Friendlies Round-Up – Monday

Steve Sidwell grabs Fulham’s only goal in a home draw with Spanish side Real Betis, as Adel Taarabt prepares to move to the Cottage on a season-long loan. Ravel Morrison bags a brace and Kevin Nolan is amongst the goals as West Ham hit back to see off Sporting Lisbon. Jose Mourinho hints at Chelsea rotation, Daniel Sturridge returns to full training for Liverpool, while Pablo Hernandez could be back in time for Swansea’s Europa League trip to Malmo this week:

Fulham 1 Real Betis 1
Martin Jol named three of his summer signings in the starting line-up for last night’s draw at Craven Cottage. Maarten Stekelenburg, Fernando Amorebieta and Derek Boateng got the nod in a side that contained Kieran Richardson at left-back and Bryan Ruiz and Ashkan Dejagah on the flanks, with Jol selecting Dimitar Berbatov as the more withdrawn forward behind Hugo Rodallega as a result of Ruiz’s move to the left wing. Ruiz supplied the assist for Steve Sidwell’s opener thanks to his corner-kick duties, though he was withdrawn later in the match as the Fulham boss made five alterations as the second period progressed – Rodallega had an effort disallowed but the hosts were unable to add to their goal haul and settled for a stalemate.

The main talking point occurred after the match as Jol confirmed Adel Taarabt was undergoing a medical with a view to a season-long loan deal.

“I was too late to sign him when he went to QPR and he did ever so well there. He was over a £10m player 12 months ago and hopefully he will show his potential here.”

Depending on further acquisitions, the Moroccan’s arrival may have a knock-on effect on the likes of Damien Duff – if a new forward arrives and Ruiz is shifted to the right, Taarabt looks likely to slot in on the opposite flank, given that Jol is clearly a fan. Certainly, the Fulham boss is hopeful on adding to his squad before the season gets underway:

“All I can say is we have several doors open. But the new Chairman is not here to burn his money; we have to find a healthy way to do our business and we will find the right players. I’m excited about the youngsters and if we can get some players to this Club then the future will be bright. I want to do better than last season.”

Sporting Lisbon 2 West Ham 3
Sam Allardyce shuffled his pack for the first of two games in the space of 24-hours last night. The Hammers boss handed Joey O’Brien and Matt Taylor the full-back roles, with Joe Cole and Matt Jarvis flanking Modibo Maiga up top and Ravel Morrison in midfield. Razvan Rat replaced Taylor on the left at half-time and his endeavours down the flank proved instrumental – a cross was flicked on by Maiga for Kevin Nolan to notch the visitors’ first before Rat teed up Morrison to fire the Hammers ahead. Rat also played a part in the third – his shot deflected to Cole, who supplied the assist for Morrison’s second of the match as Allardyce’s side won for the seventh time in eight pre-season encounters.

Former United man Morrison seems to have finally settled down and justified the hype heaped upon him earlier in his career – he has now notched five times over the summer, the Hammers top scorer, with Nolan next best with three goals to his name. After the match, assistant manager Neil McDonald spoke highly of Morrison’s upturn is performance:

“He has certainly grown up a touch. With all due respect, when he first came from Manchester United he thought he was the top kid and he was going to walk straight into our team and it certainly doesn’t work like that. We sent him away to get the experience at Birmingham and he’s certainly come back and he’s used that experience. He had some experience around him as well [in midfield] with Kevin Nolan and Mark Noble pulling and pushing him, as you’d expect. If we can get him on the ball in the final third then he can produce and he’s produced two goals on Monday. He missed his penalty at the end but that’s good experience for him. He’s come back in good shape, just like the rest of them.”

In Other News
Jose Mourinho has served notice of his intentions for the season ahead by hinting at the possibility of rotation amongst the Chelsea attacking midfielders. The Blues boss praised the recent displays of Victor Moses over the summer and with several high profile players vying for the three positions behind the lone forward in a 4-2-3-1, he admitted he was keen to ration out game time across the busy schedule, with the number of options on the left hand side particularly generous:

“Where can I can fit all the players in? I hope to play 60 matches. So we will use a rotation of players that’s for sure. Victor has been terrific, working very hard. In his position, we have Eden Hazard, Kevin De Bruyne and Andre Schurrle, and with Victor, we can change during a match and give new life to the team.”

Bearing in mind that Mourinho feels that Hazard, De Bruyne and Schurrle – along with Oscar – can play through the middle, Juan Mata certainly looks to have less competition for places on the right. The Spaniard has mainly featured in “the hole” over his two seasons at Stamford Bridge but with his manager admitting he prefers a left-footer on the right, his consistency of starts looks likely to remain strong.

Daniel Sturridge has given Fantasy managers plenty to mull over after returning to full training yesterday. Yet to feature in pre-season due to an ankle problem, there was some uncertainty over whether he would make the start of the season but, speaking to the club’s official website yesterday, Brendan Rodgers seemed pretty confident the January signing will be ready to face Stoke on Saturday August 17:

“Daniel had his first training session today with the team and I thought he looked very, very sharp. He’s worked very hard along with the medical guys who have done a great job with him. It’s a great testament to him he’s kept himself fit and it was just waiting for the right time to introduce him. It’s important he has another good week’s training and it was great to see him back today, because for me he can be one of the top strikers in the Premier League this season. He’s played no part in the pre-season so you put him in at the top end of the field with his pace, power and his quality and we are able to add something more to the group as well. So it all bodes well for us for the beginning of the season and sets us up nice and solid and exciting for the first game.”

With Luis Suarez suspended for the first six matches of the campaign, the stage is set for Sturridge to shine from the off. Philippe Coutinho and Iago Aspas have both caught the eye with three goals apiece during the summer and with Rodgers’ side winning all five of their matches so far, they are approaching the Potters clash in fine form. The Reds face just one of last term’s top six in the opening nine fixtures and with 10 goals and five FPL assists in just 14 appearances last term, Sturridge is the joint-fifth most popular forward in the FPL game, with almost 16% ownership thus far.

Pablo Hernandez is hopeful of a return to action in time for Swansea’s Europa League trip to Malmo on Thursday. The Spaniard missed the first leg against the Swedish side after picking up a groin problem in training but with the Swans racking up a 4-0 win, it’s uncertain whether Michael Laudrup will risk him. Hernandez has been one of the Welsh side’s star performers over the summer and scored four times in the first seven friendlies but with the season opener against United less than a fortnight away, he accepts Michael Laudrup may decide to keep him fresh for the showdown against the champions:

“While training, I felt a pain in my groin, but in less than a week I should be able to play again. It’s possible I could play in Malmo. The leg feels good, but I will have to train with the team before the game. It feels good now, but I have to be patient. I want to play, I think for me it is better to play in this game. My fitness is good, but it is more important to make sure I am 100 per cent over the injury. It will be good to play against Malmo, but I can wait for the next game against Manchester United. I was feeling good before the injury, I was concentrating on my work in the games. I know it’s a very important position for me and the team. It is always bad when you get an injury, but it’s not a serious injury and whether it’s against Malmo or Manchester United, I have to make sure that I’m fit.”