United slip out of the Champions League reckoning as Cristiano Ronaldo scores the crucial goal to secure Madrid’s progress. Hatem Ben Arfa could be afforded a run out in Newcastle’s Europa League match with Anzhi, Kieran Gibbs is nearing a return to fitness, Adam Lallana should recover from a head knock sustained last weekend and Daniel Sturridge is expected to return for Liverpool’s home clash with Spurs on Sunday:
United 1 Real Madrid 2
Given the importance of last night’s game, Sir Alex Ferguson’s defensive selection was perhaps an indication of his first-choice back-four. Having returned to the side for last weekend’s home win over Norwich, Jonny Evans dropped out, with Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic again the preferred partnership. Despite being lauded as a key member of the United starting XI only a matter of weeks ago by his manager, the Northern Ireland international has now started just one of the last four in all competitions and with one less trophy to play for, his owners will be concerned over his game time in the league, with even less rotation required amongst Ferguson’s backline now.
The main talking point prior to kick-off was, of course, the omission of Wayne Rooney from the starting line-up. Ferguson, however, went to great lengths to explain his decision was down to Rooney’s lack of fitness after a recent sinus problem, with Danny Welbeck getting the nod due to a specific tactical game plan. The former Everton man had returned to the first XI in Saturday’s win over the Canaries but had played just 30 minutes in the previous two games – a significant factor in his manager’s thinking, with Ferguson already on record as saying Rooney needs a run of games before reaching full fitness.
“It is one of these situations where we regard the qualities of Real Madrid with Xabi Alonso as controller of the team. Young Shinji Kagawa found it hard to do that defensive job in the first leg. Danny Welbeck is the best in our team at that, and that is the reason I have selected him. Wayne Rooney needs a game or two. He did well in the second half against Norwich, but he looked like he needed a game. He probably will come on in the second half and win the game for us!”
From a Fantasy perspective, United’s exit will also ease the likelihood of rest and rotation throughout the side as Ferguson looks to build on a 12 point gap over City in his bid to secure the title – the worry for Robin Van Persie’s owners was that, if United progressed to the latter stages of the Champions League, the Dutchman would be rested during the league program. That scenario has now been eliminated with Ferguson now perhaps set to give Van Persie the platform to score the goals that will see him earn the Golden Boot in his first season at Old Trafford.
Last night’s result will hopefully speed up the rescheduling of United’s league trip to West Ham, which was due to take place this weekend but has been cancelled due to FA Cup commitments – with more free midweeks in their calendar, we’ll hopefully soon learn of a new date, with many still crossing their fingers that the match could be moved to next midweek and stay within the confines of Gameweek 29.
In other news…
Alan Pardew could well be willing to hand Hatem Ben Arfa some part in Newcastle’s Europa League tie in Russia on Thursday. The Magpies face a first leg tie with Anzhi Makhachkala, with Ben Arfa now close to a return. The Frenchman has recovered from injury but is, according to Alan Pardew, some way short of match fitness…
“I think he has got a chance. We wanted to put some work into him. He’s a little bit short, so whether he gets 20 or 30 minutes towards the end of that game, I don’t know. That’s probably the most he could get. We’ll see how he shapes up. He worked all weekend – hopefully, we’ll get him even closer.”
Ben Arfa’s return to the fray could prove significant for those considering Newcastle’s attacking assets in the coming weeks. While the likes of Moussa Sissoko and Papiss Cisse look secure, they would surely benefit from Ben Arfa’s creative contribution from the flank. There is no suggestion that Sissoko will have his role, up in support of Cisse, changed when Ben Arfa is fit, having proved so effective in recent weeks. Saturday’s 1-0 defeat at Swansea was the first time in five games that Sissoko has failed to return a goal or an assist since his arrival in England.
Arsene Wenger’s options look set to be boosted by the return to fitness of Kieran Gibbs according to reports. Gibbs is set for a return to full training and could be in the frame to face Bayern Munich in the Champions League next week. Gibbs’ return would give Wenger a selection headache at left-back, with Nacho Monreal currently in the role. The Spaniard has impressed whilst Gibbs has been sidelined and it’s perhaps not cut-and-dry that the England man will make an immediate return to the Gunners lineup.
Southampton look set to be able to call on captain Adam Lallana for the trip to Norwich at the weekend. The midfielder returned to action against Newcastle a fortnight ago, after a two-month absence, only to be forced off after a clash of heads with Clint Hill against QPR on Saturday. Lallana’s recent return proved the catalyst for a shuffle in the Saints’ midfield, with both Jay Rodriguez and Steven Davis dropped to the bench on Saturday to make way, as Gaston Ramirez and Jason Puncheon were recalled after being benched in the defeat to Newcastle. With Lallana set to be in contention, Mauricio Pochettino could well keep an unchanged starting lineup for the Carrow Road clash although Puncheon’s owners will still have some concern over his security of start given the teamsheet on the previous away trip.
Daniel Sturridge’s Fantasy owners will be relieved to hear the Liverpool forward is expected to be fit for Sunday’s home clash with Tottenham. Having missed two of the last three matches due to a thigh complaint, Sturridge’s fitness has been a growing issue in recent weeks – despite his relatively kind price tag across the Fantasy games, the uncertainty over his game time means his appeal has taken a real dent. Over 52,000 FPL managers have already snapped up Luis Suarez after his hat-trick against Wigan on Saturday evening but the Uruguayan is likely to return to the support role this weekend, with Sturridge once again afforded the chance to lead the line – all the more crucial for his owners, given there are currently just six fixtures scheduled to take place. A move back to 4-2-3-1 from the weekend 4-3-3 looks the likeliest scenario, with Philippe Coutinho and Stewart Downing retaining their places on the flanks on either side of Suarez. Although Sturridge is set to return to training today, Brendan Rodgers looks set to be without Martin Skrtel again – the centre-half remains sidelined with a knee problem.
