Alan Pardew heaps praise on the recent performances of Hatem Ben Arfa. Roberto Mancini is less pleased by the contribution of Mario Balotelli, with reports of in-fighting amongst City’s squad emerging after Saturday’s with Sunderland. Harry Redknapp is wary of giving Aaron Lennon too much game time, Jermaine Pennant takes to twitter to criticise Tony Pulis, while David De Gea gets a pat on the back from Sir Alex Ferguson:

It’s taken the vast majority of the season but finally Hatem Ben Arfa is flourishing as a Fantasy force. Awarded both assists in yesterday’s game by Fantasy Premier League (FPL), the Frenchman has now played a part in six of Newcastle’s last seven goals and has today been lauded by Alan Pardew for his upturn in performance. Now installed as a first-team regular, Ben Arfa is making a mockery of his 5.6 price tag and as Fantasy managers look to get in on the action, his own boss wasn’t sparing in his praise for his recent right wing displays:

I am very pleased. When you have a player who has a special talent, sometimes they look at you as a manager and they want to play. He wasn’t fit. He had worked really, really hard, but he wasn’t actually match-fit. He was fit, but not match-fit, not really sure of how we played and in the Premier League, the transition of play, where he should be and where he shouldn’t be. He has taken on board and he has listened to me and he as listened to my staff and he has been very, very diligent. I was quite confident that the penny would drop. I know it’s an old-fashioned cliché, but I think it probably has with Hatem. Now I could actually put him anywhere on the pitch and he would know what to do.

Chaos ensues down at the Etihad right now with reports this morning that Mario Balotelli and Yaya Toure were involved in a dressing room bust-up following the 3-3 draw with Sunderland. Mancini left us in no doubt that he blamed his strikers for the failings of Saturday’s display, singling out Balotelli in particular, despite his two goals…

I don’t like anything about his display because it is my opinion that a player of his quality cannot behave like this. Mario has everything he needs to do his job but he doesn’t understand his situation very well.

It seems that Mancini is desperate to remove Balotelli’s influence from the pitch and the dressing room but is hamstrung by Carlos Tevez’ lack of match fitness and the absence of Sergio Aguero to his “stupid” foot injury. Mancini brought us more on that situation post match..

We lost Aguero to a stupid situation. It is incredible that we should lose our best striker for two games at such a crucial stage of the season…If Sergio had played we would have won this game – I’m 200 per cent certain of this and for that reason, it’s really disappointing that he couldn’t play…I hope we can have him for the next game.

While David Silva seems hampered by a niggling ankle problem which saw him subbed for the third game running, Samir Nasri’s absence from Saturday’s match is currently shrouded in mystery. Mancini is quoted on Radio Five live as offering “family reasons” for the Frenchman’s absence and yet Nasri himself tweeted on Saturday…

I’m imjured and In my house ready to watch the game come on boys lets get 3point

With that typo, you have to wonder if it’s a hand injury. Nasri will hope to figure against his former club next weekend – a pivotal fixture in the title race. Having said that, Mancini has remarked that, should City go into Sunday’s game eight points behind, their title challenge will be over.

That concession is no doubt designed to pile pressure on United’s effort at Ewood Park tonight. Should they win and earn the three points against QPR on Saturday, City would indeed, kick-off at the Emirates with an eight point gap. Presumably, should Mancini concede the title race, City’s lineup would be even more vulnerable to rotation over the remaining games – that has to be a consideration if the points gap widens further.

Harry Redknapp has admitted he will be careful with Aaron Lennon’s ongoing hamstring problems over the Easter period. The Spurs boss revealed he plans to leave Lennon out of one of the two upcoming fixtures against Sunderland and Norwich in order to reduce the chance of further injury. Lennon has only just returned after a three-game absence and made an immediate impact, producing an assist in the 3-1 win over Swansea. Redknapp praised the winger’s contribution, conceding that Lennon afforded his 4-3-3 formation a more natural width, with Rafael Van der Vaart moving into the middle three upon the former Leeds man’s introduction.

Next week is going to be a juggling act playing Saturday and Monday. It is going to be survival of the fittest, trying to get two teams ready. We have got a long slap up to Sunderland for a tough game and then we have to come back and play Norwich at home. You are going to have to change the team around. I think Aaron will be ready for 90 minutes but you won’t get two games out of him next weekend. No chance. He’ll play one game — whichever one I choose to play him in. He keeps getting little hamstring problems and I think he and the medical people would be a bit wary of playing two games in quick time.

Jermaine Pennant returned to the Stoke lineup at Wigan this weekend, only to find his attacking ambitions quashed by Tony Pulis’ tactics. Pennant expressed his frustration at Pulis’ ploys via the wonders of Twitter over the weekend…

I can’t score a free-kick if there isn’t 1 around the box and I played bloody wing back today I’ve never ever been a full back in my life.

Pennant is likely to incur the wrath of his manager following the indiscretion and, according to the club’s statement today, is also nursing a knock which threatens to rule him out of the two Easter fixtures. Pennant suffered an ankle injury as well as wounded pride against the Latics and is a doubt for the games against Wolves and Aston Villa, along with fellow winger Matt Etherington. The absence of the two regular wide men would likely see Ryan Shotton reinstalled on the right-flank, with Cameron Jerome considered on the left. As an “out of position option”, Shotton’s inclusion would be of particular interest for those Fantasy managers shopping for budget talent for the two-match programme.

Sir Alex Ferguson has heaped praise on David De Gea ahead of this evening’s trip to Blackburn. The United keeper was dropped after his display in the 3-2 reverse against Steven Kean’s outfit in the 3-2 loss at Old Trafford, making way for Anders Lindegaard to prove himself as the number one choice. Lindegaard’s subsequent ankle injury has allowed De Gea a return to the first-team fold and, with three back-to-back clean sheets, seems to have re-established himself as top of the pecking order, regardless of Lindegaard’s availability. Ferguson went on to say:

I think the thing is he has stood up as a man…. he didn’t let it get to him and the boy has improved in every game. Now he is playing with confidence, and confidence is a great factor for any footballer, as you know. But he stood up to the situation. He knew it was a challenge. It took him time to adjust to the different ways of the English game as opposed to the Spanish game but he is showing that now. He has shown fantastic improvement.

Chris Brunt has admitted he is some way off full fitness as he struggles for form in recent weeks. Subbed off towards the end of the 2-0 defeat at Everton on Saturday, the West Brom midfielder was the subject of criticism from his own fans but revealed he is nowhere near 100%, following a recent return from a broken ankle:

Somebody said something but that’s part and parcel of the game,” said Brunt. “Fitness-wise I am still a little way off where I need to be. My own form hasn’t been as good as it could have been and I will be the first to hold my hand up and say that.