Jack Wilshere is likely to be ruled out of Arsenal’s Champions League trip to Bayern with an ankle injury. Harry Redknapp hails Bobby Zamora’s weekend display, though is less enthusiastic over Adel Taarabt. Romelu Lukaku may be taken off penalty duties for West Brom, while John Ruddy edges towards a comeback for Norwich:
According to reports in the Telegraph, Jack Wilshere could be set to miss Arsenal’s crucial Champions League game in Bayern on Wednesday evening. The midfielder is said to have picked up the injury in the Gameweek 28 defeat at Spurs and has been recuperating in Dubai since the north London derby defeat – given he has previously spent 14 months on the sidelines with a similar complaint, it’s a real concern for Arsene Wenger’s side after the youngster returned to first-team duties last October. Any possible absence for Wilshere would certainly benefit Lukas Podolski’s game time – the German international has been ousted from the starting XI in the last four after Wenger moved Wilshere to “the hole” and shifted Santi Cazorla to the left flank at Podolski’s expense. Elsewhere, Kieran Gibbs could be set to return from a thigh injury for the match – he could fill it an left-back as new boy Nacho Monreal is ineligible, though may face a task to retain his starting berth for Saturday’s trip to Swansea.
Harry Redknapp’s comments on a couple of QPR players could hardly have been more contrasting after Saturday’s 3-1 win over Sunderland. Bobby Zamora was the recipient of plenty praise after he overcame a couple of injuries to take his place against the Black Cats. His availability afforded Redknapp the chance to roll out a 4-4-2 and saw his side win back-to-back games for the first time this term, with Loic Remy grabbing his third goal in four starts. Zamora was subbed off on 73 minutes – just three minutes after his side had taken the lead and his manager is clearly keen to manage his game time:
“Bobby’s got a bad hip and his ankle is very, very bad. He needed an injection but he has played through it. We won’t get Bobby 100 per cent fit this season with that hip but he wants to play through it – that is what you want. We had other players, one or two with little knocks, that weren’t fit. But Bobby puts it in for the team. You need people like that. It’s what makes your football club. You need characters.”
Redknapp was far less complementary when it came to Adel Taarabt, however. Dropped for the first time since Gameweek 7 last weekend, the Moroccan called off injured for the weekend match and watched his replacement Junior Hoilett provide an assist for the second game running. Hoilett’s form aside, his manager’s words certainly hint it may be difficult for Taarabt to regain his first-team place anytime soon:
“Taarabt wasn’t fit suddenly. So I picked people who were fit and wanted to play. What’s wrong with him? I don’t know, he’s got a little thigh strain or something. When will he be fit again? He should be fit tomorrow! I know the ones I can trust and the ones that are not quite with us.”
Steve Clarke has hinted he may change the spot-kick pecking order at West Brom after seeing Romelu Lukaku’s penalty saved by Swansea stopper Michel Vorm in Saturday’s 2-1 win. The Baggies boss lauded the Belgian’s display after he served up his 13th goal of the season but also went on to say:
“Romelu is improving all the time. Playing is good for him, which is why he came here. I’m sure he’ll spend all next week practising penalties. But, who knows, he might not get the next one. We have got one or two lads who are ready to step in”.
The news has had little effect on Lukaku’s popularity, with over 12,000 FPL managers already snapping him up ahead of next weekend’s trip to Stoke. With Shane Long continuing to struggle due to an ankle injury, the Belgian looks set to continue in the lone forward role at the Britannia this Saturday – with seven goals and a pair of assists on his last eight, the Potters’ beleaguered backline could be set for a battering once again.
Fantasy owners of Norwich’s Mark Bunn were given a heads-up yesterday after the stand-in keeper revealed main rival John Ruddy was edging his way towards a comeback. Bunn spoke to the press after the weekend goalless draw with Southampton:
“The main thing is the clean sheet. John’s fit in a couple of weeks so I’ll just keep working hard. I was a bit disappointed letting in four against Man United but I’ve been delighted with my form.”
His performances were also backed up by Chris Hughton, who went out of his way to praise the keeper after a string of saves kept Mauricio Pochettino’s side at bay:
“He’s done ever so well. He’s got that little bit of composure about him, plus because he’s not one of the really tall goalkeepers he has got that agility. When they pressed quite well, he had to kick a few balls and he showed good quality in his kicking, and I think certainly overall he’s done very well since coming into the team.”
With Ruddy sidelined due to a thigh injury since Gameweek 13, Bunn has picked up plenty of interest as a cut-price option between the sticks. Almost 6% of FPL managers have snapped up the stopper – he has risen from 4.0 to 4.2 and returned three clean sheets in his last five appearances, as the Canaries step up in resilience at the back. In spite of Hughton’s comments, Bunn’s owners will be concerned, nevertheless – Ruddy is thought to be the Canaries’ number one and once he’s 100% fit, Bunn is likely to find it difficult to retain his starting berth. Michael Turner or Russell Martin, at 4.2 and 4.3 respectively, look the obvious alternatives, though Ruddy is now down to 4.5 and with a strong schedule to end the season, could well benefit once available.
While Saturday’s result helped Norwich to their ninth clean sheet of the season, they have now scored in just two of their last eight league games, with a missed spot-kick from Grant Holt proving costly. Hughton has shifted formation in recent matches, moving from 4-4-1-1 to 4-4-2 in an attempt to address the problem – while this paid off against Everton in Gameweek 27, it failed to make a difference against a determined Saints backline on Saturday. Speaking to the club’s official website, Hughton admitted he is a little concerned over his side’s inability to find the net and is looking to strike a better balance between defence and attack:
“From a defensive point of view, if you’re one of the four defenders or the goalkeeper, then you’re delighted with the clean sheet. If you’re an offensive player, then it’s a little bit frustrating that you haven’t managed to get a goal. It’s the balances that we have to work on week-in, week-out. At the moment we’re seeing Queens Park Rangers winning games, so every team in that bottom group as such, probably up to ourselves, are capable of winning games. You’re never close enough to survival until it’s impossible, and it’s certainly going to be tense in these final nine games for everyone involved.”
