Arsenal and Spurs go toe to toe in a game so thrillingly entertaining, many viewers snubbed El Clásico until the ninety minutes were through. When the dust settled, however, the Gunners had dropped another two points, letting slip a two goal lead that allowed Chelsea to overtake them in second place. The champions swept aside Birmingham with ease at Stamford Bridge, making it nine wins and two draws from their last twelve games as Carlo Ancelotti’s side finish the season just like they started. Too bad about the bit in the middle, then. Here’s the notes from last night’s action….
Carlo Keeps in Shape
Once again, Chelsea took to the field in a 4-3-3 formation, with the only change in personnel being Paulo Ferreira for the rested Branislav Ivanovic at right-back. This meant another start for Salomon Kalou wide right of a front three, with Fernando Torres joined by Nicolas Anelka on the bench as Didier Drogba kept his place as the focal point of the Blues’ attack. Torres did get twenty-odd minutes but failed to break his duck.
Wide Men In the Points
Salomon Kalou and Florent Malouda were the two “Cheeky Punts” identified in last week’s Scouting the Doubles piece on Chelsea, and both came good again last night. Of the six goals Ancelotti’s side scored over their double gameweek, four were shared by Kalou and Malouda. Add in an assist for Malouda and 5 Bonus Points, and the pair returned a combined Fantasy total of 38 points, despite both leaving the proceedings on 67 minutes against Birmingham.
Didier Drogba
The after-effects of malaria seem long-gone now; Drogba bustled and bullied his way through the Birmingham defence last night, picking up two assists as Chelsea put the game beyond their visitor’s reach before the half-hour mark. He also grabbed 2 Bonus Points, making it 5 from the gameweek and a 22 point haul for his Fantasy Owners. With a home game against West Ham up next, more of the same can be expected – if selected of course….
Chelsea Rotation on the Way
While Ancelotti will be delighted with Chelsea’s form, he indicated in his post-match comments that he is set to rotate his squad to keep things fresh when West Ham arrive at the Bridge.
“We have another tough game, so I can use some rotation to keep the players fresh. In this moment of the season, every game is difficult, it’s difficult to prepare and it’s difficult to stay in concentration. When one team needs a point to survive from relegation, they will do more than 100 per cent. For this we need to be ready.”
This could offer an opportunity to Torres of course, while Nicolas Anelka would also seem well placed to start. The Chelsea front three could be shuffled then, despite their recent run of form. Elsewhere the likes of Branislav Ivanovic, Yossi Benayoun and Yury Zhikov could all come into Ancelotti’s plans.
Big Eck Goes 4-5-1
Having started the previous three games, Kevin Phillips dropped to the bench, with Alex Hleb coming in for the Carling Cup winners, leaving Cameron Jerome to lead the line alone. Lee Bowyer was the only other change, making way for Keith Fahey. With one clean sheet on the road since gameweek 14, Birmingham were always unlikely to chalk up a shutout and with Chelsea in such bullish form, McLeish’s change in shape came to no avail.
The Blues sit five points above the drop zone and after a tricky trip to Liverpool this gameweek, face a run of games (WOL, new, FUL) that should, realistically, help seal their survival.
Birmingham Penalty Duties
Craig Gardner was thought to be Birmingham’s chief spot-kick taker but the midfielder was still on the field last night when McLeish’s side were awarded a penalty in the 76th minute. Up stepped Sebastian Larsson to not only spoil the Chelsea clean sheet, but cast doubt over Gardner’s penalty duties, much to the chagrin of his owners.
Harry’s 4-4-2 Opens the Game Up
Harry Redknapp sprung a selection surprise in the White Hart Lane showdown, dropping Aaron Lennon to the bench and shifting Rafael Van der Vaart wide right away from his favoured position in the hole, as Peter Crouch partnered Roman Pavlyuchenko up front. The 4-4-2, pitched against Arsenal’s 4-2-3-1, was the making of the match, as both teams threw caution to the wind in a brilliant end-to-end encounter.
In their race with Man City for Champions League qualification, this draw dents the hopes of Spurs, though, and despite three very favourable home games still to come, their matches on the road could barely be more difficult (WBA, che, BLP & mcy, liv, BIR), as they look to overhaul a two point deficit.
Rafael Van der Vaart
Second half substitutions saw him eventually move from the wing role to play behind a lone striker, but Van der Vaart’s movement caused Arsenal problems throughout, as he popped up all over the pitch to receive the ball. Two goals (granted, one was a penalty) and 3 Bonus Points were just reward for a performance that could have seen him grab more than just a double. Surprisingly, this was his first Bonus Points since gameweek 19.
Gareth Bale
Following two first-half heavy clashes with Arsenal goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny, Gareth Bale failed to turn out for the second forty five. Harry Redknapp moved to alleviate worry over his winger’s availability after the match:
“He shouldn’t be too bad. He got a knock but he’ll get plenty of them over the next few years. I think it was his knee.”
Bale owners will be crossing their fingers ahead of the weekend home clash against West Brom; with the Baggies chalking up one clean sheet all season, Spurs can be expected to attack from first minute to last.
Wilshere Drops Down
Arsene Wenger had recently hinted at concerns of burn-out for Jack Wilshere and, in the week the youngster picked up his PFA Young Player of the Year award, the Gunners boss chose to bench Wilshere, drafting in Alex Song in the heart of the midfield instead. Bacary Sagna returned at right-back for the hapless Emmanuel Eboue.
Gunners Midfield
Cesc Fabregas picked up another assist but, once again, failed to get amongst the goals. Fabregas has a mere three goals this season, whereas Theo Walcott’s opener was his eighth of this campaign. In addition, Walcott also has eight assists to his name, making him the best value Gunners midfielder. Samir Nasri’s early-season form has deserted him in recent months, reflected in the fact his goal was the Frenchman’s first his New Year’s Day. A look at the FPL points reveals that-somewhat surprisingly, with five gameweeks to go, Andrei Arshavin remains the top-scoring midfielder in the Arsenal ranks.
Robin Van Persie
Another game, another goal for the Dutchman. Since returning from injury in December, Van Persie has found the net in every away fixture he has played; this six-game run equals a record set by Didier Drogba. That’s fourteen goals in his last twelve appearances and, taking assists and Bonus Points into consideration, is a run that has seen Van Persie average nine FPL points per game.
