Robin Van Persie ends his recent scoring drought with a coolly–taken spot-kick helping United edge past Stoke at the Britannia. Sunderland stun Newcastle in the Tyne-Wear derby at St James’ Park with Stephane Sessegnon and Adam Johnson instrumental, while City will face Wigan in the FA Cup Final after seeing off Chelsea 2-1 in yesterday’s second semi-final.
Van Persie Drought Ends
The Dutchman headed into the double Gameweek with a mere 17% votes in the Captain Poll – a sign of our concerns due to his recent lack of form. Without a goal in his last 10 in all competitions and having scored just once in his previous eight league appearances, Van Persie earned just 20,000 new owners for back-to-back trips to Stoke and West Ham but he finally came good yesterday thanks to spot-kick duties. After being fouled in the box by Andy Wilkinson, he dusted himself down to fire past Asmir Begovic and help the visitors clinch a 2-0 win, with Ferguson’s side now 15 points ahead of City with six games remaining to the champions’ seven. With a couple of bonus points also accrued, Van Persie’s already returned a 16 point armband haul ahead of Wednesday’s trip to Upton Park – in a Gameweek that has proven particularly disappointing, handing him the armband has proven particularly fruitful thus far.
After the game, Van Persie spoke of his delight in finally finding the net and went on to reveal the club are determined to clinch the title in style after a difficult last few matches:
“I had to score that one and thankfully it went in, and after that the relief of a couple of weeks came out, I would say. I wanted to celebrate with everyone; with the players, the staff, with all the players involved even on the bench because they’ve been great to me from day one. Even when sometimes it is a little bit harder, they still believe in me and they still support me and help me wherever they can. That’s why I wanted to join everyone…. We don’t just want to try and win the league by getting the points we need, we want to get maximum points now from the games remaining. It’s important that you keep a run of wins going and that’s what we want to do.”
Jones in the Points
Sir Alex Ferguson welcomed back Nemanja Vidic to the first-team fold and with Rio Ferdinand and Patrice Evra also getting the nod, Rafael was arguably the only first-choice defender to lose out as Phil Jones was selected for a physical battle at the Britannia. Jones duly vindicated Ferguson’s decision by providing an assist and earning a couple of bonus points and has already picked up 11 points, after United registered their seventh clean sheet in the last eight. Given that they face a similar type of showdown with West Ham, Jones could well get the nod at the back again – causing Rafael’s owners further consternation.
Rooney Drops Deep
Not only is Jones’ move to right-back a worry for Rafael owners, it could have a knock-on effect on Wayne Rooney again. The former Everton man dropped deep yesterday as Ferguson looked to inject a robust presence alongside Michael Carrick in central midfield and could retain his more withdrawn position, with Van Persie partnered by Javier Hernandez or Danny Welbeck. After the game, Ferguson admitted he was thoroughly impressed by Rooney’s display:
“I thought he was brilliant. I think he was possibly needing a different role in terms of getting his confidence back. He’s been getting a little bit of criticism, not seriously so, but a few doubters. He’s a fantastic player and our job is to get his confidence and form back. I thought a spell in midfield today would do him the world of good and, of course, it worked for us.”
Furthermore, the United boss also revealed the idea of keeping Rooney in the middle of the park is an idea he is entertaining:
“Yeah, it’s a possibility we’ll utilise players who can get you goals. I think we tried to do that today with Antonio Valencia wide right and Shinji Kagawa on the left, who I thought was fantastic, as it gave ourselves options to score.”
Potters Dire Form Continues
With four goals in their last nine and a single clean sheet in the previous 15 matches, Stoke sit just three points above third bottom Wigan, having now played two matches more than the Latics. Tony Pulis was without Marc Wilson and Matt Etherington yesterday and once again selected Kenwyne Jones ahead of Peter Crouch up top but regardless of his first-team alterations, his side seem feeble at both ends of the pitch. While the likes of Villa, Wigan, Southampton and now Sunderland have shown form in recent matches, Stoke have picked up a single point from their last seven matches, with previous Fantasy favourites such as Asmir Begovic and Ryan Shawcross offering no value in recent months. The upside for Pulis is that the next three fixtures pit the Potters against fellow strugglers; with trips to QPR and Sunderland sandwiching a home clash against Norwich, the Stoke boss remains optimistic of a turnaround.
“It’s a five-game season and it really starts for us now. There are eight or nine teams in the scrap and we have to make sure we’re not in the bottom three. The one positive is that we’ve got Manchester United out of the way, and it’s very important that we remain positive and stick together in a situation like this. I know it’s difficult to do that, but we’ve got to stay focused because what’s gone has gone. We’ve got good players, but I think we need a break. We’re just not getting the breaks, but that’s what happens in runs like this.”
