Nigel Adkins is announced as the new Reading manager. Tim Krul edges back towards fitness for Newcastle. Gylfi Sigurdsson cites regular game time as the reason for his recent form, Lewis Holtby wants to nail down a deep-lying central role for Tottenham, Russell Martin pulls out of Scotland’s clash with Serbia due to a hamstring problem, while Ramires is missing once again as Brazil share the spoils with Russia:
Reading have this morning announced Nigel Adkins as the new man in charge at the Madejski Stadium. The former Southampton manager is tasked with keeping afloat a Royals side that have lost five on the spin and sit seven points from safety with eight games left to play – the club owner Anton Zingarevich had this to say on the situation:
“I am delighted to bring Nigel to our club because he is perfect for us… he has many attributes as a manager, he is progressive, he develops players, his teams play attacking, passing football but most of all he knows how to win games at all levels. This is an appointment we have made both with the short and long term in mind and Nigel can take our club forward. I know our supporters have been keen to hear news over the past two weeks and I am certain they will join me in saying it was worth the wait. I wish Nigel and Andy nothing but good luck and now we focus on eight hugely important games in the Premier League. Our supporters will also play a vital part in the finale to the season and I am certain Nigel will get an excellent reception from our fans at the Emirates on Saturday. “
Sacked by Southampton back in January, Adkins’ tactics seemed to be progressing as the season unfolded, after the first few months saw Southampton turned over time and again in their first campaign back in the top-flight. Optimistically for his new club, the Saints suffered just two defeats in Adkins’ final 12 league matches in charge at St Mary’s, with his preferred 4-2-3-1 formation affording the likes of Rickie Lambert and Jason Puncheon the chance to flourish as Fantasy assets. Reading typically were set up in a 4-4-1-1 by Brian McDermott with a shift to 4-4-2 a tactic utilised late on in games when chasing a deficit – whether Adkins’ arrival will benefit the likes of Adam Le Fondre remains questionable, then, given his propensity for a Lambert-like target man up top.
His preference for mobile full-backs is perhaps something of a worry for veteran Ian Harte, though fellow left-back Nicky Shorey is hardly renowned as a speed merchant, either. Those holding any Reading assets will likely have other, more pressing trades in light of double Gameweek 33, though the idea of benching their defenders is tempting ahead of Adkins’ first match in charge away to Arsenal – the last time he visited the Emirates, his Southampton side were hammered 6-1 back in Gameweek 4.
Newcastle number one Tim Krul is reported to be edging his way towards full fitness once again. The Dutchman has missed the last four matches after picking up an ankle injury on Europa League duties last month but is expected to return to training next week and could be fit in time for the Tyne-Wear derby in Gameweek 33. If such a scenario transpires, this would hand current stand-in keeper Rob Elliott a two-match stay of execution, then, with Krul still missing out in Saturday’s trip to City and the following weekend’s home clash against Fulham. With skipper Fabricio Coloccini also hopeful of returning from a back injury in time for the Sunderland showdown, Alan Pardew could be set for a significant defensive boost over the next few weeks, though in the meantime, he is still awaiting news on first-choice full-backs Mathieu Debuchy and Davide Santon ahead of the Etihad showdown – their potential absence could earn the likes of James Perch or Danny Simpson a chance.
Gylfi Sigurdsson has spoken of his flourishing form in recent matches for both club and country.
“The last six weeks have been good for me on a personal level, I’ve played more regularly, that helps and it was fantastic to get the two goals for Iceland but it was vitally important for the team to get the three points. We’ve had very important games of late in the Premier League and Europa League and more coming up with Swansea, Everton, City and Chelsea, plus Basel in the Europa League. Hopefully we’ll push on again in the Premier League and get through to the semi-finals of the Europa League. That’s what we’re all aiming for.”
Having struggled to earn a regular place in the Tottenham first XI, the midfielder has started each of the last three Gameweeks, producing a goal and assist across those fixtures. With Gareth Bale shifted to a central position, Sigurdsson played on the left in two of those matches, before moving to the right to fill in for the injured Aaron Lennon in the Gameweek 30 home defeat by Fulham. Indeed, despite Clint Dempsey’s availability against his former club, Benoit Assou-Ekotto was given the nod on the left – a sign, perhaps, of how far the US international has slipped down the pecking order, with Sigurdsson now looking a regular fixture in the attacking midfield three.
Staying with the Spurs midfield, new boy Lewis Holtby has been talking of his intentions to nail down a regular role next season. The German Under 21 international arrived at the Lane back in January and, having produced four goals and seven assists from his role in “the hole” with former club Schalke, was expected to settle in behind a lone striker under Andre Villas-Boas. With Bale excelling upon his recent switch to the middle, however, Holtby has struggled for game time – occasionally utilised on the flank, he initially started three of his first four but has since managed a mere seven minutes in the last three Gameweeks. The new arrival has acknowledged the need for patience and is looking to establish a place in the starting XI for 2013/14 somewhat further down the pitch than expected:
“In the summer, with my first pre-season and hopefully the tailwind of a successful Under-21 European Championship, I want to win a place on the [Spurs] team. I can play various positions. I believe, the number six is the position for my future. Between six and ten, I feel best in central midfield.”
Russell Martin has handed Norwich boss Chris Hughton a potential headache by pulling out of the Scotland squad to face Serbia tomorrow evening. The Canaries skipper has proved superb value over the last few months – having regained his starting role from Steven Whittaker in Gameweek 19, he has risen from 4.1 to 4.3 in FPL courtesy of a run of 12 consecutive starts which has harvested four clean sheets and three goals.
With a strong schedule to end to the season, Norwich’s defensive resilience could earn extra investment – seven of their nine clean sheets have arrived at Carrow Road and home clashes against Swansea, Reading, Villa and West Brom all hold promise, in addition to trips to Wigan and Stoke. Any potential absence for Martin would likely make Michael Turner the best value – at just 4.2, he’s far cheaper than the likes of Seb Bassong (5.5) and Javier Garrido (4.7) and with John Ruddy edging towards a return, Mark Bunn’s consistency of starts may be at risk, though the latter is expected to return to the XI after serving a one-match suspension at Wigan this upcoming weekend.
Brazil 1 Russia 1
Luiz Felipe Scolari named three Premier League players in his starting XI for the Stamford Bridge friendly. QPR’s Julio Cesar took his place between the sticks, while Chelsea duo David Luiz and Oscar were selected at centre-half and on the right flank respectively – as was the case in Brazil’s friendly with Italy late last week, the former two lasted the full 90 minutes, while Oscar was withdrawn a few minutes after the hour mark. Brazil were once again without Ramires though – the midfielder continues to struggle with an adductor problem picked up in Chelsea’s Gameweek 30 home win over West Ham and is now rated doubtful heading into the weekend trip to Southampton.
