Scout Scribbles – Gunners Stumble Again

A goal and assist apiece from Theo Walcott and Alexis Sanchez isn’t enough to stop Arsenal falling to defeat. Willian nets in Chelsea’s loss at Porto. Bournemouth’s Callum Wilson is sidelined for at least six months, whilst David Silva and Yaya Toure train ahead of City’s clash with Monchengladbach.

Gunners Suffer Setback

Arsenal’s hopes of progressing from their Champions League group were dealt a hammer blow following a 3-2 home defeat to Olympiakos – their second loss in as many Group F matches. Theo Walcott and Alexis Sanchez restored parity on two occasions – and grabbed the assists for each other’s strikes – but the Gunners were ultimately undone by some poor defending and a calamitous error from David Ospina. Nacho Monreal was rested, while Aaron Ramsey entered the fray at the hour mark. Petr Cech had a minor calf problem so was only fit enough for the bench, but the fit-again Francis Coquelin was named in the starting XI. Worryingly for Arsene Wenger, Laurent Koscielny suffered a hamstring problem and was withdrawn after 57 minutes.

The Scout Says: Walcott now has two goals in as many European starts to complement his couple of strikes in three league outings, underlining his burgeoning presence at the point of Arsenal’s attack. Pitched at 8.5 in the FPL, he serves as a more affordable route into the Gunners’ attack than Sanchez (11.1) ahead of a tough quintet of fixtures (MUN, wat, EVE, swa, tot). With Olivier Giroud suspended last night, Walcott has now started three of the last four in all competitions and those considering the latter will be hoping that Wenger doesn’t alternate the pair for the weekend clash against United. Sanchez’s capacity for explosive returns – as evidenced by his hat-trick last Gameweek – is sure to grant him a wave of new investors, given the paucity of strong captaincy options this term. Koscielny’s injury will be a concern for all Fantasy managers that have recruited from the North London outfit’s rearguard, given that Arsenal have failed to register a clean sheet with Per Mertesacker on board this term.

Blues Fall to Defeat

Chelsea suffered a 2-1 loss at the hands of a strong Porto outfit. Willian equalised in the dying embers of the first period with an accurate free-kick, but the Blues went behind seven minutes into the second half following some lackadaisical defending from a corner. Jose Mourinho opted to name Eden Hazard and Nemanja Matic on the substitutes bench for this encounter, handing starts to Ramires and Mikel. Hazard was then introduced at the 62-minute mark. At the back, Kurt Zouma and Gary Cahill were given the nod ahead of John Terry once again.

The Scout Says: Chelsea’s defensive travails were thrust into stark transparency once again, with Porto enjoying a wealth of shooting opportunities (22) against the English champions. The Blues’ defence shows no signs of improvement ahead of some kind upcoming fixtures, then, with Fantasy managers reluctant to invest in a backline that has conceded 14 times in seven league matches. Up next is a home clash against a Southampton side with five goals in the last two against United and Swansea, and with Sadio Mane, Dusan Tadic and Graziano Pelle in fine form, there’d be no real surprise if Mourinho’s defence was breached yet again.

Silva and Toure Train for City

David Silva, Yaya Toure and Pablo Zabaleta all trained with the Manchester City squad ahead of their Champions League clash against Borussia Monchengladbach on Wednesday. Conversely, Vincent Kompany and Eliaquim Mangala continue to nurse their respective injuries and were unable to take part.

The Scout Says: Silva’s return to action will come as a relief to all Fantasy managers who’ve invested in the Sky Blues’ squad. In the four matches that the Spaniard started prior to sustaining a calf injury, Manuel Pellegrini’s men amassed 10 unanswered goals. Without Silva’s creative spark, however, they’ve found the net on just three occasions, with Kevin de Bruyne proving the only real positive in Silva’s absence. Bacary Sagna’s 13% ownership will be nervously awaiting the team sheets on Saturday afternoon, with Zabaleta waiting in the wings for his first league start of the campaign. Sagna has been a solid performer at right-back this term, but the threat of rotation is heightened considerably in the wake of a 4-1 defeat to Spurs. City’s defence is a different proposition without their talismanic captain, Kompany: they shipped six goals in their last two outings, having recorded five successive clean sheets with the Belgian on the field. Nonetheless, a Martin Demichelis/Nicolas Otamendi centre-back partnership is more than capable of rebuffing the advances of Newcastle and Bournemouth (devoid of top scorer, Callum Wilson) in back-to-back home ties.

