food for thought ahead of the midweek trip to Bloomfield Road. O’Shea came out of the game with two assists and could now hold his start, although Ferguson will likely rotate right across his starting XI for Wednesday’s game. Ryan Giggs, so impressive against Birmingham, would seem very likely to miss out at Blackpool for starters.
Jonathan Spector continued in his midfield role for West Ham and notched his first Premier League goal in the 2-2 with Everton. He also provided the cross for Piquionne’s header that struck a post in the first-half and continued to bomb forward in the second period. Spector is available as a 4.1 Defender in the FPL – a consideration over West Ham’s run of favourable opponents in the weeks to come.
Freddie Piquionne will be available for the trip to Blackpool in Gameweek 25 despite receiving his red card in the 2-2 draw. The striker will serve his one-match ban in the Carling Cup semi-final with Birmingham in midweek.
Places in David Moyes’ starting XI are still very much up for grabs. Diniyar Bilyaletdinov came off the bench for Victor Anichebe and scored to stake his claim for a regular start, while Jermaine Beckford failed to cement his starting role – he was replaced by Louis Saha at half-time.
Robin Van Persie’s hat-trick in the 3-0 win over Wigan confirmed his arrival as a heavyweight in a Gameweek in which double fixtures drew the attention of Fantasy Managers. The Dutchman has scored 6 goals in his 4 league starts since his return and has not surprisingly started to attract major interest as a result. His price has already risen from 9.5 to 9.8 over that spell and that trend will surely continue as Arsenal’s fixtures present further opportunities for major point hauls.
Samir Nasri came out of the victory with a blank which will concern his many Fantasy owners. The Frenchman was however heavily involved in Arsenal’s attacks and registered plenty of goal attempts to demonstrate that he is still very much a factor. The same applies to Cesc Fabregas who earned an assist and obligatory FPL Bonus. The Arsenal skipper had plenty of opportunities to notch a goal but spurned them all. Heavy investment in Arsene Wenger’s attacking riches looks advised – the goals should continue to flow given the opponents to come in forthcoming Gamweeks.
Defensively Arsenal continue to benefit from total dominance of possession. The Wigan victory brought them a fourth consecutive league clean sheet with Johan Djourou continuing to offer outstanding value at just 4.2. The only real concern here is that investment in an Arsenal defender will use up a slot that could be reserved for one of their attacking players.
Liverpool’s fine 3-0 win over Wolves at Molineux was the first under Kenny Dalglish and a supremely encouraging display. The two goals for Fernando Torres will be of particular interest to Fantasy Managers. This was the first time that the Spaniard had scored more than one goal away from home since September 2009. It marked a timely return to form for those who invested in Torres for the double Gameweek. He looks well positioned to add to his 9 goal tally when Fulham visit Anfield in midweek.
Martin Kelly continued to cement his role at right-back in the Liverpool back four. The young full-back returned a clean sheet for his Fantasy owners and caught the eye enough to claim a single FPL Bonus point – a rarity for a full-back. At just 4.2 in the FPL, he looks like another strong budget option, particularly if the recovery continues under Dalglish.
Raul Meireles was clearly the outstanding performer for Liverpool. He continued to prompt play from midfield and join to support Torres throughout a tireless 90 minutes. It will be interesting to see how Dalglish uses him in conjunction with Steven Gerrard when the Liverpool skipper returns from suspension against Fulham.
There are two major concerns for Gareth Bale owners this morning. With the arrival of Steven Pienaar and the injury to Benoit Assou-Ekotto, Harry Redknapp switched Bale to left-back and handed Pienaar his debut on the left flank at Newcastle. Bale was withdrawn after just 11 minutes of the 1-1 draw, as he suffered back problems that forced him off. Redknapp offered us very little information on the scale of the injury post-match…
“He has had a bad back for the last few weeks and we need to get that sorted out because it is dragging on now. We need to get someone to see it and get him back as he is important to us…You don’t know with back injuries, do you?”
The situation needs to be monitored ahead of Gameweek 25. Bale has already been subject to heavy sales in the FPL and has suffered a price drop from 7.3 to 7.4 overnight.
Kieran Richardson was employed in an advanced midfield role in Sunderland’s 2-1 win over Blackpool at Bloomfield Road. He adjusted to the role superbly, claiming an eye-catching brace. Richardson seems set to continue in that position given the limited attacking options available to Steve Bruce, although we should expect Bruce to make a move for a striker before the January window closes. Richardson is available for 5.3. in the FPL.
Phil Bardsley was forced off in the win at Blackpool through illness. His Fantasy owners will not be complaining – Bardsley’s departure on 62 minutes earned him a clean sheet with Charlie Adam’s penalty arriving after he left the field. With Gameweek 25 over a week away, Bardsley should be fine to take his place in Sunderland’s starting lineup against Chelsea at the Stadium of Light.
Clint Dempsey’s role in the Fulham lineup is still uncertain with Mark Hughes now having the likes of Andy Johnson and Moussa Dembele available to him up front. Dempsey started the game on the right-flank with Dembele returning to partner Johnson in attack. The American’s contribution is not in doubt however, as he once again proved the decisive factor for Fulham, claiming both goals in the 2-0 win over Stoke at the Cottage. Significantly Dempsey assumed spot-kick duties, despite the presence of Danny Murphy on the pitch, to claim Fulham’s second after he was brought down in the box.
Mark Hughes has several injury concerns ahead of the trip to Anfield with Dickson Etuhu and Aaron Hughes both early doubts. Both have hamstring problems.
