Scout Scribbles – Wilshere at the Double

Jack Wilshere scores twice as Arsenal ease past Marseille. Jose Mourinho talks attacking midfield rotation ahead of Chelsea’s packed December schedule, Leighton Baines is out for up to six weeks for Everton, Vincent Kompany closes in on a return for City, whilst Robin Van Persie and Nemanja Vidic are ruled out of United’s clash with Leverkusen this evening:

Wilshere the Gunners Goal Hero

For the visit of Marseille, Arsene Wenger made three changes from the side that beat Southampton last weekend. Nacho Monreal was fielded at left-back after Kieran Gibbs was ruled out with sickness, Mathieu Flamini – who was suspended for the Saints clash – replaced Mikel Arteta in the double-pivot, whilst Santi Cazorla dropped to the bench, with Tomas Rosicky switching flanks to cover for the Spaniard on the left, allowing Jack Wilshere to take up the right-wing berth.

The latter proved the match-winner for Arsenal, scoring both goals in a 2-0 win that also saw Mesut Ozil miss a spot-kick – Wenger continues to ease Theo Walcott into the fold following abdominal surgery, as the winger replaced Wilshere with 15 minutes remaining. Incredibly, the Gunners are still yet to qualify, despite racking up 12 points from five group games and Wenger admitted the upcoming trip to Napoli could play a part in his team selection as he looks to ensure qualification to the knockout stages:

“We have a big programme – I will have to rotate a little bit until then. We have three Premier League games just before we go to Naples so I’ll have to use my squad well without dropping points in the league, and go there with a very strong team.”

The Scout Says: With a trip to Cardiff and back-to-back home games against Hull and Everton, Wenger may well feel confident over alternating his options. With alternatives for the double-pivot and attacking midfield roles, Aaron Ramsey and Mesut Ozil owners may be a little concerned, whilst the brakes may be applied to the Walcott bandwagon if his manager continues to utilise him cautiously. It may well be that Olivier Giroud is the least likely to come under threat, though Wenger has the option of using Walcott up top if he opts to give his compatriot a breather.

Mourinho Blames Fatigue for Blues Loss

For last night’s trip to Basel, Jose Mourinho made just one alteration from the side that saw off West Ham last weekend, with Willian coming in for Eden Hazard as Chelsea once again lined up in a 4-3-3 formation. Samuel Eto’o lasted just 42 minutes before being forced off with a muscle injury, as fit-again Fernando Torres climbed off the bench to replace the Cameroon international.

Mourinho’s other two substitutions involved the wide men – Hazard came on for Oscar on 55 minutes, whilst Willian was subbed off for Kevin De Bruyne with less than five minutes remaining. After the disappointing 1-0 loss, it was somewhat telling that Mourinho foucussed on the creative midfielders when discussing the likelihood of rotation over the festive period:

“Maybe I could make more changes from the game on Saturday for today but when the players play so well there’s a big temptation to keep the team and the players that played so well. I spoke with all of them individually and of course all of them told me they were perfect to play… This situation maybe helps me to make decisions when we have consecutive matches. I got signs of fatigue and players having trouble playing two consecutive matches in three days. That will push me for sure to make different decisions. That’s obvious. In some positions we have that situation resolved in a very easy way, because we have lots of players to play the attacking positions behind the strikers to try to give the team the sharpness it needs to win every game. We will make decisions but it’s not a question of punishment; it’s a question of using the squad and the options we have.”

The Scout Says: Whilst Hazard and Oscar have been almost immune from rotation over the league campaign, Mourinho’s words certainly indicate he is looking to utilise the depth of his squad to deal with tiredness. Between December 1 and January 1, Chelsea have 10 games in all competitions and, although they qualified for the knockout stages last night, only a home win in the final group game will ensure they finish first, suggesting there’s a slim chance of mass changes for the visit of Steaua. Certainly, last night’s game time bodes well for both Hazard and Oscar in terms of starts at home to Southampton on Sunday, but there would be no real surprise if their manager was a little cautious with their game time, given how crucial he views both of them to be.

Baines Sidelined for Toffees

Roberto Martinez dealt Leighton Baines’ Fantasy owners a blow yesterday morning after confirming the left-back is set to be sidelined for up to a month and a half with the toe injury that forced him off early in the second-half of the Merseyside derby. Frustratingly for Fantasy managers, the Toffees boss admitted he is currently considering a variety of options as he prepares for Baines’ absence:

“It has been confirmed that Leighton has got a fracture in one of the bones in his right foot, which is the phalange. We need to treat that now and see how it develops. It could mean anything from missing six weeks to being back in 10 days because it depends how the fracture heals. It is in such a specific spot and we are going to see how it [the injury] reacts….Obviously Gareth slotted in during the game and when you have got a player with that experience, he can play anywhere. I thought he did really well. We have got other players at the football club who can play in that position, from Bryan Oviedo to Tony Hibbert and Sylvain Distin to John Stones. We have got many, many options. It’s going to be a matter of seeing how the players react in training and, first of all, seeing if Leighton is going to be okay.”

Later in the day, Martinez also discussed the return to action of Antolin Alcaraz. The Paraguayan is finally recovered from a hamstring injury and was given a brief run out in a behind-closed-doors match against Sheffield Wednesday:

“Antolin played 45 minutes and showed no signs of not being fully fit, which is very pleasing. He has had a really difficult time and has been fighting strongly to help the team, and I don’t think it will be too long until we see Antolin available and in a position where he can help in this heavy period. We have 10 games in six weeks so we need everyone ready and available. It was great to see the likes of Antolin, Tony Hibbert and John Stones showing that they are desperate to play.”

