A tactical tweak from Andre Villas-Boas sees fit-again Gareth Bale produce a goal and assist as Spurs sweep City aside in a second-half comeback at the Lane. Juan Mata and Eden Hazard are amongst the points for Chelsea once more, while Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge grab a goal and assist apiece in the Anfield stalemate. The Uruguayan, though, may well be facing disciplinary action which could force him out for the remainder of the season.
Bale’s Bandwagon Underway
Back in the Tottenham first-team after recovering quickly from an ankle injury, the Welshman delivered yet another hefty haul as the hosts produced a superb second-half comeback. Over the last few months, Bale’s potential had increased as a result of a move to a central role but yesterday it was a shift out wide that proved decisive. Andre Villas-Boas’ decision to switch from 4-2-3-1 to 4-3-3 on the hour mark allowed Bale to move to the right flank and, after a superb assist for Clint Dempsey’s equaliser, he followed it up with Spurs’ third to serve up a sixth double figure haul in his last eight appearances. Over 250,000 Fantasy Premier League (FPL) managers had sold Bale after he was ruled out of the previous Gameweek by Villas-Boas but his speedy comeback, allied with a superb run of fixtures – and double Gameweek 36 – is set to have a significant effect on the midfield transfer market as the bandwagon picks up speed. Indeed, Bale has now produced double figures 11 times this term and looks head and shoulders above any other armband choice for the double.
Dempsey and Defoe on the Double Radar
With Aaron Lennon failing to prove his fitness in time for yesterday’s match, Clint Dempsey retained his starting role for the City showdown. The US international vindicated Villas-Boas’ decision with a vital equaliser and, with doubts still surrounding Lennon’s fitness, some may be eyeing up Dempsey as a potential differential for the double. Certainly, with the vast majority set to captain Bale, looking for overlooked players to supplement Bale looks key for Gameweek 36 and it was perhaps telling that Dempsey played the full 90 minutes while Gylfi Sigurdsson was withdrawn on the hour mark. Jermain Defoe’s return from injury gave his manager food for thought, too. Replacing Emmanuel Adebayor on 71 minutes, he needed just eight minutes to find the net and may be given game time at the Togo international’s expense over the final few matches – with a single goal in his previous 10 appearances, though, he’s hardly shown strong form and will remain a somewhat risky punt, though as yesterday illustrated, has the potential to deliver against the meanest of defences.
City Defensive Rotation Concern
Yesterday’s display was hardly the best endorsement for Roberto Mancini’s backline ahead of double Gameweek 36. Having made three changes to his defence for the midweek win over Wigan, the City boss swapped the same trio back out, as Pablo Zabaleta, Gael Clichy and Matija Nastasic all returned alongside Vincent Kompany. The Belgian is clearly the only guaranteed option amongst Mancini’s back-four and seems immune to his manager’s rotational whims – with games against West Ham, Reading and Norwich in addition to the double Gameweek 36 (swa, WBA) there’s no doubting the potential for defensive points. City have six clean sheets in their last seven at the Etihad and with a goal in the recent home win over Newcastle, Kompany’s potential for points at both ends of the pitch is likely to persuade would-be investors as Mancini’s side look to bounce back from yesterday’s disappointing defeat.
Nasri Stakes a Claim
The Frenchman maintained his recent series of consistent Fantasy displays with City’s opener at the Lane. Nasri has now scored or assisted in three of the last four Gameweeks and bearing in mind he had produced attacking returns in only three of the previous 30 league fixtures, his upturn in performance is certainly worthy of our attention ahead of the double. While rest and rotation may be a concern ahead of the FA Cup final, Roberto Mancini’s dwindling options on the flanks could boost Nasri’s chances of keeping his place in the first XI – David Silva remains on the sidelines due to a hamstring problem and with James Milner subbed off at half-time with a similar complaint, Nasri, at 8.0 and with a 3% ownership in FPL, could creep under the radar.
