Javier Hernandez provides the match-winner as United get the better of Liverpool. Brendan Rodgers opts for a 3-5-2 at Old Trafford as Luis Suarez is handed the full 90 minutes upon his return from suspension. Wilfried Bony grabs a goal for Swansea but the holders crash out at Birmingham. Papiss Cisse opens his account for the season for Newcastle, while Marko Arnautovic helps Stoke ease past Tranmere:
Hernandez the United Hero
David Moyes welcomed back the likes of Rafael and Phil Jones from injury, though the latter was forced to take up a central midfield berth as Marouane Fellaini was cup-tied and Tom Cleverley sustained an injury in training. Moyes made eight changes from the side that lost to City, with Jonny Evans and Chris Smalling replacing Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic at centre-half. With Robin Van Persie still sidelined due to a groin injury, Javier Hernandez took advantage of a rare start by grabbing the only goal of the game.
The Scout Says: Owners of Vidic, Ferdinand and Patrice Evra will be confident of the trio returning at the back for Saturday’s game against West Brom after last night’s rest. Elsewhere in defence, Moyes now has a full quota of right-backs to choose from, with Rafael ‘s 0.4% FPL ownership making him an enticing differential ahead of home games against West Brom, Southampton and Stoke in the next four. With no word on Van Persie’s availability, his owners face an anxious wait – Moyes’ Friday afternoon press conference will have a significant say in the transfer trading in the final few hours before this weekend’s deadline. Hernandez’ goal will have staked a claim for his inclusion, though there’d be no surprise if he dropped to the bench at the weekend, regardless of the Dutchman’s availability.
Rodgers Tries a 3-5-2
Brendan Rodgers opted for a change of formation against United last night. With Daniel Agger rested again after being withdrawn midway through the weekend loss to Southampton and Glen Johnson still on the sidelines, the Reds boss revealed the switch from 4-2-3-1 to 3-5-2 was mainly influenced by injuries but would be more than happy to try the formation again:
“It is probably something that has been forced upon us really, in terms of the players we have available. In the game at the weekend [against Southampton], I’ve never in my life ever played four centre-halves in any game. Anybody who knows me and knows my work, knows that’s not how I would operate. But when you have no choice that’s what you’ve got to do. If we had to play that system again for a period of time until players are fit then, we obviously need to work more on it but it’s something that you can see the players are comfortable in. It gives us three players to dominate midfield, gives us the two strikers up front that are arguably up there with the top strikers in the league, and it still keeps us secure at the back. If we need to play it again, I think we can play it well.”
The Scout Says: The change in shape proved beneficial to Jose Enrique last night. With Kolo Toure, Martin Skrtel and Mahamadou Sakho patrolling the back-three, the Spaniard was move to the left of midfield against United and could well keep the role for the weekend trip to Sunderland. Rodgers clearly has misgivings over fielding Andre Wisdom at right-back after a poor display against Swansea, while Toure failed to impress in the role against the Saints on Saturday. Intriguingly, Enrique’s shift to the left allowed Victor Moses the role in “the hole” behind Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge – a sign that, with Philippe Coutinho still injured, the on-loan midfielder remains crucial to Rodgers’ plans for the moment.
Rodgers Pleased with Suarez Fitness
Luis Suarez’s would-be suitors will be intrigued to hear he lasted the full 90 minutes in last night’s narrow defeat. Many had felt the Uruguayan would be eased back into the action in his first game for the club since April but Rodgers’ thoughts after the match indicate he is determined to give Suarez as much game time as possible in order to build up his match sharpness:
“I thought he was excellent. When you consider he’s been out for such a long time, he ran himself into the ground and he was always a threat. He put defenders on the back foot and had a couple of twists and turns that looked like he was going to get in. As he goes on, he’ll get a wee bit sharper. He’s worked very hard and tired a wee bit towards the end, but the only way he is going to get that [full match fitness] is by playing in the games. He’s a player that even in the last moments of a game, he can still create moments, distract defenders and provoke the space to open up.”
The Scout Says: Despite Sturridge’s contribution of four goals in the first five matches, there’s no doubt Liverpool have toiled going forward. The Merseysiders have notched more than a single goal just once in the league so far and have five strikes to their name thus far – less than Villa and the same number as Hull, for example. Suarez’s return to the fold looks essential to the Reds chances of recovering from last week’s loss and Rodgers’ words will surely convince many to jump on board the bandwagon as the Reds prepare for a superb run of fixtures.
Bony Nets as Swans Crash Out
Ashley Williams and Pablo Hernandez missed out through injury while Michu was an unused sub as the holders were sent packing at the first attempt. Michael Laudrup re-installed Wilfried Bony to the first XI after dropping the Ivorian to the bench at the weekend and watched his summer signing grab the only goal of a 3-1 loss at Birmingham.
Post-match, Laudrup admitted his side’s inability to tuck away a number of goalscoring opportunities proved the Swans’ undoing:
“With the number of chances we created, we should have scored more. We paid the price of that, because I don’t think I would be very wrong when I say we could have been four up at half-time. We create a lot of chances every game, but you have to score. As I said, we could have scored four, but when you don’t, you give them the confidence and belief that they can come back into the game.”