The Scout Says: While Baines’ absence and Alcaraz’ return raise plenty question marks, with even a shift to 3-4-3 mooted, there certainly seems no doubt that Phil Jagielka, Seamus Coleman and Distin will continue their roles as ever-presents in the Toffees backline. Certainly, a potential move to 3-4-3 would benefit Coleman’s attacking raids down the right, but it’s Jagielka who looks the most enticing option with Baines now sidelined. Aside from clean sheet returns, Coleman has earned three bonus points from Gameweek 2 onwards – Jagielka has produced an assist and 14 bonus points, accrued over six separate fixtures. While a home game against Stoke looks appealing, non-owners may wait until back-to-back trips to United and Arsenal are out of the way – after that, though, Everton’s schedule (FUL, swa, SUN, SOU, sto, NOR, wba) will surely see plenty load up on Martinez’ men.

Ridgewell a Weekend Doubt for Baggies

Steve Clarke is sweating over the fitness of his regular left-back ahead of Saturday’s trip to Newcastle. Ridgewell missed Monday night’s draw with Villa and his manager admitted he’s unlikely to be ready in time for a weekend comeback against the Magpies:

“Liam injured his calf in training the week before last. I’m not sure how long he’ll be out for. He’s started jogging again so he’s got an outside chance of being ready for the weekend. But we’ve got plenty of games coming up as well so we have to be careful it doesn’t become a long-term injury.”

The Scout Says: Ridgewell’s likely absence leaves Clarke with a real dilemma ahead of the trip to Tyneside. Goran Popov was selected for the Villa clash but was subbed off on 76 minutes after an unconvincing display – the Baggies boss switched Chris Brunt to left-back and drafted in Victor Anichebe ahead of the Northern Ireland international in midfield. With the power of Moussa Sissoko patrolling Newcastle’s right, Clarke may well opt for Anichebe’s presence to combat the Frenchman – judging by Clarke’s words, it seems likely he’ll look to court caution over Ridgewell in the short-term in order to ensure his availability over the packed festive period.

Van Persie and Vidic out of Leverkusen Clash

There was some mixed news on the injury front for David Moyes yesterday. The United boss welcomed back Phil Jones, Rafael and Nemanja Vidic to training but later in the day confirmed the Serbian is still unavailable to return from a head problem, while Robin van Persie is also set to miss this evening’s Champions League game against Leverkusen:

“Both are injured. You knew Vidic had concussion, but we don’t think van Persie is quite ready yet. We’re going to keep monitoring him. He had a bit of a problem with his groin. Neither are long term, but with the concussion we just want to give it a bit longer.”

The Scout Says: The upcoming schedule bodes well for United but, despite their manager’s assurances that both are short-term concerns, Vidic and van Persie are likely to be offloaded as Fantasy managers look for guaranteed starters over the Christmas schedule. With Jonny Evans and Wayne Rooney offering cheaper alternatives into Moyes’ defence and attack ahead of a schedule that reads (EVE, NEW, avl, WHM, hul, nor) from Gameweek 14 onwards, the switch looks an obvious one for those eyeing up United coverage, as the uncertainty over Moyes’ team sheets continues to play havoc with our Fantasy plans.

Kompany Close to City Return

Manuel Pellegrini issued an injury update ahead of City’s Champions League showdown with Viktoria Plzen. The Chilean conceded David Silva, Jack Rodwell and Stevan Jovetic will miss out tonight and on Sunday’s home game against Swansea before talking up Vincent Kompany’s chances of an imminent return:

“Vincent started training this week, working on some work with the whole squad. He’s working with the physios and in the next week, he could be fit. But, no, not tomorrow night.”

The Scout Says: Sidelined since Gameweek 7 with a groin injury, Kompany’s stop-start season under the new man in charge has seen him manage just four appearances in the starting XI. Whilst his return would be an obvious boost for Pellegrini’s side, it’s intriguing to see that City produced just one clean sheet in those four matches, conceding five goals – in Kompany’s absence, they have kept out their opponents four times and shipped seven goals in eight fixtures. Reports indicate he’s more likely to be available for next midweek’s trip to the Hawthorns – the start of three away games in four for Pellegrini’s side as he looks to address a worrying run of form on the road which has harvested a single victory in six attempts.

Canaries Suffer Midfield Setback

Chris Hughton confirmed last night that both Robert Snodgrass and Anthony Pilkington are set for a spell on the sidelines with knee and hamstring problems respectively. Speaking at the club’s AGM, the Canaries boss, who also admitted Ricky van Wolfswinkel is out until mid-December, went on to say:

“Anthony has had a scan which shows a grade two strain which usually means five or six weeks out. Robert came back from international duty with Scotland and felt his knee at the beginning of training on Friday. He travelled with us to Newcastle as we hoped it would settle down, but unfortunately it didn’t, and he could be out for a few weeks but not as long as Anthony.”

The Scout Says: Unfortunately for Hughton, the injuries arrive at a time where his side are handed a favourable schedule which could potentially boost their league position. Up next for the Canaries are games against Palace, Sunderland and Fulham in the next six – Nathan Redmond, at 4.6, looks poised for a run on the left in Pilkington’s absence, though Martin Olsson could also come into contention if Hughton decides to shift him from left-back. With Snodgrass now out, Leroy Fer, with a goal in each of the last two, may come into contention, though with both their first-choice wide men now out of action, Norwich’s potential looks to have lessened on the back of last night’s news, with many Fantasy managers opting to steer clear altogether.