Arsenal miss chances aplenty but still enjoy their day to the seaside, putting three past Blackpool to move seven points off the top with a game in hand. Near the bottom, Aston Villa record a crucial victory in a weekend that saw Gerard Houllier’s side become the only club in the lower half of the table to pick up all three points….Here’s the notes from yesterday afternoon.
With the concise passing of Cesc Fabregas cutting apart Blackpool’s flimsy offside trap time and again, Arsenal were granted numerous opportunities to find the net in their visit to Bloomfield Road and it’s indicative of their recent wastefulness that Richard Kingson was beaten on just three occasions. Samir Nasri and Robin Van Persie, in particular, should have put the game beyond their hosts in a manner far more emphatic than the 3-1 scoreline suggests. Van Persie, nevertheless, did notch a goal, an assist and was subsequently awarded the 3 Fantasy Premier League (FPL) Bonus Points.
The win takes Arsenal’s unbeaten league run to fourteen games and adds extra impetus to their upcoming double gameweek (LIV & tot), where investment in their players will undoubtedly be high, despite a tricky pair of games.
A pre-match knee injury to Manuel Almunia gave Jens Lehmann the chance to make a return to the Arsenal first team and the German came up with one or two crucial saves to maintain the Gunners lead at times. After the game, Arsene Wenger admitted he is unsure whether Almunia will be ready for next Sunday Emirates showdown with Liverpool. Wojciech Szczesny was also described as being “not far away” from his return.
Wenger clearly has a selection headache with Nasri, Andrey Arshavin and Theo Walcott all vying for roles on the flank in Arsenal’s midfield. Nasri looks his preferred option with Arshavin and Walcott seemingly set to rotate. It was the latter on the bench at Blackpool but he saw action on the hour-mark and provided the pass for Van Persie’s simple third goal. Walcott would now seem well placed to start the Emirates clash with Liverpool on Sunday – if he can impress in that one, he could also seal his starting role for Arsenal’s second fixture of the gameweek at Spurs. Walcott looks a double gameweek gamble then but, at 6.9 in the FPL, one that some may opt to take.
The home defeat means Ian Holloway’s side have picked up five points from their last twelve games and the only real positive for Blackpool this weekend is that all the teams below them lost, too. Olly will need all his powers of motivation to rally the troops, with the Seasiders now facing a critical run of three home games in succession (WIG, NEW, STK) which may just determine their chances of survival. At least DJ Campbell has served his suspension and got some game time under his belt yesterday ahead of next weekend’s vital match against Roberto Martinez’s bottom of the table Latics.
Gerard Houllier switched systems for the home game with Newcastle, reverting to a 4-4-2 that saw Gabby Agbonlahor join Darren Bent up front. Ashley Young, having had a free role behind Bent of late, moved back to the left wing, though swapped flanks with Stewart Downing throughout the game. This allowed Stilian Petrov to join Jean Makoun in the centre of midfield, giving the home side a more robust edge in the middle.
Villa have been defensively poor this season and this was their first clean sheet in ten games and only their second since gameweek ten. The 1-0 win should boost their confidence ahead of a decent run of fixtures that reads (whm, STK, wba, WIG).
Owners of the forward can count themselves unlucky, as Bent was on the wrong side of two contentious decisions that, on another day, could have seen him walk away with a decent Fantasy haul. The January signing found the net at the tail end of the first half only for it to be harshly ruled out for offside then, in the second forty-five, was fouled inside the Newcastle box and could easily have won a penalty for his side. Rather than returning two goals or one goal and an assist, he finished the match with nothing to show for his efforts and picked up just 2 Fantasy Premier League (FPL) points instead.
Alan Pardew already had to do without both Kevin Nolan and Cheik Tiote for the trip to Villa Park due to suspension, but the Newcastle boss also had to rule Shola Ameobi out of the proceedings with inflammation of the knee, an injury the forward picked up on Saturday. Speaking after the game, though, Pardew is keeping his fingers crossed the situation isn’t serious. Such was the visitors lack of options, Fabrizio Colocinni played in centre midfield in the 1-0 defeat, though Jose Enrique did return to bolster the back-four.
Pardew fielded a 4-4-2 formation with the unfamiliar partnership of Nile Ranger and Peter Lovenkrands leading the line, though the pair rarely threatened their hosts. St James’ Park may have seen plenty of goals for the home side over the course of this season, but this game was the fourth in the last five away from home that Newcastle have failed to find the net. A home game with Man United is up next, followed by a trip to Blackpool and a chance to address this toothless form on the road.
