Carlos Tevez proves the difference as City squeeze past Wigan to close the gap at the top to 13 points behind United. Robin Van Persie maintains his return to form with a second goal of the double Gameweek, Andy Carroll adds an assist to his weekend strike at Southampton and Dimitar Berbatov is moved to a more withdrawn role as Fulham are swept aside by Chelsea at the Cottage:
City Defensive Rotation Kicks In
To be fair to Roberto Mancini, his selection policy has been relatively stable this season but last night’s back-four perhaps gave us an indication of what’s to follow from now until the end of the campaign. With the FA Cup final against Wigan on the horizon, the City boss changed three of the defensive quartet that started against United in the previous Gameweek, with only Vincent Kompany retaining his role. The return of Micah Richards has already made a dent in Pablo Zabaleta’s prospects – prior to last night, the Argentine had started every from Gameweek 13 onwards but was omitted from the squad completely as Mancini rang the changes. With a double Gameweek 36 just around the corner, in addition to a kind looking schedule, there’s no doubt City have the potential to rack up the returns but many Fantasy managers will be reluctant to invest at the back in particular in light of last night’s line-up.
Post-match, Mancini took time out to explain his decision before going on to praise Richards’ performance:
“Pablo has played a lot of games, it was important to get him a break…Micah played well for 70 minutes but then he tired which is only natural after six months out. He has to continue to work hard in training because he’s been out for a long time and it takes time to build stamina and fitness up again but I was pleased with his performance.”
Tevez Key for City
While Sergio Aguero lasted just 45 minutes before being replaced by Edin Dzeko at the break, his compatriot Carlos Tevez was the hosts’ goal hero. The Argentine maintained his recent run of league form by bagging the winner against the Latics and has now scored in four of the last six Gameweeks – prior to that run, Tevez had found the just once in 10 appearances but seems to have rediscovered the eye for goal that make him such a popular pick at the start of the season. Post-match, David Platt confirmed Aguero’s withdrawal was due to a hamstring problem and is a likely doubt for Sunday’s trip to Tottenham; the situation merely emphasises just how crucial Tevez will be for Mancini’s side over the last few fixtures of the season, with plenty Fantasy managers set to jump on board the bandwagon if Aguero is sidelined for the upcoming double:
“He has got a problem, but it was a slight problem. It was more of a precaution than anything else. He felt his hamstring tighten up. Just the sheer proximity of the game on Sunday would say he is a doubt.”
Van Persie in the Goals Again
Ahead of the double Gameweek, faith in the Dutchman was understandably muted. Van Persie had failed to find the net in each of his last 10 matches in all competitions for United but last night’s Upton Park equaliser, added to the converted spot-kick against Stoke last Sunday, helped bolster his lead at the top of the Fantasy Premier League (FPL) standings. The draw against West Ham, allied with City’s win at home to Wigan, means United now cannot win the league next Monday at home to Villa but with Van Persie back in scoring form, it’s little wonder he’s already the runaway leader in the Captain Poll with 56% of the votes cast thus far.
For Wayne Rooney owners, though, the double proved disastrous. Rooney had looked a viable alternative to the Dutchman ahead of his side’s pair of fixtures, having scored five times in six starts prior to Sunday’s game at Stoke, and although he returned to a forward role last night, looked woefully out of sorts and was subbed off with 20 minutes remaining. Despite his disappointing display, the upcoming match with Villa is likely to afford him a stay of execution with many Fantasy managers preparing to hand him one more chance before reassessing their forward options as double Gameweek 36 edges ever closer.
Carroll’s Home Endeavours
Having grabbed West Ham’s equaliser at Southampton last weekend, the on loan forward was amongst the points again last night as he ended the double Gameweek with a 12 point haul. Carroll’s header teed up Ricardo Vaz Te for the hosts opener and continued a superb run of recent displays that has produced a goal or assist in each of his four home appearances since returning from a knee injury in Gameweek 24. With Wigan, Newcastle and Reading all yet to roll up to Upton Park between now and the end of the season, Carroll is afforded the perfect platform to maintain his current form and put himself in the shop window over the summer.
Berbatov Drops Deep
With injuries to both his first-choice wide men, Martin Jol was forced into a reshuffle last night that proved costly for the Bulgarian’s owners. Right winger Ashkan Dejagah was ruled out for the season last weekend – Damien Duff switched flanks in Saturday’s trip to Villa but lasted no more than 10 minutes before sustaining a groin problem. Stanislav Manolev was expected to fill in on the right against Chelsea but Jol decided to move Bryan Ruiz there instead, with Berbatov dropping into “the hole” and Mladen Petric leading the line. Prior to the double, the former United man had five goals in his last five and was snapped up by over 90,000 FPL managers but he managed no more than four points over the two fixtures – with Duff already ruled out of Saturday’s clash with Arsenal, Berbatov could once again be utilised in a deeper role, thus lessening his potential once again.
Luiz on the Radar
While John Terry’s brace will hog the headlines, there’s little doubt the Chelsea skipper remains far more prone to rotation than certain others in the ranks under Rafa Benitez. Although the Spaniard’s penchant for alternating players means no one can really be regarded as nailed-on, David Luiz is certainly utilised more than most. The Brazilian has missed just one of the last seven Gameweeks – a trip to Southampton which took place two days before the FA Cup game with United – and has racked up the points at both ends of the pitch in recent weeks. Chelsea have conceded just one goal in the last four league matches with Luiz in the starting XI and he’d also produced two assists prior to last night’s superb strike. Certainly, the Blues’ upcoming schedule (seven game in 20 days from Sunday onwards) remains relentless but Luiz showed last night the upside to his acquisition could well reap reward.
