Scout Scribbles – Saturday Friendlies Round-Up

Wayne Rooney bags a brace and Juan Mata serves up a goal and assist as United get the better of Roma. Siem de Jong is handed a role up front before being subbed off for Newcastle. Bojan Krkic lines up behind a lone striker in his Stoke debut. Andreas Weimann continues to impress for Villa, whilst Erik Lamela and Christian Eriksen are both handed 45 minutes in the role as “number 10s” as Spurs win again…

Rooney at the Double
Louis van Gaal continued with a 3-4-1-2 formation as United defeated AS Roma 3-2 last night. The Red Devils’ first-half display, in particular, suggests that Fantasy managers will be contemplating loading up on their attackers ahead of a schedule which pits them against just one of last term’s top 12 in the opening eight Gameweeks. Wayne Rooney bagged a brace (taking him to four goals in pre-season) and supplied an assist, whilst Juan Mata was also instrumental, chipping in with a goal and assist from the role in “the hole” to underline his potential under the new man in charge, with both players praised by their manager post-match. Van Gaal’s decision to make nine changes at the break saw the game lose momentum but there was enough to go on in the first period to afford Fantasy managers plenty of optimism for the campaign ahead.

De Jong Limps Out of Magpies Win
The Dutchman was passed fit for Saturday’s match with Wellington after struggling with a toe injury all week but lasted just 30 minutes before being withdrawn by Alan Pardew, in what was believed to be a precautionary move. For those eyeing up de Jong – who scored in each of Newcastle’s first two friendlies – his prospects could be set to take a turn for the better after a change of formation from Pardew. The Magpies boss opted for a 3-5-2 system for the 1-0 win and shifted the former Ajax skipper up front alongside fellow new boy Emmanuel Riviere. Given that De Jong is classified as a midfielder across the Fantasy games, an out-of-position berth would strengthen the appeal of a player who has scored 10+ goals in four of his last five seasons. Yoan Gouffran – listed as a midfielder this term – grabbed the only goal of the game for the Tyneside team.

Post-match, Pardew stated that the change in formation was partly to allow De Jong a role up front, a plan that was curtailed by his injury…

“It was designed for Siem (de Jong), and when he went off it didn’t really work for us so we went back to our normal shape and did better after that. Changing players’ roles is a good thing because when you are chasing games you need to be able to change your system if you’re up against a brick wall. We wanted to look at the three centre-backs, it’s all experience and we have learnt a little bit about things that will and won’t work for us.”

Mariappa Benched Again
Palace managed a narrow 1-0 win over Philadelphia Union on Saturday morning courtesy of an own goal from Ethan White. From a Fantasy perspective, however, Tony Pulis’ starting XI once again cast doubts over Adrian Mariappa’s game time as we edge towards the start of the season. The defender, who started each of the Eagles’ last 10 matches in 2013/14, was again utilised from the bench as Pulis opted for Jerome Williams at left-back, with Joel Ward on the opposite side of defence. Yet to be listed in Fantasy games, Williams could offer us a cheaper alternative if he can nail down a regular role.

Irvine Trials a 4-3-3
West Brom registered their fourth successive win of pre-season with a comfortable 3-1 victory over Sacramento Republic on Saturday. Youssouf Mulumbu, Victor Anichebe and Saido Berahino all bagged their second goals of the summer, with the latter pair’s displays earning their manager’s post-match praise. Having mainly utilised a 4-2-3-1 over the summer, Irvine switched to a 4-3-3, which afforded Graham Dorrans an out-of-position berth on the left of the front three – with Brown Ideye yet to make his debut, though, it’s likely that Anichebe will have to vacate the central role, increasing the competition for places on the flanks.

Cut-price Fantasy prospect Andre Wisdom was handed his debut at right-back after arriving on loan from Liverpool in midweek. After the game, though, Irvine admitted the club are on the verge of clinching a deal for Costa Rica’s right-back Cristian Gomboa over the next couple of days – suggesting that, whilst the youngster’s versatility could also see him fielded in central defence, his game time is by no means guaranteed. Indeed, with Jonas Olsson and Craig Dawson fielded at centre-back and Gareth McAuley and Joleon Lescott the presumed first-choice pairing, the Baggies defence looks tough to predict.

Koeman Praises Youngsters
Southampton also chalked up a fourth straight win after defeating Bournemouth 1-0. Youngster Lloyd Isgrove headed home the only goal of the game courtesy of a Nathaniel Clyne cross and post-match, the goalscorer, along with left-back Matt Targett, was the subject of Ronald Koeman’s praise – both players have now started each of the Saints’ last three matches and their manager went on to say:

“I like him (Isgrove) as a player because he’s fast, he can play one against one and he can create which he has done very well. He’s young he can develop himself and I’m very happy with his performance from the past two weeks. In pre-season there are some players a little bit more in the spotlight than others, but if you look to the left side of the team with Matthew Targett and Lloyd Isgrove they were two of our youngest and they played very well today. We played with the best team that we have at this moment and that’s OK. There were more minutes for the players, no injuries and a clean sheet against a good opponent.”