Suarez Facing FA Action
A late, late equaliser ended a four-game goalless drought for Luis Suarez but the Uruguayan hogged the headlines for all the wrong reasons yesterday. Suarez sank his teeth into Branislav Ivanovic in a tussle midway through the second-half and while he stayed on the pitch to ironically deny Rafa Benitez the points upon his return to Anfield, the FA look set to revise the incident after the referee failed to spot it. The fact that Suarez has previous with this sort of behaviour may well influence the FA’s decision – he served a seven-match ban for a similar assault whilst playing in Holland with Ajax and should he be slapped with an equivalent suspension, Fantasy plans for the remainder of this season and the beginning of the following campaign will be significantly affected. Suarez currently has an ownership in excess of 38% in FPL but with six sides set for a double Gameweek 36, many Fantasy managers will be already targeting a potential transfer out.
Post-match, Suarez publicly apologised for his indiscretion and also revealed he has spoken directly to Ivanovic but this is likely to have little effect on the FA’s stance. The PFA’s chief executive Gordon Taylor admitted he expects action to be taken:
“It was not good to see to say the least. It was unacceptable. His reputation for controversy continues to increase when he can be such a good player, one of the world’s best, so it is a real dilemma now. It’s uncalled for, it’s not good, it’s depressing, it’s such a shame for a player who’s a really good footballer but this is not the first time that such things have happened. I know it’s a really difficult one for Liverpool and the FA are going to have to deal with it.”
Sturridge Poised to Profit
The January signing was handed a start on the right of a 4-3-3 last weekend but dropped to the bench against his former side, with Stewart Downing returning to the first XI. Introduced at the break in place of Philippe Coutinho, Sturridge found the net for the first time since Gameweek 26 and followed that up with the assist for Suarez’s equaliser. Certainly, if the Uruguayan is sidelined, the former Chelsea man looks in good form and now down to just 6.6 in FPL with a 3% ownership, he could be a real differential over the remaining four matches as Rodgers’ side square up to Newcastle, Everton, Fulham and QPR.
Mata and Hazard Equally Appealing
In spite of Chelsea’s hectic schedule, it seems Rafa Benitez has acknowledged he simply cannot afford to omit Juan Mata or Eden Hazard from his first XI right now – yesterday’s game means they have both now started six of the last seven league matches. The duo continued on from their midweek exploits at Fulham and were in the points again; despite the fact he has failed to score since Gameweek 25, Mata’s creativity came to the fore with a pair of assists – he now has provided 16 this term, the same number as his tally for the previous campaign. Hazard benefitted from spot-kick duties in the absence of Frank Lampard to notch his ninth of the season and with Chelsea still in the driving seat to take third – provided they win their game in hand – the pair look integral to their team’s chances. As our Watchlist update highlighted last week, there’s a case for both players’ inclusion in our Fantasy lineups from here on in, though there’s no doubt Benitez’s tinkering is always liable to produce the odd shock before the season is out.
Lampard and Ba’s Prospects Dip
Frank Lampard’s owners were left hugely frustrated yesterday after he climbed off the bench for a one-minute cameo at Anfield. Given that he played two minutes of the Gameweek 32 win over Sunderland, many will be giving him a wide berth for the double; all the more exasperating, bearing in mind he had started 12 consecutive league matches prior to the Black Cats’ clash. Lampard looks set to be handed a start in Thursday’s Europa League first-leg clash with FC Basel now, suggesting he is likely to return to the bench for next weekend’s home showdown with Swansea .
Up front, Benitez’s use of Demba Ba is even more difficult to decipher. The former Newcastle man looked favourite to start yesterday after being rested to the bench for the midweek trip to Fulham but was an unused sub at Anfield – with the Senegal striker ineligible for the midweek European match, this means Fernando Torres will start three matches in succession for the Blues. Benitez had previously alternated the duo from one match to the next but this pattern now seems to have been cast aside – with two European games on either side of the Swansea match, Ba still remains favourite to start next weekend but yesterday’s team sheet reminded us that under Benitez, we can take nothing for granted.