The Scout Says: While the result is a severe disappointment for Swansea, it may be a blessing in disguise for Fantasy managers. With Europa League fixtures also to consider, Laudrup made 10 changes from the side that beat Palace in Sunday last night – a clear indication of his determination to utilise the depth of his squad due to the busy schedule. With the load lightened a little as a result of last night’s exit, we could perhaps see Bony earn more league starts – he has featured in the first XI just twice so far but could be poised to take advantage of a favourable run of games from Gameweek 7 onwards and potentially offer us a real differential option.
Cisse Steers Magpies Through
Papiss Cisse’s first goal since early April helped Newcastle see off Leeds 2-0 at St James’ Park as the hosts bounced back from the weekend home loss to Hull. Alan Pardew omitted Hatem Ben Arfa and Loic Remy from the starting line-up and shifted from the recent 4-3-3 to 4-2-3-1, handing Sylvain Marveaux, Yoan Gouffran and Sammy Ameobi the attacking midfield roles behind Cisse . While Ameobi supplied a pair of assists and Gouffran also found the net, Pardew’s post-match comments were focussed on Cisse’s opening strike:
“All strikers when they are not scoring don’t feel like they have done their job. Goalscorers want to score goals and he is always disappointed if he hasn’t scored. He has had a few good chances in these last few games, but that was an important goal tonight – how important, we will have to wait and see. He had a couple of big chances before that and snatched at them, and it just goes to show where he was, really. Goals can settle a player down and hopefully it will because he has not been as powerful and as good as he had been.”
The Scout Says: After registering blanks in each of the first three Gameweeks, Cisse’s form is slowly starting to pick up. He has produced an assist in each of the last couple of league matches, though his failure to find the net, allied with two goals from both Ben Arfa and Remy has ensured he remains firmly under the radar. His role as the lone forward has certainly afforded the Senegal striker plenty of chances but Cisse’s inability to convert has been a real issue for the Magpies – with Everton, Liverpool, Chelsea and Spurs in the next six, though, Pardew’s hopes for an upturn in consistency may have to be put on hold until the schedule looks a little kinder around Gameweek 12.
Arnautovic Stars in Potters Win
It’s two assists in two starts now for Marko Arnautovic as the big Austrian helped Stoke eased past Tranmere last night. Starting on the left of midfield again, with Stephen Ireland in “the hole” and Peter Crouch preferred to Kenwyne Jones up top, Arnautovic carried on from the form that saw him supply the assist for Geoff Cameron’s consolation against Arsenal on Sunday by teeing up Ireland for the opener. Crouch notched the second late on as Mark Hughes’ side returned to winning ways ahead of Sunday’s home showdown with Norwich:
The Scout Says: With three home games (NOR, WBA, SOU) and a trip to Fulham in the next five, Fantasy faith in Hughes’ side looks set to increase before the weekend deadline. Arnautovic is starting to pick up a few new suitors on the site over the last few days, though he remains firmly under the radar in the FPL game with a mere 0.2% ownership. Priced at just 5.5 and versatile enough to be fielded up front, he is quickly becoming crucial to Hughes’ new style of play and looks a decent, relatively budget-friendly punt over those next few matches.
Wenger Allays Arteta Injury Fears
Arsene Wenger handed a number of youngster the chance to impress as Arsenal edged out West Brom on penalties after extra-tome. The likes of Thomas Vermaelen and Mikel Arteta both started for the visitors at the Hawthorns, though the latter was subbed off in some discomfort in the first period of extra-time. After the game, though, Wenger revealed the Spaniard’s withdrawal was purely down to cramp after his recent lay-off.
The Scout Says: Given the recent success of Aaron Ramsey and Mathieu Flamini in the Arsenal double-pivot, it remains to be seen just how Wenger will utilise his midfield for Saturday evening’s trip to Swansea. Arteta’s game time was perhaps longer than anticipated last night, giving his manager the option of resting the Spaniard this weekend, though with Theo Walcott sidelined, there’s even the chance that Ramsey could be fielded on the flank – a ploy Wenger used at the start of the previous season. With the likes of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain still injured and youngster Serge Gnabry lasting the full 120 minutes last night, Wenger has food for thought ahead of the Liberty showdown.
Jol Discusses Balance
Fulham boss Martin Jol admitted his side have yet to click following a number of signings over the summer. Despite a midweek cup win over Everton, the Cottagers boss suggesting he is still searching for the right mix amongst his starting line-up:
“I have to integrate Elsad Zverotic, Adel Taarabt and Darren Bent. It is not easy because two of them have not played a lot of matches. Training is different to playing matches. We need to find the right balance and hopefully our supporters realise if everyone is fit and available we will get back to winning ways. We have got some good quality players but it is not always easy to play Berbatov with Bent and Adel Taarabt. We have young players like [Pajtim] Kasami and [Alex] Kacaniklic who will be big players in the future but they are still young.”
The Scout Says: Given that Berbatov and Taarabt are notorious for their lack of industry, it’s perhaps no surprise Jol has struggled to integrate the Moroccan fully into his line-up. With Bryan Ruiz (when fit) his preferred option for the right, Taarabt’s chances of game time in the league continue to slip – the Moroccan has managed just 36 minutes in the past three league fixtures and with Berbatov far too integral to Jol’s plans, the on-loan QPR man looks to have a task on his hands to earn a regular role in the meantime.
