Lukas Podolski returns to full training ahead of Arsenal’s home game with West Ham this evening. Ryan Nelsen will play his final match for QPR against City next Tuesday evening, Benoit Assou-Ekotto is confident of winning back his left-back role, Newcastle snap up a new centre-half, while Villa are dumped out of the Capital One Cup at the hands of Bradford.
Arsene Wenger rolled out an injury update yesterday ahead of this evening’s home clash with West Ham. Speaking to the Arsenal website, Wenger revealed that Francis Coquelin is sidelined with a hamstring injury, while he will “have to check” on Abou Diaby after the Frenchman played four back-to-back games following a three-month absence. More positively for Fantasy managers, though, the Gunners boss also admitted that Lukas Podolski could make a return for this evening’s encounter…
“We could have Podolski back in the squad because he is back to full training today. Yes he’s better. He was sick. And maybe Oxlade-Chamberlain back in the squad because he has been sick. Maybe he will go out today and practise again.”
Certainly, both players were later pictured in a series of stills taken from training, suggesting they could well be set to return against the Hammers. Not only will the news afford a little more optimism to the 35,000+ FPL managers who transferred in Podolski for the double, the knock-on effect of the injury situation could see Wenger reshuffle his side. With Coquelin out, Mikel Arteta still sidelined and question marks hanging over Diaby, the Gunners may field Jack Wilshere and Aaron Ramsey in the double-pivot tomorrow. Wilshere’s return to a deeper role would allow Santi Cazorla to revert to the role in “the hole”, with Podolski back on the left, while Oxlade-Chamberlain’s comeback would also afford Wenger the chance to shift Theo Walcott to the lone forward role – Walcott had played there in each of the last five prior to Sunday’s trip to Chelsea but the spate of injuries meant Olivier Giroud was handed a chance through the middle instead. Given Giroud’s poor display, it’d be little surprise if Wenger chose to shuffle his pack as he attempts to recover from the weekend loss at the Bridge.
Reports have confirmed Ryan Nelsen is set to play his final match for QPR next Tuesday evening before taking up the reins at MLS club Toronto FC. The news is a bitter blow for Harry Redknapp after a recent upturn in defensive resilience saw the R’s concede just once in the last three – Nelsen has featured in all but one match under the new boss, having missed the Gameweek 19 clash with West Brom due to a flu virus. Coming in at just 4.1 in FPL, Nelsen has thrived as a cut-price option since the dismissal of Mark Hughes – he has averaged 4.3 points per game under Redknapp, compared to a previous average of just 2.4 ppg. His 7.3% owners will now be scouring the market for an alternative; Nedum Onouha is similarly priced and has now played the last four at right-back, while Clint Hill has played every minute under Redknapp and comes in at 4.3. Anton Ferdinand looks to remain out of the picture – reports this morning stated that he is on his way to Bursaspor on loan. It must be stated that confidence in QPR’s ability to keep up their recent defensive displays is likely to take a turn for the worse after Nelsen’s departure, though, forcing his owners to perhaps look elsewhere for alternatives.
Benoit Assou-Ekotto seems more than confident of reclaiming his left-back berth from Kyle Naughton over the coming weeks. After climbing off the bench against United on Sunday to play a part in his side’s late equaliser, the Cameroon international was in a buoyant mood…
“I’m not worried because obviously I can do stuff with my left foot that he [Naughton] can’t do. He’s not a real left-back and I don’t think he has the same left foot as me, so I’m not worried about that. To come back in the Premier League is quite hard because it’s high-tempo, but sometimes it’s easier to play against Man United than against a team in the bottom half, so I think it was a good game for me to come back in.”
Sidelined since Gameweek 3 due to a knee injury, Sunday was Assou-Ekotto’s first taste of league action as he continues to build up his match-fitness after the lengthy lay-off. Having featured from the start in the recent FA Cup Third Round win over Coventry, he’s likely to get the nod for this weekend’s Fourth Round trip to Leeds and is clearly edging towards a starting berth in the league once again. While Naughton has now featured in the first XI in the last five Gameweeks, his limitations as a left-back were exposed against United – he continually cut inside onto his favoured right foot and resultantly slowed down his side’s attacks. As a natural left-footer, Assou-Ekotto offers a better balance at the back and his cross from deep eventually led to Clint Dempsey’s leveller, via a poor attempted punch by David De Gea. Priced at 4.2 in FPL, Naughton has recently acquired a steady stream of owners but his security of starts looks less certain by the week; while Assou-Ekotto’s 6.0 price tag is hardly appetising by comparison, a return of two goals and five assists last season serves a reminder of his attacking capabilities from deep.
Villa were left licking their wounds last night after exiting the Capital One Cup at the hands of Bradford. Paul Lambert made three changes from the side that drew at West Brom on Saturday evening, with Brad Guzan, Ashley Westwood and Nathan Baker replaced by Shay Given, Stephen Ireland and Barry Bannan for the second leg of the semi-final but despite a 2-1 win, the midlands outfit were sent packing 4-3 on aggregate. Joe Bennett supplied the assist for Christian Benteke’s opener before subs Darren Bent and Andreas Weimann combined for the latter to slot home late on but it was too little, too late for Lambert’s side as their dire run of form continued. They now face a trip to Millwall in the Fourth Round of the FA Cup at the weekend before resuming league duties on Tuesday with a crucial home clash against fellow strugglers Newcastle.
The Magpies have strengthened their squad ahead of that clash. Alan Pardew continued his winter shopping spree yesterday by acquiring centre-half Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa from Ligue 1 outfit Montpellier. The defender follows on the heels of Mathieu Debuchy as the Newcastle boss looks to address his side’s woeful displays at the back this term – they have registered just four clean sheets and shipped 41 goals, only 10 less than their total for the previous campaign. The move looks to be edging Fabricio Coloccini towards the exit door – the centre-half is reportedly unsettled on Tyneside and is set on moving back to his native Argentina before the window closes. Pardew’s business is unlikely to end there, either – reports yesterday suggest the Magpies are closing in on a deal for midfielder Moussa Sissoko, while forward Yoan Gouffran is also close to completing a deal. We’ll have a Scout Report on Yanga-Mbiwa with you later today and will roll out articles on the other two if the deals are indeed completed.
