Midweek Friendly Round-Up

The pre-season schedule starts to pick up pace now, with as many as nine Premier League sides taking part in friendlies over the past couple of evenings. We cast an eye over the action, with the likes of Gareth Bale, Olivier Giroud, Romelu Lukaku, Kevin Mirallas, Dimitar Berbatov and Jay Rodriguez all amongst the goals:

Swindon 1 Tottenham 1
Andre Villas-Boas rolled out a 4-3-3 formation for Tottenham’s draw at Swindon on Tuesday evening. Gareth Bale got his account for the summer underway by bagging the visitors’ only goal – the Welshman was fielded on the right of the front three but was one of 10 changes made at the break, with a further substitution taking place on the hour mark as Villas-Boas utilised 22 players over the 90 minutes. Frustratingly for Fantasy managers, the Spurs boss admitted he will maintain these tactical switches over the next few friendlies in order to build up squad fitness:

“We haven’t stopped training and that’s a good thing for our physical stamina during these games. We’ll continue to use 45-45 minutes to get everyone to a level that’s good for resistance, stamina and endurance. Football-wise, we had some good moments, but also some things that we need to work on. We had some good chances and the result could have been different, but overall we had good, positive moments to take from the game.”

Colchester 1 West Ham 2
Sam Allardyce’s side registered their fourth successive victory of the summer with a narrow win on Tuesday night. Joe Cole opened the scoring thanks to a somewhat fortuitous deflection before his corner was headed home by James Collins – the latter highlighting his potential for the season ahead, having been handed a 4.5 price tag by Fantasy Premier League (FPL). Allardyce made plenty of changes after the break and the alterations saw new keeper Adrian (who played the full 90 minutes) concede just before the final whistle.

Post-match, though, the West Ham manager’s comments on Andy Carroll’s heel injury were the main talking point. Given the Hammers strong opening six fixtures, the big centre-forward has been pencilled in by many after finishing last term so impressively but Allardyce was somewhat sceptical of Carroll’s chances of making it in time for the season opener at home to Cardiff:

“Andy is still recovering. He has got four weeks or more to go before he starts full training. His rehab is going pretty well at the moment.. but being fit and being ready to play are two different things…If we are going to put our lads through six weeks of preparation and then Andy gets fit with two days to go, you would not expect us to play him, would you?”

Motherwell 2 Newcastle 4
Alan Pardew rolled out a 4-2-3-1 with Moussa Sissoko in the double-pivot and Yoan Gouffran fielded as the lone striker as the Magpies grabbed victory at Fir Park. Both players found the net in a comfortable win, with the latter mirroring Harris Vuckic’s contribution by producing a goal and assist for the visitors, while Sylvain Marveaux was also on the scoresheet in a game that saw Pardew make eight changes over the second period. Papiss Cisse remains unavailable due to an ongoing dispute with the club and has been omitted from their tour of Portugal.

Pardew talked up the prospects of Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa for the season ahead, having handed the Frenchman the armband for the match. The January signing – who comes in at 4.5 in Fantasy Premier League – could be one to consider, judging by his manager’s comments:

“He’s a leader. That hasn’t really came out so far because of the language barrier, but you can see why he has been a captain at other clubs. I wanted to reflect that. I think he could be an important player for us.”

Vietnam 1 Arsenal 7
The Gunners racked up seven goals for the second successive friendly, with Olivier Giroud once again looking sharp up front. Having scored twice in their first friendly of the summer last weekend, the Frenchman went one better and notched a hat-trick – handing Fantasy managers food for thought if the Gunners fail in their bid for Gonzalo Higuain. Arsene Wenger made seven changes at the break and a further four during the second 45 – youngster Chuba Akpom bagged a brace to add to his weekend strike, while Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Miquel were also amongst the goals for the in-form north London outfit.

