As Premier League managers look to patch up their squads, greedily jumping on any niggles to keep their star assets out of the international firing line, the task for Fantasy Managers never lets up. Every morsel of news must be filtered and hovered up in earnest with today’s snippet round-up offering the latest murmurings on the Tevez injury, a fresh tweet from Cesc Fabregas and Wenger’s mission to sharpen up Jens Lehman…
Mancini will want his skipper back as soon as possible but will surely have one eye on the FA Cup semi-final with United on April 16. His Fantasy owners will now be concerned that, if Tevez carries a risk going into the Sunderland game, he could be kept out of the action again as Mancini looks to keep him fit for a match that will ultimately decide whether City come away with silverware this season.
Collins was recently fined by the club, along with fellow defensive stalwart Richard Dunne, following drinking sessions on a “club bonding trip”. The pair of centre-backs have not played together since last month with Dunne is still recovering from a dislocated shoulder. The Irishman was ruled out for “three-to-four weeks” on March 4 and must therefore also be in with a chance of a return in gameweek 31 when Villa take the trip to Goodison.
“I started running today for the first time so I’m very happy to be back outside.”
It is now reported that the Arsenal skipper could be back in contention for the gameweek 31 clash with Blackburn at the Emirates, a potentially profitable match-up for the Spaniard in Fantasy terms. Arsene Wenger will not want to take any risks with Fabregas however, and may yet protect him for that match, with a gameweek 33 double fixture with Liverpool and Spurs on the horizon.
If fit, Fabregas will surely be on the mind of Fantasy Managers for that double, although with Chelsea and Frank Lampard also experiencing two fixtures in gameweek 33, funds may well be stretched. The majority of Fantasy squads will surely lineup with Lampard and Robin Van Persie for that gameweek, with one of Andrey Arshavin or Samir Nasri also in the midfield.
Aresene Wenger refused to confirm or deny that Lehman was in his plans for the home clash with Blackburn up next, but confirmed that the German stopper was still someway short of the sharpness levels required…
“He (Lehmann) looks like a guy who’s not been involved for a long time but has kept his body fit. He has the basic physical fitness but he lacks a little bit of decision-making and practice in goal…Would I consider starting him? I’m not going to get into that now, we now have two weeks.”
They Daily Mail reports that Wenger is desperate for Lehman to see reserve action to help him get up to speed and join Arsenal’s title tilt. However, Wenger’s reserves do not play again until next Tuesday at Wigan; that may not be enough preparation to see Lehman in the frame for the visit of Blackburn.
Wojciech Szczesny is currently sidelined at least until May with the tendon damage suffered in the Nou Camp so, if Almunia’s woes continue, Lehman could certainly see action – he is available for just 4.5 in the Fantasy Premier League game.
