Olivier Giroud scores three times as Arsenal secure a place in the Champions League knockout stages. Chelsea also find themselves in the last 16 as Jose Mourinho’s men secure a fourth clean sheet in five. Elsewhere, Philippe Coutinho is back in Liverpool’s squad, Mauricio Pochettino considers resting Harry Kane against Monaco tonight, whilst Swansea are on the lookout for a new manager after sacking Garry Monk.
Giroud the Gunners Hero
Olivier Giroud propelled Arsenal into the knockout stages with his maiden hat-trick (one penalty) for the club. Joel Campbell and Aaron Ramsey chipped in with assists. Arsene Wenger named a full-strength XI against Olympiakos, favouring Theo Walcott over Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain in the attacking quartet, with Campbell stationed on the left.
After the 3-0 win, Arsene Wenger confirmed the Arsenal penalty pecking order in the absence of the injured Santi Cazorla:
“He (Giroud) was on the list to be No 1. Number two was Walcott and No 3 was Ramsey, so we respected the order. It is maybe easier to take a penalty when you have already scored, but he took it well. He practised in training and it showed.”
The Scout Says: Despite playing second fiddle to Walcott at the start of the season, Giroud has amassed 13 goals across 1370 minutes in all competitions. With match-ups against Aston Villa (away), Bournemouth and Newcastle United (both home) over the next five Gameweeks, the 8.9-priced marksman is well placed to deliver for an outfit that ranks top for big chances (13) since Gameweek 12, with Walcott looking likely to be handed a wide role in the absence of Alexis Sanchez. Ramsey, meanwhile, has now tallied one goal and two assists since his switch to a central role. Moreover, the former Cardiff City midfielder ranked top among his counterparts for attempts (seven), joint-second for shots inside the box (four) and second for shots on target (four) last Gameweek – which bodes well for his prospects at Villa Park on Sunday.
Willian Strike Helps Chelsea Progress
Chelsea topped their Champions League group by virtue of a 2-0 home win over Porto. The Blues took the lead through an own goal, before Eden Hazard teed up Willian for their second of the night. Jose Mourinho reinstated the fit-again John Terry and Ramires, while Diego Costa was tasked with spearheading the hosts’ attack.
Discussing the Spain international after the final whistle, the Blues boss acknowledged that Costa was suffering from a downturn in self-belief:
“He could have scored two or three goals today. There is a lack of confidence, clearly, but his attitude was very good and his movement was much better, so goals are coming. I took him off not because I was unhappy with his performance but to give something different to the team, to attack the spaces with faster people.”
The Scout Says: Hazard and Willian remain the prime candidates for Chelsea attacking coverage as they gear up for some promising fixtures (lei, SUN, WAT). It’s hard to justify investment in the former given his negligible haul of attacking returns (one goal and three assists) and big-ticket valuation (10.9), while the latter’s strike against Porto represented his first goal from open play this campaign. Chelsea’s fourth clean sheet in five outings illustrates the latent potential of their rearguard assets. Kurt Zouma welcomed 33,000 new owners last Gameweek and could invite further uptakers in light of the Londoners’ back-to-back home ties beyond a trip to the King Power Stadium. The young Frenchman again retained his place in the back-four last night, as Gary Cahill dropped out to accommodate Terry.
Klopp Issues Reds Injury Update
Jurgen Klopp provided an update on the status of Daniel Sturridge, revealing that he suffered a hamstring pull during his 29-minute cameo against Newcastle United. The German boss insisted that the injury is not serious but declined to offer a timescale for Sturridge’s return:
“It’s a hamstring and it’s not easy to say when he can be back for us. There are two different things we have to look at – the one thing is the injury and the other is how we can bring him into a shape that is not so intensive for him, so he needs to train. The good thing with the muscle injury is that early [on] he can start to run and to train – not football but all the other things he needs. The injury is not that serious. The last time he trained, he got 60 minutes at Southampton, which was quite good, and then another 30 at Newcastle, which was not that good because in one of the first moments when he had a shot at goal, he felt something in the muscle.”
Looking forward to the Reds’ Europa League tie against FC Sion, Philippe Coutinho recovered from his hamstring knock and made the trip, while Alberto Moreno was amongst a trio of players rested from the squad.