Cherries Confirm Wilson Absence

Callum Wilson has been ruled out for at least six months after scans revealed that he sustained a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament during the early exchanges of Bournemouth’s trip to Stoke City. Eddie Howe expressed sympathy towards Wilson’s setback while insisting that others now have to up their game to compensate for his absence:

”It’s very disappointing for Callum, after what has been an exceptional start to the season, but I am sure he will come back fitter and stronger. Callum is the type of character who won’t be fazed by such a setback, and I am sure he will turn this experience into a positive in the long run. As I have said many times before though, this kind of setback offers others the opportunity to step up to the plate, show everybody what they can do and make a real impact at this level.”

The Scout Says: Wilson’s injury has sparked a mass exodus across the Fantasy games. Initially priced at 5.5 in FPL, his five goals in six matches made him one of the most popular frontman around and over 290,000 managers have already cut ties with the Cherries frontman this week. This has persuaded many to turn to Leicester’s Jamie Vardy, who’s been picked up by over 270,000 new owners on the back of five goals in four. Wilson’s injury clearly spells trouble for Bournemouth’s attacking prospects, given that he accounted for over half (five) of their nine goals this campaign. It may well be that Glenn Murray is tasked with replacing Wilson up top by Eddie How, though it remains to be seen if he’ll have the same impact. Although Murray (5.6) bagged seven goals and three assists for Crystal Palace last term – despite being named in the starting XI on just nine occasions – he lacks Wilson’s pace and movement in the lone striker role, which were key components of the Cherries’ play in the final third.

Agbonlahor Close to Return

Tim Sherwood revealed that Gabriel Agbonlahor is recovering well from the calf injury that sidelined him for Aston Villa’s trip to Liverpool:

“Gabby is improving every day. We’re giving him some treatment every day and just assessing it and making sure it’s right. With the explosive power that Gabby has, the calf isn’t the greatest place to get injured. It’s where you push off and where your power comes from. We want to make sure that doesn’t turn into anything a lot more serious than what it is.”

The Scout Says: With three goals in his last two outings in all competitions, Rudy Gestede has earned himself a run of starts as the spearhead of the Villans’ attack. Agbonlahor, meanwhile, has managed just one assist in five league appearances so far and may struggle to remain ahead of the summer signing for the lone striker role. The latter could be shifted onto the flank in Sherwood’s favoured 4-2-3-1 set-up upon his return from the treatment room, thus vying with the likes of Jack Grealish and Scott Sinclair for a starting berth. Gestede catches the eye by virtue of a 5.8 price tag, yet the West Midlanders’ testing run through to Gameweek 14 (STO, che, SWA, tot, MCI, eve) serves to diminish their prospects on the offensive front.

United Concerns Over Trio

Louis van Gaal said that Michael Carrick, Ander Herrera and Antonio Valencia are all doubts for Manchester United’s Champions League tie against Wolfsburg on Wednesday, having sat out training on Tuesday with minor injuries:

“I think Michael Carrick shall not play tomorrow [Wednesday]. The other two [Herrera and Valencia] we have to wait and see. They have minor injuries so I don’t want to take any risks. Like we have done with Wayne Rooney, we will do the same for Michael Carrick or Ander Herrera. It’s the same because we have to play a full season and it’s better to withdraw players for one match than they play and get injured.”

The Scout Says: While Herrera has been marginalised by Wayne Rooney’s deployment at the number-ten berth, Carrick has been the mainstay in the double pivot during the Red Devils’ three-match winning streak, with Morgan Schneiderlin and Bastian Schweinsteiger rotating alongside him. Doubtless Van Gaal will be keen to retain that formula ahead of a challenging quartet of match-ups (ars, eve, MCI, cry). With Luke Shaw a long-term absentee and Marcos Rojo carrying a hamstring injury, Valencia was tasked with filling it at right-back against Sunderland, causing Matteo Darmian to shift over to the opposite flank. Any potential injury to Valencia would certainly ease fears of Darmian being rotated, after the Italian was hauled off at the break against Southampton in Gameweek 6. A spell on the sidelines for Valencia would see Darmian shift back over to the right, with Phil Jones’ potential return to the starting XI allowing Van Gaal to utilise the versatile Daley Blind as a left-back until the injuries ease again.