Singha All Stars 0 Chelsea 1
Jose Mourinho also made plenty of changes as Chelsea got their pre-season off to a winning start. Andre Schurrle and Eden Hazard were afforded 45 minutes each on the left flank, while Romelu Lukaku led the line (and scored the game’s only goals from the spot) before being replaced by Demba Ba at the break. With the Blues’ Spanish contingent, in addition to Brazil duo David Luiz and Oscar, handed time off due to their Confederations Cup duties, Lucas Piazon was tucked in behind Lukaku in “the hole” in the first 45 before a half-time alteration saw Kevin De Bruyne move to the middle, with Victor Moses handed the right flank role. Frank Lampard missed the match with an Achilles problem – Mourinho stressed this was no more than a precautionary measure and expects the midfielder to be back training in a couple of days’ time.

Prior to the match, Mourinho shared his thoughts on tactics for the season ahead. The Blues boss revealed his default formation will be a 4-2-3-1 before admitting he was a little spoiled for choice when it came to options to play in “the hole”.

“It (4-2-3-1) is my favourite system. Sometimes I change the triangle. Sometimes I play with one in front of the defenders and two players up and sometimes I play with double midfielders and No.10.This is a team where we have three or four players who like very much to be a No.10. Kevin de Bruyne likes it, Oscar likes it, Juan Mata likes it, Eden Hazard likes it. They can play in other positions but they like that No.10 position. It is a natural system for all these players to play.”

LD Alajuelense 1 Fulham 3
Fulham’s front two were amongst the goals again as Martin Jol’s side registered a second successive win on their Costa Rica tour. Bryan Ruiz supplied the assist for Steve Sidwell to nod home the Cottagers’ opener and also found the net late on against his old club, whilst Dimitar Berbatov took his tally to three goals in two games after slotting home a spot-kick following a foul on Alex Kacaniklic in the box. Kieran Richardson started at left-back, with Patjim Kasami and Ashkan Dejagah handed the wing roles as Jol rang the changes from the previous match.

UE Llagostera 1 Southampton 2
Jay Rodriguez was the main man for Southampton as Mauricio Pochettino’s side kicked off their pre-season schedule with a victory. The former Burnley man was at the double and also had a goal disallowed in the first-half, as he quickly make a case for inclusion in our Fantasy squads for the season ahead. Pochettino made 10 changes at the break, with Rodriguez the only player to stay on after half-time, though he was eventually replaced just before the 70-minute mark. Victor Wanyama made his Saints debut, though Emmanuel Mayuka and Jos Hooiveld missed out with knocks.

Accrington Stanley 1 Everton 4
Roberto Martinez earned his first win as Toffees boss with a comfortable stroll at the Store First Stadium. Martinez used 19 players over the 90 minutes, with Joel Robles playing the full match, while fellow new boy Antolin Alcaraz climbed off the bench at the break to make his debut. Kevin Mirallas provided a goal and assist for the Toffees, while Darron Gibson, Victor Anichebe and Leon Osman all found the net, with Seamus Coleman providing the assist for the latter’s header. The Toffees boss –who will monitor Steven Pienaar after he limped off with a knock towards the end – was pleased with his players’ displays as he looks to introduce a more possession-based attacking style of play:

“Every player has been working and that is a very positive thing. The composure of when to pass the ball and when to run forward was good. We had to defend at times. Accrington showed a real spirit and we wish them well for the season. The understanding between the players is clear. In the attacking third, they look really lively and we’re still in that period of working with a lot of volume so it’s pleasing to see such a bright performance.”

FC Chiasso 0 Sunderland 1
Emanuel Giaccherini made his debut as the Black Cats scraped a narrow win in yesterday’s practice match. The Italian was handed a role on the left, with Adam Johnson fielded on the opposite flank, while his compatriot Vito Mannone lasted the full 90 minutes between the sticks. Paolo Di Canio opted for a 4-4-1-1 with Stephane Sessegnon in “the hole” and utilised 19 players over the match – Connor Wickham climbed off the bench to replace Jozy Altidore and grabbed the only goal, volleying home from a Jack Colback cross.