Scout Scribbles – International Round-Up

Daniel Sturridge fires England to victory over Denmark, with Adam Lallana supplying the assist. Robin van Persie shrugs off illness worries to play 90 minutes for Holland, with a trio of United midfielders all impressing on international duty. Brede Hangeland recovers from a weekend head knock to turn out for Norway, whilst Chelsea duo Oscar and Mohamed Salah are in the goals as Belgium take it easy on Eden Hazard:

Sturridge the Three Lions Hero

The Liverpool forward continued his outstanding season by notching England’s Wembley winner over Denmark. Whilst team-mate Luis Suarez drew a blank in Uruguay’s 1-1 draw against Austria, Sturridge – who started on the flank before moving to a central role after Wayne Rooney was replaced – grabbed the only goal for Roy Hodgson’s side, courtesy of an Adam Lallana assist.

The Scout Says: It’s 22 goals in 26 games for club and country in all competitions for Sturridge now after yet another impressive showing. With Liverpool set for the weekend off, both he and Suarez have been sold by almost 30,000 Fantasy Premier League (FPL) managers, though last night’s strike will again serve a reminder of his capabilities as the Reds edge towards the kindest double Gameweek 31 of any side, with a trip to Cardiff and home clash against Sunderland bound to attract huge investment in Brendan Rodgers’ team. Lallana’s ownership continues to grow this week as Southampton ready themselves for a trip to Selhurst Park. The Southampton skipper now sits in 35% of FPL sides – the sixth most popular player in the game – and with last night’s assist maintaining the form that has harvested a goal or assist in eight of his last 12 league appearances, many face a tough decision in Gameweek 31. Mauricio Pochettino’s side face a single fixture that week – a testing trip to Tottenham – but with Newcastle, Cardiff and Villa in the subsequent four fixtures, Lallana’s consistency is likely to persuade plenty to hold or bench.

Van Persie Fitness Amongst Positives for Moyes

The Dutchman was rated a doubt for last night’s friendly against France but recovered in time to play the full 90 minutes in a 2-0 defeat in Paris. David Moyes was afforded further reason for optimism ahead of Saturday’s trip to West Brom as a trio of midfielders all turned in impressive performances. Shinji Kagawa grabbed a goal and assist in Japan’s 4-2 win over New Zealand, Antonio Valencia provided a pair of assists in Ecuador’s 4-3 triumph over Australia, whilst Marouane Fellaini notched as Belgium drew 2-2 with Ivory Coast.

The Scout Says: The van Persie news will delight his owners and would-be suitors ahead of The Hawthorns clash. One of the few legitimate captaincy contenders this coming weekend, the Dutchman has notched four times in the last five Gameweeks and will fancy his chances against a backline yet to register a clean sheet under Pepe Mel. It remains to be seen whether Kagawa and Valencia’s displays will have any effect on David Moyes’ thinking, though. With Juan Mata and Adnan Januzaj both without a midweek match, the United boss may go for fresher legs bearing in mind the weekend showdown is an early lunchtime kick-off – certainly, Mata is a guaranteed starter, leaving the rest to battle it out for the remaining starting berth on the flank.

Hangeland and Mitroglou Boost for Cottagers

Forced off against Chelsea after suffering a head knock last weekend, the centre-half returned to action in Norway’s 2-2 draw with the Czech Republic. Fulham boss Felix Magath will be delighted to hear Hangeland not only proved his fitness, but lasted the full 90 minutes and also supplied an assist. Mitroglou, who has yet to start in the league since arriving in January, stepped up his fitness levels by turning out for 60 minutes in Greece’s 2-0 defeat at the hands of South Korea.

The Scout Says: Dropped for Rene Meulensteen’s final two matches in charge, Hangeland was immediately reinstalled to the heart of the Fulham back-four upon Magath’s arrival. After helping his side to a 1-1 draw at West Brom in Gameweek 27, Hangeland lasted less than 15 minutes last weekend before a clash of heads with Kieran Richardson forced him off, with Magath stating post match that his skipper’s absence was a key factor in the 3-1 loss. Mitroglou’s only start for the London club has come courtesy of a run out for the reserves, with Magath citing a lack of match fitness as the reason behind his absence. Last night’s return to action for both players bodes well for the Cottagers’ chances ahead of a vital trip to Cardiff this Saturday lunchtime as the bottom two go head-to-head in Wales.

Blues Midfield Duo in the Goals

In a night where Eden Hazard was afforded just 28 minutes for Belgium after replacing Everton’s Kevin Mirallas off the bench, a couple of Jose Mourinho’s attacking midfielders were amongst the goals for their respective countries. Mohamed Salah notched Egypt’s second in a 2-0 win over Bosnia, whilst Oscar also found himself on the scoresheet for Brazil before being replaced by team-mate Ramires at half-time. Willian was also afforded 45 minutes by the South Americans in a 5-0 cruise over South Africa.

Hazard played down any fears of an ankle problem after he was hacked down upon his introduction to the action:

“It hurt, but I think I can play this weekend. After 20 seconds I got a kick. A nice welcome, but I’m not worried about the injury.”

The Scout Says: Hazard’s Fantasy owners will no doubt be delighted with the winger’s limited game time ahead of Saturday evening’s crucial home clash with Tottenham, whilst the fact he played the rest of the match without any problems looks assuring. In spite of his endeavours, Salah is likely to be handed a bench role at best this coming weekend as the Chelsea boss continues to ease him into the first-team picture, whilst Oscar’s strike offers optimism for his 11% of FPL owners ahead of the weekend encounter. Bearing in mind Andre Schurrle notched three times last weekend, though, the German – snapped up by over 17,000 managers this week – could well retain his place on the flank, leaving Oscar (with one goal since Gameweek 12) and Willian (one strike since Gameweek 7) to battle it out for the role in “the hole” behind a lone forward.