Juan Mata and Frank Lampard grab the goals as Chelsea see off Arsenal at the Bridge. Theo Walcott and Santi Cazorla are handed wide roles for the Gunners but produce a goal and assist respectively in the first match of their double Gameweek, while Clint Dempsey’s late equaliser cancels out Robin Van Persie’s opener as Spurs clinch a deserved point at the Lane.
Blues Midfield Produce Again
A goal from Juan Mata (and subsequent maximum bonus) helped the Spaniard extend his lead at the top of the Fantasy Premier League (FPL) midfield standings as Chelsea edged past Arsenal at the Bridge. Mata has notched just once in six prior to yesterday’s win but with five assists also accrued over that period, he’d continued to tick over nicely, while other midfield alternatives start to stutter. Having now produced attacking points in 13 of his last 15 starts, Mata is afforded further opportunity to continue his outstanding consistency as the Blues now play three of the bottom five next (rea, new, WIG). Frank Lampard also seems to have cemented a regular role under Benitez and has now started six of the last seven Gameweeks for the Blues. Despite a more withdrawn berth in the double-pivot, Lampard’s spot-kick duties continue to bolster his appeal – his converted penalty against the Gunners took his tally five goals in those six first XI appearances and priced at 8.4 in FPL in comparison to Mata’s 10.0 and Eden Hazard’s 9.4, his kinder valuation may appeal to those looking to invest in the Chelsea midfield. An ownership of just 3% also highlights Lampard’s draw as a differential.
Chelsea Forward Rotation Woes
Having started three of the previous four in all competitions, it had seemed Demba Ba had moved ahead of Fernando Torres in the forward pecking order but the Senegalese striker dropped to the bench for yesterday’s visit of Arsenal. Owned by over 37% of FPL managers, Ba’s consistency of starts at previous club Newcastle looks a thing of the past under Rafa Benitez – in any given Gameweek, it’s becoming more apparent his game time is far from guaranteed, regardless of the poor form that has seen Torres score in just two matches since Gameweek 8 onwards. Indeed, by quoting such statistics we are tempting Rafa’s wrath: the Chelsea boss was, not for the first time, resolute in his defence of Torres after Sunday’s match, hitting out at those who point to the Spaniard’s recent goal record…
“These people who like to quote stats and stats, they don’t have any clue about what is going on. When you have one striker for a month and a half and cannot change, it’s more difficult for the striker. When you have now two strikers, you can manage. Fernando was doing a great job. Afterwards, Demba gave us something we didn’t have before.”
The Blues now have a couple of cup clashes against Swansea and Brentford on their agenda before a return to league action against Reading on January 30 – if the same pattern continues, Ba may well see significant sales, although there’s little doubt he’s more than capable of producing when handed the chance to lead the line for the London outfit. With the midfield continuing to chip in with crucial contributions, it makes Benitez’s decision to rotate his front men a little easier as he looks to manage both players’ fitness over the remainder of the campaign.
Azpilicueta in the Points
An assist for Mata’s opener took the right-back’s total to four for the season, double the tally of any other Blues defender. More of a natural full-back than Branislav Ivanovic, Azpilicueta has now started all but one league game since Benitez replaced Roberto Di Matteo and continues to look immune to his manager’s rotation, though with John Terry edging nearer match-fitness, Benitez’s defensive options will soon be boosted. With David Luiz absent due to an ankle problem yesterday, we are yet to see where the 5.7 priced Spaniard stands in the pecking order when Benitez finally has a fully fit backline at his disposal.
Walcott and Cazorla on the Flanks
Arsene Wenger’s hand was somewhat forced yesterday after Lukas Podolski and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain both missed the trip to Chelsea through illness. The pair’s absence saw the Gunners boss name an unchanged line-up from the side that saw off Swansea in the FA Cup Third Round replay on Wednesday – Theo Walcott and Santi Cazorla were once again handed the wide roles, with Olivier Giroud leading the line and Jack Wilshere fielded in “the hole”.
Walcott’s fine consolation goal vindicated the results of our Captain Poll, where he received over 53% of the votes cast, and continued a run of form which has seen him score or assist in eight of his last 10, while Cazorla’s clever assist was only the fourth time he has produced attacking returns in his last 10, by comparison. With a couple more days for Podolski and Oxlade-Chamberlain to recover, hopes are high of a return in time for Wednesday’s final match of the Gameweek as the Gunners welcome West Ham to the Emirates. Given the dire displays of Abou Diaby and Olivier Giroud, Wenger could well be set to shuffle his pack: Wilshere could drop deep into central midfield, allowing Cazorla to return to “the hole”, while Oxlade-Chamberlain’s availability will surely boost Walcott’s chances of moving back to the lone forward role once again.
Dempsey Stakes a Claim
The top scoring FPL midfielder last season, Clint Dempsey has cut a peripheral figure at the Lane since the return to first-team action of Emmanuel Adebayor. With the latter flying off on African Cup of Nations duties for Togo, the former Fulham man returned to the starting XI for the first time since Gameweek 16 and clinched a crucial point with a deserved last-gasp for the north London outfit. While Adebayor and Jermain Defoe seem to be Andre Villas-Boas’ favoured attacking pairing, Dempsey’s contribution suggests he is more than a little unlucky not to have cemented a regular role – he has now scored or assisted in five of his last six starts; by comparison, Defoe has one goal in his last eight, while Adebayor has two goals in his last nine appearances in the first XI.
Rooney Warms the Bench
Having announced his return from a knee injury with the only goal of last Wednesday’s FA Cup Third Round replay win over West Ham, Wayne Rooney was expected to instantly slot back into the United starting line-up for the trip to Tottenham. Instead, the former Everton man had to make do with a sub role as Sir Alex Ferguson chose to roll out a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Robin Van Persie leading the line and Shinji Kagawa tucked in behind. While the Dutchman continued his relentless debut season at United with a nine point haul courtesy of a goal and maximum bonus, Rooney’s owners will be concerned over yesterday’s omission – having seen his side register just two clean sheets on the road all season, it may well be that Ferguson will try to tighten things up at the back away from home, leaving Rooney to vie with Kagawa for a role supporting Van Persie, or move to the flank. Yesterday’s game could well force Ferguson into a rethink, though; with just two shots in target in comparison to Tottenham’s eight, United were far from impressive from an attacking point of view.
Ferguson Warns of Continued Rotation
Sunday’s teamsheet was pre-empted by an article quoting Sir Alex on United’s official site in which he spoke out on the subject of rotating his squad. It’s clear from the article that, while perhaps not a fierce advocate to the same extent as Rafa Benitez, the need to rotate players as a result of fatigue will be a factor at United…
“If you’re in Europe, the FA Cup and have the League to contend with, you can’t play the same players all the time. The stats show players’ running performances have soared, particularly sprints. It’s amazing. So the game has developed and is quicker with more energy being spent in games. You have to think more about picking your teams. I think the players accept it now. I wouldn’t say they enjoy it but they handle it better. It is difficult. You have to speak to them and can’t ignore it. The days of putting the team up on the notice-board have gone. They have here anyway. I don’t think you can do it any other way.”
Clearly, with the likes of Rooney and Antonio Valencia on the bench and with Ashley Young out of the squad, it’s apparent that Ferguson now has a wealth of options in all areas of the pitch. With Jones lining up in midfield and Chris Smalling available, the alternatives at the back are clear and, in Fantasy terms, it remains difficult to pin down assured starters – a situation which will only worsen once United’s European campaign gets underway in February.
