Diego Costa scores again for Chelsea before being subbed off with a knee problem. Spurs have concerns over Jan Vertonghen, Stoke sweat over the availability of skipper Ryan Shawcross, whilst West Ham’s worries at right-back could catapult new boy Sam Byram in the pecking order.
Arsenal
Although there were clear tactical motivations behind Olivier Giroud’s withdrawal in the wake of Per Mertesacker’s dismissal against Chelsea, Arsene Wenger revealed that his decision was made easier due to the fact that the Frenchman was a minor doubt heading into the fixture:
“I think yes, but it was a bit in my mind if he gets injured, with his ankle, he was a doubt, he didn’t practice yesterday and today we declared him fit. It was on my mind. But I had to change a player and. I thought that was the most rational decision with all the factors.”
Having started each of the last 14 Gameweeks, Giroud has looked nailed-on as the Gunners’ lone striker. Yesterday’s withdrawal came at a time when Alexis Sanchez make his long-awaited comeback from injury off the bench, however, and with Theo Walcott offering an alternative up top, the Chilean’s return to Wenger’s starting XI may well see Giroud’s minutes continue to be curtailed.
Aston Villa
Aston Villa are said to be ramping up their search for a new frontman after Rudy Gestede pulled his hamstring as a second-half substitute at The Hawthorns. Gestede has fallen down the pecking order in recent matches, with Remi Garde choosing to start Libor Kozak instead, though with three goals in the last five Gameweeks, Villa are clearly in desperate need of a cutting edge.
Bournemouth
The Cherries winger Junior Stanislas was hauled off in the dying embers at the Stadium of Light due to a knee problem. Post-match, Eddie Howe painted a bleak picture of Stanislas’ prospects:
“He twisted his knee and it doesn’t look good. It looks like maybe a medial ligament strain. You saw him being carried off the pitch and it didn’t look good. He was quite sore in the changing room so we will see how serious it is. It would be a huge blow if he were to be out for any period of time because he has been excellent since he has come into the team. He has had a really good run and again you could see his quality so, hopefully, he is not too serious.”
Priced at just 4.2, Stanislas has started 11 of the last 12 Gameweeks on the flank and proven a very handy option for Fantasy managers. The winger bagged three goals, two assists and five bonus points over that period but a possible stint on the sidelines looks set to deprive us of one of the cheapest starters in the top-flight.
Chelsea
Diego Costa limped off in the 68th minute of the London derby after damaging his knee. The Spain international will now undergo scans, which Gus Hiddink is confident won’t flag up anything serious:
“We’ll see, well make some scans but I don’t think it’s very very serious.”
Costa has thrived under the tutelage of the Blues’ new boss – tallying five goals and two assists in five starts – yet his pockmarked disciplinary and injury records discourage investment at the 10.6 mark. Although the combative hitman could sustain his current purple patch during a favourable batch of upcoming match-ups (wat, MUN, NEW, sou), prospective owners might be unwilling to take that risk when there are a bevy of viable forwards with fewer downsides.
Staying within Chelsea’s locker room, Pedro missed the Arsenal head-to-head due to illness. Worryingly for Eden Hazard’s owners, the Belgian only made the bench despite Pedro’s absence, as Hiddink opted for Cesc Fabregas, Oscar and Willian in the three slots behind Costa.
Everton
Muhamed Besic (hamstring) and Kevin Mirallas (knee) were injured in the first period of Everton’s home clash against Swansea City. Although the Toffees are yet to determine the severity of either problem, Roberto Martinez revealed that both players may well be set for a spell in the treatment room:
“It’s hard to tell [the seriousness of both injuries]. Muhamed Besic injured his left hamstring – the opposite leg to the problem he had recently. We will also assess Kevin Mirallas, who injured the tendon in his right leg around the knee. I don’t expect them to be fit for Wednesday and I expect a bit of a period where they will be unavailable. It is a real shame because both players gave us a really refreshing look and reached good levels at this stage of the season.”
Elsewhere in the Merseysiders camp, Martinez cited the club’s hectic schedule behind his decision to rest Phil Jagielka yesterday:
“We have five games in 13 days. Phil Jagielka has been out for a long, long time and then he came back last week and played three games in seven days. Medically, it was the right thing to give him a bit of recovery time and make sure we used the squad. The squad is ready to cope with players missing and, clearly, Phil Jagielka will be refreshed for what is ahead.”