The Scout Says: In appreciation of Sturridge’s latest setback, it looks highly unlikely that he’ll be afforded a starting berth before the New Year. Even when he completes his rehabilitation cycle, few Fantasy managers will be willing to take the 10.2-priced gamble on a forward that’s so susceptible to niggling injuries. Coutinho’s 20% ownership will hope that he’s primed for a start against West Bromwich Albion on the weekend with a run-out in the Europa League. The Brazilian midfielder was enjoying a rich vein of form (four goals and one assist in three starts) prior to his layoff and presents a strong case for investment ahead of a favourable schedule (WBA, wat, LEI, sun, whu). Moreno continues to look a steal at 5.0; despite managing just one assist this term, the Spanish left-back ranks top among defenders for key passes (25) and saw his goal wrongly disallowed for offside at St James’ Park.
Monk Sacked by Swansea
Swansea City chairman Huw Jenkins announced that Gary Monk has been relieved of his duties, with a new manager expected to take over “as soon as possible”.
The Scout Says: There was an air of inevitability about Monk’s departure, given that Swansea had recorded just one win in their previous 11 league clashes. The Welsh outfit were struggling at both ends of the pitch: over the last six Gameweeks, they placed joint-second for goals conceded (11), third for big chances conceded (13), third-bottom for shots inside the box (30) and last for shots on target (13). If the new boss can revitalise the squad, there’s real scope for Fantasy returns beyond their upcoming trip to Manchester City, with home encounters against West Ham, West Brom, Sunderland and Watford on the horizon. It will be interesting to observe how Andre Ayew, Bafetimbi Gomis and Gylfi Sigurdsson fare under the change of manager, as all three are priced attractively in the event they’re afforded a new lease of life.
Rojo Undergoes Shoulder Surgery
Marcos Rojo underwent surgery on a shoulder he dislocated in training last week, ruling him out until the New Year.
The Scout Says: The Red Devils are down to the bare bones at the back after Chris Smalling and Matteo Darmian picked up knocks against Wolfsburg. If both fail to make it for Man United’s trip to Bournemouth on the weekend, Louis van Gaal might be forced to field a rearguard comprised of Daley Blind, Patrick McNair, Cameron Borthwick-Jackson and Guillermo Varela. Whilst that would afford Fantasy managers cheap options into the league’s tightest defence, it remains to be seen whether United would be quite so resilient over a busy Christmas period – all the more frustrating given that their fixtures (bou, NOR, sto, CHE, SWA) over the next five Gameweeks.
Pochettino considers resting Kane tonight
Mauricio Pochettino is weighing up the benefits of resting Harry Kane for Tottenham’s Europa League meeting with Monaco. As for the remainder of Spurs’ team news, Nacer Chadli and Bentaleb are back in the running following their respective spells on the sidelines, but Mousa Dembele is ruled out through illness:
“It’s very good news [to have Chadli and Bentaleb back]. It makes the team more competitive and pushes everyone. It’s good for us to have everyone fit. Mousa is sick with a bad stomach and he’s out.”
The Scout Says: Kane has played in every fixture across all competitions this term, so a night off ahead of an alluring home match-up against Newcastle United wouldn’t go amiss. The 9.7-priced forward enters that head-to-head in the wake of successive blanks, yet he still ranked top among forwards for attempts (19) and joint-second for shots on target (seven) over the last four Gameweeks. In light of the fixture congestion over the Christmas period, Pochettino might be tempted to employ a certain degree of rotation in the centre of the park, handing minutes to the likes of Bentaleb and Chadli, though alternatively, he might be loath to disrupt a winning formula that’s cultured a 14-match unbeaten streak.
Reid worry for Hammers
Reports have surfaced that suggest Winston Reid will be out of action for four to six weeks with a hamstring injury he sustained in training.
The Scout Says: Confirmation of the New Zealand international’s supposed hamstring injury would come as little surprise, given that he sat out four matches last season with the same issue. The bulk of West Ham’s attacking talent have been consigned to the treatment room in recent weeks – placing greater pressure on their defence to batten down the hatches – so the last thing they needed was an injury to their top centre-back. His potential absence will likely find James Tomkins slotting back into a central role, with Carl Jenkinson reclaiming the right-back berth after he dropped to the bench last weekend. The Irons now embark on a decent trio of fixtures (STO, swa, avl), yet with one clean sheet in ten outings, their defensive recruits look overpriced around the 5.0 mark.
