Tottenham went to Bloomfield Road off the back of a 1-0 Champions League win in the San Siro and three straight Premier League wins. Not for the first time however, Blackpool defied the odds and ran out 3-1 winners with Charlie Adam again imperious. Sadly for Fantasy Managers, the Blackpool skipper also conspired to pick up a needless yellow to rob us and Ian Holloway of his services for two matches.
Meanwhile, over in Denmark, Chelsea looked uncharacteristically assured against FC Copenhagen, earning a 2-0 first leg victory courtesy of two more quality strikes from Nicolhas Anelka.
Here’s the notes from last night’s events…
From a Fantasy perspective, Charlie Adam’s yellow card late on for an unnecessary challenge on Michael Dawson was undoubtedly the main talking point of Blackpool’s victory. As we outlined last night, Adam will now serve an immediate two-match ban and miss games at Wolves and at home to Chelsea. A major blow for Ian Holloway’s side and Adam’s many Fantasy owners.
Adam claimed 2 FPL Bonus Points on the night but the maximum 3 went to centre-back Craig Cathcart; the first time a Blackpool defender has earned 3 Bonus this season.
Holloway made four changes to the lineup that earned a point at home to Villa in the first match of their gameweek. Belarusian striker Sergei Kornilenko earned a debut up front having notched for the reserves last week, he was partnered by DJ Campbell and James Beattie in Blackpool’s familiar 4-3-3. Ludovic Sylvestre came into the midfield for the injured Elliot Grandin, while Neal Eardley returned at the back, with David Carney dropping to the bench.
Sebastian Bassong was drafted into the Spurs defence to help fill the void left by the injury suffered by Vedran Corluka in the San Siro. Bassong started alongside Dawson, with William Gallas given the unfamiliar task of filling in at right-back. Alan Hutton was nowhere to be seen again then – having seemingly cemented his starting role, the former Rangers man has gone missing in action. Answers on a postcard please.
Redknapp recalled Luka Modric to his midfield, while Jermain Defoe and Roman Pavlyuchenko operated as a front two. Niko Kranjcar again earned a start on the left of midfield as Redknapp was again deprived of Gareth Bale and Rafael Van der Vaart through injury.
Defoe is still searching for his first league goal of the season – he certainly had ample opportunities last night. A Richard Kingson right-hand and two goal-line clearances prevented the England striker from notching. He will surely register a first goal soon but in Fantasy terms, Defoe remains one of the season’s major disappointments.
Interest in Tottenham’s assets will be dampened by their blank fixture this coming gameweek but their schedule to follow suggests more positive results and Fantasy returns will come their way. Wolves, West Ham, Wigan and Stoke provide the next four opponents – all of which should bring attacking rewards. Defensively however, Redknapp’s side remain inconsistent and look a risk.
Over in Copenhagen Chelsea ran out comfortable 2-0 winners in their Champions League first leg tie. Nicolhas Anelka was again the class act on show, overshadowing the huff and puff of Fernando Torres with two typically assured finishes.
Carlo Ancelotti again chose to bench Didier Drogba, opting for Anelka and Torres in a narrow 4-4-2 which saw Florent Malouda and Ramires take up the “wide”roles. Malouda impressed on the night but both he and Ramires on the opposite side tucked in, as Chelsea still feel their way around a formation seemingly forced upon them by the arrival of Torres.
Torres himself badly needs that first goal in Chelsea colours. He put in a shift last night but while Anelka nonchalantly eased his way around the pitch and provided two icy moments of quality, Torres bustled and relied on effort in order to impress. True to form, Ancelotti was quick to jump to the defence of the Spaniard in his post-match appraisal…
“What was important was his movement with Anelka and it was a good combination and I am happy. Anelka was able to score and Torres had a lot of opportunity that he created with his movement…We have fantastic strikers so I have to decide for each game but also at the end when Drogba came on, he had a good combination with Torres.”
Ancelotti’s lineup for the visit of United on March 1 will be interesting to say the least. Anelka’s form is such, the Chelsea boss will be forced to consider a 4-3-3 with Drogba, Torres and Anelka let loose. A more conservative lineup seems likely; that will mean a decision has to be made on whether it’s Drogba or Torres who start against Alex Ferguson’s men. While such doubts on Ancelotti’s preferred pairing and formation continue, Fantasy Managers are likely to remain little more than casual observers.