Leicester City
Shinji Okazaki was subbed off at the 62-minute mark against Stoke City with a knock. After the 3-0 win, Claudio Ranieri played down the Japan international’s fitness:
“Shinji I think is okay, nothing serious. Just a problem behind the knee.”
Liverpool
Earlier today, Reds boss Jurgen Klopp revealed that Nathaniel Clyne is a slight doubt for tomorrow evening’s Capital One Cup clash with Stoke after sustaining a knee problem in the weekend win over Norwich. The fit-again Jon Flanagan is on standby to deputise should Clyne fail to make it. Klopp has also confirmed that Dejan Lovren returned to training yesterday but, after three weeks on the sidelines, remains doubtful for the Potters encounter.
Manchester United
Matteo Darmian was escorted to hospital following a clash of heads with Shane Long during the second half of Manchester United’s 1-0 defeat at the hands of Southampton. The Italian full-back has since taken to social media to assuage fears over his fitness:
“Thank you all for the support. I’m fine. See you soon”
Norwich City
Alexander Tettey was sidelined for Norwich City’s end-to-end encounter against Liverpool because of illness.
Southampton
Addressing the media ahead of Saints’ road tie against Manchester United, Ronald Koeman said that Steven Davis wasn’t fit enough to take part at Old Trafford. Davis’ absence allowed Dusan Tadic a first start in the last three Gameweeks – the Serbian was utilised as a sub in the previous two league matches and has appeared out of favour since Koeman made the successful switch to 3-5-2.
Stoke City
The Potters have been handed a major boost ahead of tomorrow night’s Capital One Cup clash with Liverpool after Marko Arnautovic was passed fit by manager Mark Hughes:
“He trained today. He was fine. He’s still got a little bit of a feeling in the hamstring. It’s been checked and had scans done and there’s no damage. Just a bit of tightness that can originate from other areas. We will make sure he’s primed and ready to go.”
On the downside, Ryan Shawcross has been ruled out for up to four weeks with the back problem that forced him off against Leicester last weekend. In today’s pre-match press conference, Hughes went on to say:
“Thankfully, it’s not a recurrence of his back injury that required surgery. That’s the positive. Unfortunately, the negative is that he’s got soft muscle damage and at the moment it’s looking likely it will be three to four weeks I would think.”
A spell on the sidelines for Shawcross is a significant blow to the Potters’ clean sheet potential. Stoke kept out their opponents just twice in the first 10 Gameweeks without their captain but have racked up seven shut-outs in the subsequent 13 league outings. This could have a knock-on impact on Jack Butland’s potential. The top scoring keeper in FPL, he produced 3.8 points per appearance without Shawcross but this average has risen to 5.4 since the Stoke skipper returned.
Sunderland
Having picked up a knock in training, Jan Kirchhoff was unavailable for selection when the Black Cats hosted Bournemouth.
Tottenham Hotspur
Jan Vertonghen had to be replaced in the 75th minute at Selhurst Park because of a knee injury. Offering an update on the Belgian defender after Spurs’ 3-1 victory, Mauricio Pochettino said that he would be examined on Sunday:
“Jan, we will assess tomorrow. It looks painful but we will assess it tomorrow and see how he is. I don’t want to make any judgement now. We will wait to look at the incident too. He is feeling not so good, his knee also. He didn’t speak to me about the incident yet.”
As of Monday morning, there are reports that suggest Vertonghen is yet to undergo a knee scan. In the event that the former Ajax recruit receives a bad prognosis, we would be forced to reassess Tottenham’s clean-sheet prospects and, subsequently, the appeal of their rearguard assets. In truth, Vertonghen’s stand-in, Kevin Wimmer, is an unknown quantity on these shores, so it remains to be seen whether he can spark up a sturdy relationship with Toby Alderweireld. Indeed, with the two Belgians at the heart of their defence, Spurs have shipped just 18 goals – fewer than any side in the top-flight.
West Ham United
In the process of giving away a penalty, Carl Jenkinson suffered a knock in the opening exchanges against Manchester City. With James Tomkins out of action, new signing Sam Byram (5.0) was afforded his debut at right-back. The ex-Leeds recruit is certainly one to keep tabs on, given that he’s pitched 0.6 below Aaron Cresswell and notched three goals for the Championship club throughout December.
