Arsenal claim a precious three points at the Emirates, withstanding the bruising Stoke City threat at the cost of injuries to Cesc Fabregas and Theo Walcott. Over in France meanwhile, there was no place for “fantasy” as United claimed a Champions League stalemate with a professional if somewhat uninspiring display.
The final fixture of a prolonged gameweek saw Arsene Wenger make seven changes to the lineup that was held by Orient in the FA Cup. The likes of Samir Nasri, Walcott, Fabregas and Jack Wilshere all returned ot the midfield, while Johan Djourou came into the back four that was without the injured Laurent Koscielny. Nicklas Bendtner was given the nod over Marouane Chamakh up front, as Robin Van Persie missed out with a hamstring. Andrey Arshavin again dropped to the bench, with Nasri taking up his role on the left-flank.
Arsenal’s 1-0 win was completely overshadowed by injuries to both Fabregas and Waclott. The early setback suffered by the Arsenal skipper seemed to derail Arsene Wenger’s men who had started brightly, weaving patterns around a bewildered Stoke City. Arsenal’s fluidity seemed to leave the pitch with Fabregas after 14 minutes; despite the efforts of Samir Nasri and Jack Wilshere (who claimed the 3 Bonus Points), the Gunners seemed to lose their way without their skipper’s influence.
As we’ve stated in earlier articles, we are due to hear more on the Fabregas hamstring injury today. The player himself has expressed his determination to make Sunday’s final, posting the following on his Twitter feed…
“I dont know if I’ll make Sunday or not, but all I know is that from this moment to Sunday I won’t sleep if it’s necessary. I’ve waited too long to captain a final for Arsenal and I won’t give up till the last second.”
As stated last night however, it seems unlikely that Wenger will look to take any risks with his skipper, either in Sunday’s game, or the gameweek 29 league encounter with Sunderland that falls three days before the second leg of the Champions League tie with Barcelona.
As for Walcott, he is already out of Sunday’s game with an ankle sprain. Again the severity and term of absence is unknown – we can expect to hear more on Friday, when both Robin Van Persie and Laurent Koscielny will also be assessed prior to the Wembley final.
With doubts surrounding the likes of Fabregas, Walcott and Van Persie in the coming weeks, we can expect to see Nasri’s stock rising. The Frenchman appears to offer some security in Arsenal’s midfield, particularly while Fabregas is rested or sidelined. Arsenal certainly have the fixtures to offer strong rewards at both ends (SUN wba BLA blp) – the task is to identify players who will be on the field to return them.
Stoke battled manfully in last night’s game and posed Arsenal problems in the second period. Their defensive resolve and threat at set-plays was again in evidence and continues to be the key factors when it comes to Fantasy investment. Robert Huth has proved a popular Fantasy signing thanks to his incredible goalscoring output this season; interest in him is likely to simmer for a good few gameweeks yet. Stoke face West Brom at the Britannia in gameweek 28 and follow that with a trip to West Ham and then a run of three home games in four.
Didier Deschamps claimed in the pre-match build up to his side’s Champions League clash with United that their opponents lacked “fantasy”. However you define that term, it was clear that while United certainly didn’t lack a work ethic or defensive strength, they struggled to find a cutting edge against Marseille.
Deschamp’s focus on United’s lack of creativity will have struck a nerve with Alex Ferguson after last night’s display and United will clearly need to get more from Nani, Wayne Rooney and Dimitar Berbatov in the second leg. We can also expect to see Paul Scholes and/or Ryan Giggs involved – last night’s midfield trio of Darren Fletcher, Michael Carrick and Darron Gibson showed industry, but lacked the guile required to pick the lock.
Significantly Ferguson deployed Rooney in a wide left role, with Nani occupying the opposite flank and Berbatov operating down the middle in a 4-5-1. This perhaps indicates United’s likely formation for “big game” scenarios, particularly when Giggs is out of the picture. It could well be the strategy used at Stamford Bridge in United’s second fixture of the forthcoming gameweek. Although Rooney is heavily involved regardless of his position, his Fantasy owners won’t enjoy the prospect of starts in a wide role.
Chris Smalling was again outstanding in defence deputising for the injured Rio Ferdinand. He will likely start at Wigan at the weekend, although Ferdinand is expected to return for the potentially vital visit to Stamford Bridge next week.
John O’Shea once again started at right-back, with Rafael left on the United bench. The Brazilian now appears to have lost the initiative when it comes to a starting role having seen red at White Hart Lane and returned from his suspension. It seems that Fantasy Managers can no longer look to Rafael for any kind of security when it comes to acquiring a source of United defensive points – not an ideal scenario going into a double fixture gameweek.
