Scout Scribbles – Townsend Salvages Draw for England

Andros Townsend helps England to a friendly draw in Italy, as Graziano Pelle opens the scoring for the hosts. Sergio Aguero is amongst the goals for Argentina, Marouane Fellaini nets again for Belgium, whilst Villa could be set to welcome back their skipper ahead of the double Gameweek.

Townsend fires Lions level in Turin

England drew 1-1 against Italy in a largely incident-free friendly last night. Harry Kane failed to replicate his recent scoring heroics – instead, Roy Hodgson’s side had Andros Townsend to thank after the winger sealed a late equaliser for the Three Lions courtesy of an assist from Tottenham team-mate Ryan Mason.

The Scout Says: Hodgson opted for a 4-3-1-2 formation for the Turin fixture, fielding Wayne Rooney behind a front two of Kane and Theo Walcott, backed up by a midfield trio of Jordan Henderson, Phil Jones and Fabian Delph. Kane and Rooney were two of only four outfield players to last the distance against the Azzurri, meaning the latter has now chalked up over 160 minutes of pitch time over the course of the international break – a Fantasy consideration that’s somewhat mitigated by the fact a home tie against Aston Villa is next on the agenda for Manchester United. A dearth of creativity in England’s midfield forced Kane to feed off scraps all night, although he did manage to test Gianluigi Buffon on a couple of occasions. Townsend will hope that his superb 25-yard strike will convince Mauricio Pochettino to hand him a starting berth ahead of a trip to Turf Moor in Gameweek 31. The Spurs winger was subbed off before the hour mark against Leicester City last time out – having failed to register a single shot or key pass in the 4-3 win – so remains prone to rotation with Erik Lamela waiting in the wings.

Pelle ends goal drought with Italy’s opener

Graziano Pelle headed a Giorgio Chiellini cross beyond the outstretched hands of Joe Hart to hand Italy a 1-0 lead in the 29^th minute of their encounter with England.

The Scout Says: Saints boss Ronald Koeman will be praying that Pelle’s goal against England instills enough confidence in the Italian forward to cast aside his barren league run. The ex-Feyenoord striker hasn’t netted in 13 Gameweeks for the Hamsphire club, prompting Koeman to reinstate Shane Long into the starting line-up in an attempt to rejuvenate their attack. The fixtures, though, are very much in Southampton’s favour – they now face five of the bottom eight (eve, HUL, sun, lei, AVL) in the next seven Gameweeks, handing Pelle the perfect opportunity to build on last night’s momentum as the Saints look to mount a serious challenge for the Champions League spots.

Aguero Notches in Argentina Triumph

The City striker fired an eighth-minute opener as Argentina defeated Ecuador 2-1 in the early hours of this morning. Aguero started the match along with the likes of United pair Marco Rojo and Angel Di Maria before being replaced with 15 minutes remaining and now faces a flight back from New Jersey.

The Scout Says: Bearing in mind that City don’t play Palace until Monday evening, fatigue certainly isn’t an issue here. Aguero’s strike offers hope that he has rediscovered his scoring touch after supplying no more than an assist in his last four league appearances – a run of form which has persuaded over 52,000 Fantasy Premier League (FPL) managers to part company this week, more than double the number of any forward. With home clashes against West Ham and Villa also in the next four, Aguero certainly has the fixtures to return to form at a time when many are clearly sacrificing him as a means to generate funds ahead of the double Gameweeks.

Fellaini nets again in narrow Belgium win

Marouane Fellaini scored the only goal of the match as Belgium triumphed 1-0 over Group B opponents Israel in their Euro 2016 qualifier, with Eden Hazard providing the assist for the close-range strike. Vincent Kompany was sent off for a second bookable offence just beyond the hour mark.

The Scout Says: If Fellaini can translate his renewed eye for goal from the international stage to the league then he could emerge as viable source of United coverage. A goal and an assist in the Gameweek 29 Tottenham clash offered hope that the former Everton star is starting to rediscover the form that earned him a switch from Goodison Park back in September 2013, yet United’s perilous run-in – which includes three tough away clashes (che, eve, cry) and two well matched home fixtures (MCI, ARS) – limits our enthusiasm over Fellaini’s potential. Nonetheless, at just 6.3 to Juan Mata’s 8.3, he offers a far more budget-friendly route into the Red Devils starting line-up as Louis van Gaal goes in search of a fifth straight win at home to Villa this weekend.

Arsenal quartet nearing return to action

Jack Wilshere, Mikel Arteta, Mathieu Debuchy and Abou Diaby all featured in an Arsenal XI’s 4-0 victory over Brentford as they stepped up their respective rehabilitation programs. Aside from Debuchy – who lasted an hour – the three midfielders were subbed off at half time.

The Scout Says: Given the form of Mesut Ozil, Santi Cazorla and Aaron Ramsey, the likes of Arteta and Wilshere face a tough task to re-establish themselves in the Gunners’ starting line-up before the season is out. Both players have failed to feature since Gameweek 12, and with Francis Coquelin’s role as the deep-lying destroyer in front of the back-four affording a better balance in their absence, it’s debatable whether they’ll be afforded anything more than minutes off the bench. Debuchy’s return is the most significant news for Fantasy managers and adds further doubts to Hector Bellerin’s pitch time at right-back. Bellerin has now failed to start the last two league outings, with Arsene Wenger turning to Calum Chambers instead, but once Debuchy is up to full fitness he looks set to be handed a role in Wenger’s starting XI again. At 5.2, the Frenchman could be worth considering when the schedule turns kinder from Gameweek 35 onwards, with one eye on the Gunners’ double Gameweek 37.

Vlaar hopeful on weekend comeback

Ron Vlaar is optimistic he will be available for Aston Villa’s Gameweek 31 clash against Manchester United after stepping up his recovery from a persistent calf strain. The Dutch defender revealed his frustration at being sidelined but harboured hope that the root cause of his recent setbacks had been identified:

“It was really frustrating to have the setback recently. It’s happened a few times this season but I feel good now and I hope to be in for the weekend. Hopefully we’ve found the cause of the problems now.”

The Scout Says: Vlaar’s return to the Villains’ beleaguered rearguard is a massive boost for manager Tim Sherwood in light of their injury travails. With Philippe Senderos, Nathan Baker and Jores Okore all nursing knocks – leaving Ciaran Clark as their only fit centre-half – Sherwood faced a real tactical dilemma in the heart of defence against a buoyant United outfit. The fact that five of Villa’s eight clean sheets have arrived in Vlaar’s 13 appearances this campaign offers encouragement to those managers that have invested in the West Midlanders’ defence ahead of their double Gameweek 31. A shut-out against the Red Devils looks unlikely – considering they’ve only failed to score once in their previous ten league clashes – but Brad Guzan’s 12% ownership could profit from Vlaar’s return in the second of Villa’s double as they entertain QPR at Villa Park.

Larsson notches assist in Stockholm showdown

Sebastian Larsson bagged an assist in Sweden’s 3-1 friendly victory over Iran. The Sunderland midfielder emerged from the bench just before the break and teed up Ola Toivonen for his nation’s third.

The Scout Says: The Wearsiders’ top scoring player in the FPL game, Larsson’s four assists is joint top with Patrick van Aanholt for the club – an indication of his importance to their cause as Dick Advocaat attempts to steer them away from danger. With the Black Cats facing four decent final Stadium of Light fixtures (NEW, CRY, SOU, LEI), Larsson’s creative endeavours could be vital to their prospects – bearing in mind that home clash against Leicester is the first match in their double Gameweek 37, he may yet prove an unlikely end-of-season differential at a price of just 5.4.