Daniel Sturridge has his heart set on a role through the centre. Robin Van Persie hails the effect of Theo Walcott on his goalscoring, Luis Suarez faces a FA charge and Connor Wickham is expected to be back far sooner than first anticipated:
Daniel Sturridge admits he is frustrated by his role out wide for both club and country. Sturridge was given a central role in Chelsea’s game at Blackburn but an injury to Florent Malouda saw the Frenchman replaced by Fernando Torres in the second half as Sturridge returned to his usual right flank position. With Andre Villas-Boas favouring a lone striker system, though, his best chance of a place in the first-team seems likely to be away from the middle but Sturridge is determined to stake his claim:
I just want to continue playing for Chelsea and from there I want to start playing as a striker, and then from there try and play for England as a striker. I want to stake my claim as a striker, that’s the position I want to play.. because that’s where I believe I am best.
Roy Hodgson spoke of his injury doubts ahead of West Brom’s home clash with Bolton this weekend. Peter Odemwingie, Shane Long and Paul Scharner are all ”long shots” according to the Baggies boss, meaning he could continue with the formation that saw him field Simon Cox as a lone front man with Zoltan Gera tucked in behind in the previous game at Arsenal. Good news for Hodgson is that Graham Dorrans looks set to be available for selection after he was sent home from the Scotland squad last week with an ankle problem.
Alan Pardew yesterday confirmed Sylvain Marveaux is out of the weekend trip to Man City. The winger was given his first start of the season last time round due to an injury to Gabriel Obertan but lasted less than an hour of the win against Everton after picking up a groin problem. Obertan is still a doubt for the game, though Shola Ameobi has returned to full training and will be included in the squad as Newcastle look to extend their unbeaten start to the season.
Connor Wickham is expected to be sidelined for just 4-6 weeks and could even be back before the end of the calendar year, according to Steve Bruce. Stretchered off after a couple of minutes in the previous gameweek at Man United, the Black Cats new summer signing was initially thought to be suffering from a long-term injury but Bruce explained that scans were far more positive than he had anticipated.
After a month long investigation, the FA have decided to charge Luis Suarez following the Patrice Evra race row. Reports suggest they feel they now have enough evidence to make a case against the Uruguayan, having studied the match footage as well as speaking to Evra and the match officials. Reports suggest that due to the seriousness of the situation, they could be ready to hand Suarez a minimum six match ban and slap him with a hefty fine due to the serious nature of the matter.
Liverpool’s official statement confirms the player will deny the charge and expect him to request a personal hearing with the FA, with the club firmly behind him on the matter. He would then be expected to learn his fate over the next few weeks by an independent tribunal.
Robin Van Persie has singled out Theo Walcott for his contribution to the Dutchman’s devastating goal scoring performances since the second half of last season. With 29 goals in 28 league games in 2011, Van Persie has been a Fantasy revelation and he admits the pair have an on-pitch understanding that brings out the best in him:
I know what he is going to do, which is very important. It’s vital to have a player around me, as a striker, who knows where I move, how I move, do I want the ball into feet, do I want it behind. He knows where to find me. Stuff like that is vital.
Steven Caulker is set to miss out this weekend as Swansea face up to Man United at the Liberty Stadium. The on-loan Spurs centre-half has been progressing well in his recovery from a knee injury that has seen him absent since gameweek four but according to Brendan Rodgers, is more likely to be ready for the following weekend’s trip to Aston Villa.
DJ Campbell could return to action within a month as he recovers from a fractured metatarsal. The QPR forward sustained the injury in a training ground accident and has been unavailable since the gameweek seven thrashing at Fulham. With Heidar Helguson making the most of his opportunity up front, with 3 goals and 2 assists in his last five games, and Jay Bothroyd netting in the last two, Campbell could have a fight on his hands getting back into Neil Warnock’s first-team plans.
