Scout Scribbles – Milner Back for City

James Milner is passed fit for City’s Champions League clash with Barcelona. Ryan Bertrand is handed a run-out for the Saints’ reserves as he steps up his match sharpness. Nene is set to play a part in West Ham’s clash with Palace, Ashley Barnes is cleared by the FA for his part in the Nemanja Matic incident, whilst Emmanuele Giaccherini’s injury problems show no sign of subsiding.

Milner fit again for City

Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini confirmed that James Milner has recovered from a knee injury and is 100% fit, making him available for the Sky Blues’ Champions League clash against Barcelona.

The Scout Says: The return of Manchester City’s Ivory Coast duo – Yaya Toure and Wilfried Bony – and Edin Dzeko’s form should make it difficult for Milner to reclaim his midfield berth in the Premier League. The utility man has netted twice in his last two appearances, though, playing either as a left-sided midfielder in a 4-2-3-1 or the man in “the hole” in a 4-4-1-1, but a two-striker formation – which is likely to be the prevailing set-up for the remainder of the campaign – should squeeze Milner out of contention. Nonetheless, his industry will undoubtedly be called upon in certain match-ups that require diligent tracking of opposing wingers.

Nene set for weekend debut

Brazilian forward Nene is set to be fast-tracked into West Ham’s matchday squad in light of the hamstring injury Carlton Cole sustained against Tottenham. Hammers boss Sam Allardyce insisted that the 33-year-old will feature in some capacity at home to Crystal Palace next weekend:

“Nene would have probably featured anyway but he will definitely be involved now because we’re down to the two strikers with Andy’s injury and Carlton’s hamstring problem”.

The Scout Says: In an ideal world, Allardyce probably would’ve preferred for Nene – who hasn’t played professional football since he left Qatari side Al Gharafa in January – to spend another week in training to improve his fitness. However, Cole’s latest niggle leaves the Hammers short up front, with Diafra Sakho and Enner Valencia comprising the extent of their forward options. This potentially paves the way for Nene to forge a way into the side, either as central striker or, more likely, a left-sided forward.  In recent weeks, Allardyce has fielded his troops in a 4-1-2-1-2 or 4-3-3 formation, with Stewart Downing assuming the No. 10 role in the former and operating as right forward in the latter. Depending on Cole’s involvement, Sakho has either led the line or shifted out to the right, while Valencia has been tasked with stretching play down the left wing. On the face of it, then, Valencia’s playing time would seem to be most at risk if the Sao Paolo native is deployed in his favoured role, though it’s more likely he’ll initially be handed a role off the bench as he steps up his match sharpness. Nene has yet to be added to the Fantasy Premier League (FPL) roster yet but, despite his impressive record of 20 goals in 43 outings for his last club, showdowns with Chelsea and Arsenal in the upcoming three should prove enough of a deterrent until the schedule turns a little kinder.

Season over for Giaccherini?

Sunderland midfielder Emanuele Giaccherini could be ruled out for the campaign due to a flare-up of a persistent ankle injury. Manager Gus Poyet admitted that although the initial signs were not positive, he hopes to hear good news back from the specialist who’s assessing the Italian.

“It is the same injury he had before. It’s not good. We are reassessing, but we will get a full update this week. I hope the specialist opinion in the week is positive”.

The Scout Says: Aside from Adam Johnson – who’s featured in all but three of the Black Cats’ league ties this term – no player has stamped their authority on the wide roles at Sunderland. Poyet has chopped and changed with regards to who’s operated on the opposite flank to the 27-year-old winger, with the likes of Ricardo Alvarez and Conor Wickham filling that role sporadically. Giaccherini’s permanent absence would free up that slot for someone to stake a claim in the final third of the campaign, though with a single goal scored in the last three – despite hosting QPR and West Brom – our faith in the Black Cats’ attackers is on the decline.

Barnes in the clear

Burnley forward Ashley Barnes will face no further punishment following the enquiry over his dangerous tackle on Nemanja Matic last weekend. The FA confirmed that because Martin Atkinson witnessed the incident, they will be taking no further action. Clarets boss Sean Dyche remains convinced that the severity of the tackle has been overplayed, pointing to the muted reactions of Chelsea’s players as proof:

“Ashley Barnes tries to play the ball to Dave Jones. His momentum and pendulum motion of his leg swings up through the ball and unfortunately Matic is late arriving on the scene – not in a vicious way. Please everyone look at the reaction from a bunch of expert footballers on the Chelsea side, like John Terry – a real warrior – and Kurt Zouma, big strong boys, and Branislav Ivanovic.They are right on top of this one, Jose Mourinho had a similar view to me and the crowd. In live time no-one reacts, apart from Matic”.

The Scout Says: Barnes may not have set the world alight with one goal in his last seven outings, yet his underlying stats provide evidence that he’s performing better than his output suggests. The 25-year-old striker’s 15 attempts inside the box in the last six Gameweeks can only be bettered by six other forwards in the FPL, while his 42 penalty touches inside the box in the same period places him fifth among the rankings. In fact, only Harry Kane (30), Bafetimibi Gomis (29) and Romelu Lukaku (25) can claim to have fashioned more attempts on goal than Barnes (22) in the last six, suggesting that he’s operating in the right areas but needs to calibrate his finishing to be more productive in the coming fixtures.

Bertrand handed reserves run-out

Ryan Bertrand played 45 minutes for Southampton’s U21 team as he stepped up his fitness regime ahead of a return from suspension next weekend.

The Scout Says: Bertrand’s time on the sidelines has seen his value drop from 5.9 to 5.7, pricing him below other viable routes into Saints’ defence, including Jose Fonte (5.8) and Nathaniel Clyne (6.1). His propensity for attacking returns – two goals and two assists – and largely favourable upcoming schedule (wba, CRY, che, bur, EVE) could see the former Chelsea defender claw back some of his previous ownership, as Fantasy managers start to restructure their backlines in order to cope with the Blues’ blank Gameweek 27.