Bojan Handed Central Role
Stoke suffered their first defeat of the pre-season, falling to a 2-0 defeat at Germany side 1860 Munich on Saturday. The main point of note for Fantasy managers was the debut appearance of Bojan Krkic – Mark Hughes fielded the former Barcelona man in “the hole” behind Mame Biram Diouf in the first 45 minutes before making numerous changes at the break. Despite being classified as a forward in the Fantasy Premier League (FPL), a move to the middle could yet bring the Spaniard into consideration ahead of Stoke’s kind run of opening fixtures – available for 5.5, he faces just three of last term’s top eight in the first 12 Gameweeks and looks one to monitor.

Weimann Form Continues
Villa’s young Austrian was again instrumental after the midlands outfit registered a further victory in the early hours of the morning. Weimann is another cut-price Fantasy forward on the radar – he now has a goal and three assists to his name over pre-season after teeing up Joe Bennett for the only strike of a 1-0 win over Houston Dynamo. Paul Lambert started with a 4-3-3 but moved to 4-4-1-1 in the second period after making nine changes at half-time. Intriguingly, this saw Kieran Richardson utilised in the “number 10” role behind Darren Bent as Lambert continues to tinker with his options. On the injury front, Fabian Delph was forced off with a foot problem, Jores Okore (knee) was rested as a precautionary measure, whilst Lambert revealed that Joe Cole is “doing well” as he recovers from a thigh problem.

Kane Back Amongst the Goals for Spurs
Harry Kane needed just five minutes to serve a reminder of his goal-getting abilities as Mauricio Pochettino’s side won for the second successive match to end their US tour unbeaten. Kane (priced at a mere 5.0 in FPL) netted the opener in a 2-0 win over Chicago Fire thanks to a Lewis Holtby assist, before Aaron Lennon notched a late second after being played in by Roberto Soldado. Once again, Erik Lamela started in “the hole” behind a lone striker and was cited as the game’s standout player. Making a number of alterations at the break, Pochettino replaced his compatriot with Christian Eriksen and is clearly so far undecided as to his preferred option for the central role in the attacking midfield three. Lamela continues to be a pre-season prospect worthy of monitoring as we go into August – a factor that could have a significant impact on Eriksen’s appeal.

Arsenal Suffer Red Bull Setback
We can read little into the Gunners’ 1-0 defeat to New York Red Bulls – a match that was largely about the presence and performance of Thierry Henry. Arsene Wenger fielded an experimental side with Nacho Monreal at centre-back and Thomas Rosicky up front. This was a first pre-season run-out for a host of Arsenal’s key men, including Jack Wilshere, Mikel Arteta and Santi Cazorla.

Tigers Held by Barnsley
With Steve Bruce’s side just a away from a first leg Europa League tie with AS FK Trencin, the pre-season stepped up with a stalemate at League One Barnsley. Bruce put out a 4-4-2 with both Robert Snodgrass and Tom Ince deployed on the flanks, with goalscorer Shane Long supported by Sone Aluko up front.

Caulker Earns Debut in R’s Defeat
QPR’s 2-0 reverse at the hands of Red Bull Leipzig was notable in the main for Steven Caulker’s bow in a QPR shirt following his capture earlier in the week. The former Cardiff man was one of many second half changes as Harry Redknapp’s outfit suffered a setback in the final leg of their German tour.

Post-match, Redknapp was quick to state that further arrivals were due in the coming weeks…

“We’re short on numbers in certain areas and you could tell we need a little bit more quality across the squad. We’re working hard on it though. Tony (Fernandes) is trying to get some deals done and I am hopeful we can do some business next week.”

Big Sam Warns of Transition
A strong and familiar West Ham starting XI suffered a 3-1 defeat in New Zealand at the hands of Sydney FC. Sam Allardyce fielded a back four that consisted of Guy Demel, Joey O’Brien, Winston Reid and James Collins. Meanwhile, in the middle of the park, Mark Noble and Kevin Nolan earned starts, along with Stewart Downing and Matt Jarvis. Despite their presence, West Ham tasted their second defeat of the summer to complete their tour.

Pressured to switch to a more expansive style following a barrage of criticism at the end of last term, Allardyce was quick to stress that such a transition would take time – citing a loss of solidity as a by-product of the switch in tactics…

“We’re just working on our new style as we’ve got to get a bit more open and expansive as it seems to be what’s demanded in the game now…We’re working on that side of it but have lost the defensive resilience that saw us get 14 clean sheets last season. The football was not good enough to get results but we’re experimenting on playing more open and attacking play.”

Such comments would indicate that Fantasy managers should be wary backing West Ham’s back four from the off this time around. While the Hammers rearguard offered some value last season, it’s clear that Allardyce’s outfit may take time to adjust, having been urged to shift to a more attacking stance. On that note, at present, none of the West Ham defence has claimed 2% ownership in FPL.

On a more positive note, the Hammers are soon to be boosted by the likes of striker Enner Valencia, who is awaiting his work permit, while fellow new signing Cheikhou Kouyate is currently sidelined along with James Tomkins. Allardyce also indicated that Ravel Morrison, once fit, could figure in his pre-season plans, hinting that he may yet be a factor for the season ahead as he seeks to recover from a recent groin operation.

“He [Morrison] is contracted to West Ham and once his operation has healed up I hope he becomes a better player as he’s been playing with it for a while. If he can do what he did at the beginning of last season that would be great. He had a good spell when he first broke into the team but couldn’t sustain it.”