Jason Puncheon and Rickie Lambert are amongst the goals as Southampton battle back to grab a point at the Bridge. Demba Ba and Eden Hazard net for the hosts, as the Belgian ends top scoring player for double Gameweek 22. In the FA Cup Third Round Replays, Wayne Rooney notches on his United comeback against West Ham but fluffs another spot-kick, while Santi Cazorla and Theo Walcott are moved to the wings as Arsenal see off Swansea at the Emirates…
Ba Keeps His Starting Role
While the threat of rest and rotation is never far away under Rafa Benitez, Demba Ba’s owners were handed a boost last night as the former Newcastle man was named as the lone forward ahead of Fernando Torres once again. Ba vindicated Benitez’s decision by grabbing Chelsea’s opener and has now moved up to 124 FPL points but, having now played all but 20 minutes of the double Gameweek, his owners will perhaps be a little apprehensive of Benitez’s intentions for the weekend game with Arsenal. Torres climbed off the bench with 10 minutes remaining and partnered Ba up top – a tactic Benitez will perhaps continue to utilise when the Blues are chasing points late on – though his lack of impact may well keep Ba in the driving seat, bearing in mind the game with the Gunners is not until Sunday afternoon. Ba has now started three of Chelsea’s four matches since moving from Newcastle and having found the net on three occasions, he’s certainly staking a claim for inclusion at Torres’ expense – should he start against the Gunners, it may well indicate the Spaniard has fallen down in the pecking order.
Rafa’s Defensive Rotation
David Luiz’s recent out of position role in central midfield continues to look in jeopardy after Benitez once again fielded the Brazilian in the heart of the back-four. Gary Cahill was absent at the weekend due to his partner giving birth and returned to partner Luiz, with Branislav Ivanovic surprisingly omitted for the first league game under the new regime, with Cesar Azpilicueta again named at right-back. With John Terry on the bench again as he continues to build up his fitness after a recent knee injury, the Blues defence is starting to look too much of a potential headache under Benitez – Ashley Cole is perhaps the least prone to rotation but with one clean sheet in their last four, many will be mulling over a transfer out for their Chelsea defensive assets, with a consistency of selection looking less likely by the Gameweek.
Hazard’s Show of Consistency
For the first time this season, Eden Hazard produced goals in back-to-back Gameweeks and with maximum bonus received last night, the Belgian earned his owners 19 points over the pair of fixtures; more than any other player in the double. Surprisingly, Hazard dropped in price prior to Saturday’s deadline, with over 56,000 Fantasy managers shipping him out, but his form suggest he could be worth considering as an alternative to Juan Mata – Hazard has now produced three goals, two assists and six bonus points over his last five starts and has moved up to joint-second in the midfield standings on 124 points; only four less than Mata. Coming in at 9.4 to the Spaniard’s 10.0, he may well come into consideration for those currently wielding wildcards.
Southampton’s Budget Value
Two-nil down at half-time, few were expecting the response from Nigel Adkins’ side as Chelsea’s struggles at the Bridge continued. Jason Puncheon’s leveller highlighted just why he’s so highly regarded around these parts as a budget midfield option – his first goal in six Gameweek took his tally to 82 points, pre-bonus, and justified the show of faith that saw over 74,000 FPL managers snap him up before last weekend’s deadline. Priced at just 5.0 in FP, Puncheon is now up to top spot in terms of value for midfielders. Rickie Lambert once again produced the goods, despite being handed a mere 36 minutes by Adkins. Omitted from the first XI for only the third time this season, the 6.4 priced forward found the net just three minutes after climbing off the bench to replace Jay Rodriguez as the lone forward. Lambert has now scored in four of the last five Gameweeks and sits just nine points off Carlos Tevez in the FPL rankings – whilst he’s made a mockery of his price tag this term, Lambert still has under 15% ownership, yet he is by some distance the best value forward in the game. Adkins had this to say on his decision to use Lambert as an impact sub….
“We came with a game plan and that was to utilise the pace of Jay Rodriguez on the counter-attack and look to the impact of Rickie coming off the bench. That is what impact is all about – we wanted him fresh for that final 35 or 40 minutes of the game, and he has come on and scored an excellent goal.”
FA Cup Third Round Replays
Man United 1 West Ham 0
Sir Alex Ferguson made as many as 10 changes from the side that saw off Liverpool last Sunday, with Rafael the only player to keep his starting berth. Wayne Rooney returned from a knee injury and was partnered by Javier Hernandez, with Robin Van Persie handed the night off, while Anders Lindegaard, Nani and Anderson also returned after recent spells on the sidelines. Rooney notched an early opener courtesy of a Hernandez assist but the former once again failed from the spot; Van Persie’s owners will be crossing their fingers that Rooney’s latest woeful penalty miss boosts the Dutchman’s chances of taking over as first-choice.
Ahead of the double Gameweek, Sam Allardyce made six changes from the side that were battered by Sunderland on Saturday. Guy Demel, Jack Collison, Kevin Nolan, Matt Jarvis and Joe Cole were omitted, while James Collins was unavailable after suffering a hamstring tear against the Black Cats. Nolan and Collison came off the bench midway through the second-half to replace Carlton Cole and Momo Diame, while Mark Noble and Joey O’Brien failed to make the squad; casting doubts over their availability for the impending double. We can only hope Allardyce’s Friday press conference will shed more light on the situation.
Arsenal 1 Swansea 0
Arsene Wenger threw Fantasy managers a curveball last night by shifting Santi Cazorla out to the left flank, with Jack Wilshere moving into the role in “the hole” vacated by the Spaniard. Ahead of the double Gameweek, the Gunners boss also moved Theo Walcott back to the right wing as Olivier Giroud led the line – the Frenchman supplied the assist for Wilshere’s late winner. Ahead of the weekend, Cazorla and Walcott have received significant investment but last night’s turn of events is a real concern for their owners. Lukas Podolski was handed the night off and will surely return for Sunday’s trip to Chelsea – while Cazorla is expected to shift back into a central position, Wenger took time to praise Wilshere’s display last night and hinted a more advanced role suits the 6.4 priced FPL midfielder:
“Jack was outstanding tonight. He played in a different position, a bit higher up and it suited him well. I didn’t expect him to be this good at this stage. I always thought that if we could get Jack back to a reasonable level by January we will have done well, but he is ahead of what I could imagine. He is back to what he was before the injury, I think so, yes. A complete midfielder can defend and attack and Jack can also dribble and give a final ball so the closer players like him are to the goal the better it is for them.”
Michael Laudrup continues to rest and rotate his squad as a result of their packed schedule. The Dane made six changes from the side that drew at Everton on Saturday, with Ben Davies, Ashley Williams, Ki Sung-Yeung, Angel Rangel, Pablo Hernandez and Michu all dropping out – a clear indication of his intentions to utilise his squad. Michu, Hernandez and Ki all emerged from the bench as second-half subs but failed to make an impact as the hosts avenged their recent league defeat at the hands of the Welsh outfit.