Black Cats Midfield Produce
A stunning win at St James’ Park took Sunderland three points clear of the drop zone with five matches remaining. The 3-0 Tyne-Wear derby triumph was the Black Cats’ first victory in 10 attempts, with many of the visitors’ midfield turning in crucial contributions as the Paolo Di Canio effect kicks in. The Italian’s arrival has reignited Stephane Sessegnon’s Fantasy potential – the Benin international was shifted back to a central role behind a lone forward last week and retained the position with devastating effect. Sessegnon’s goal and assist against Newcastle was only the second time this season he has played a part in more than one goal in any league match and with three home games in the next four (EVE, STK, SOU) in addition to a trip to Villa, his flourishing self-belief is likely to have a significant say in the last few Gameweeks.
Adam Johnson’s strike for Sunderland’s second also brings the former City winger onto Fantasy radars. Coming in at 6.7 in Fantasy Premier League (FPL) to Sessegnon’s 6.9, he’s another mid-price midfield option with everything to play for – yesterday was the first time he has found the net since Gameweek 22. James McClean earned his first start under the new manager yesterday and provided an assist – only the sixth time this term he has produced attacking points – while David Vaughan emerged from the bench to stake a claim for a starting berth by firing home his first goal of the season.
Sunderland Resilience
Yesterday’s result also saw Sunderland pick up defensive points for the first time in nine attempts. Simon Mignolet rewarded his owners with a seven point haul as the Black Cats registered their tenth clean sheet of the campaign – the Belgian is now up to 123 points in FPL, just a single point off the top of the goalkeeper standings. Fit-again Carlos Cuellar, now down to 4.3 in FPL, may come back onto Fantasy radars, though Di Canio looks to have issues at right-back heading into next week’s clash with Everton after Phil Bardsley was subbed off injured early into the second-half. With Craig Gardner still suspended, John O’Shea may deputise, with Matt Kilgallon or Kader Mangane filling in at centre-half should Bardsley be ruled out of the Toffees match.
Krul Blow for Magpies
Newcastle headed into yesterday’s match on the back of four straight home wins in the league but despite the return of a couple of key protagonists were simply swept away. Alan Pardew welcomed back Mathieu Debuchy and Cheick Tiote after recent injuries but with Davide Santon still sidelined with a hamstring problem, the hosts were forced to field Jonas Gutierrez at left-back. The Magpies were dealt a further injury blow after Tim Krul was forced off just before the hour mark –post-match, the club confirmed the Dutchman was expected to be out for the season with a dislocated shoulder. While Krul’s absence hands 4.0 priced Rob Elliot a starting role over the next few, the schedule will likely deter any would-be investors –Pardew’s side have three away games in the next four, and with their remaining two home games against Liverpool and Arsenal, their chances of survival are still very much up in the air.
City Book Their Place
Roberto Mancini’s men maintained the momentum from last Monday’s Manchester derby win by edging past Chelsea to set up a FA Cup final showdown with Wigan next month. The City boss made just two changes – as per Mancini’s cup selection policy, Costel Pantilimon got the nod over Joe Hart, while Sergio Aguero was fit enough to start and replaced the injured David Silva after the Spaniard failed to recover from the hamstring problem picked up against United. Aguero continued on from his display at Old Trafford by finding the net yet again – promising form ahead of Wednesday’s home showdown with the Latics – while Samir Nasri was City’s other goalscorer. With a trip to Tottenham not until next Sunday, it seems unlikely that Mancini will ring the changes for the midweek league match; Pablo Zabaleta’s will be optimistic he can retain his starting berth ahead of Micah Richards and Maicon, despite the latter pair continuing their respective injury comeback by turning out for the reserves early last week.
Aguero’s owners will a little concerned ahead of the midweek match with Roberto Martinez’s men, though, with reports suggesting the FA could retrospectively act on his two-footed challenge on David Luiz yesterday. Given that referee Chris Foy awarded Chelsea a free-kick for the incident, it seems unlikely that Aguero will receive any ban.
Rafa Benitez made seven changes from the side that clinched a place in the Europa League semi-finals at the expense of Rubin Kazan last Thursday, with only Petr Cech, David Luiz, Cesar Azpilicueta and Ramires keeping their places. The likes of Eden Hazard, Juan Mata and Oscar all returned, while Demba Ba recovered from an ankle problem to take his place up top and score the Blues’ consolation. Benitez made just one substitution over the 90 minutes, with John Obi Mikel replaced by Fernando Torres on 66 minutes in a reshuffle that saw Torres shift to the left and Oscar drop deep into central midfield. While Hazard and Mata owners may be a little concerned by the fact that both played the entire match, results elsewhere in the league suggest Benitez could start both in Wednesday’s trip to Fulham – with Arsenal now a point ahead in third and Everton only three points behind, rest and rotation may prove detrimental as he looks to get back to winning ways ahead of a schedule which sees Chelsea travel to Liverpool and United in the following three. Post-match, certainly, Benitez highlighted just how crucial the midweek derby will be:
“Now we have to concentrate on the league and for us Fulham on Wednesday will be a massive game. We know very well we have to focus and be ready and we will try to keep the players thinking positively and about the good things we did in the second half.”
