Scout Scribbles – Gunners Lack Bite Against Besiktas

Aaron Ramsey is given his marching orders as Arsenal scrape a goalless draw in Turkey. Roberto Martinez and Steve Bruce are still uncertain over the severity of injuries to midfield playmakers Ross Barkley and Robert Snodgrass, Liverpool’s Adam Lallana steps up his recovery, Scott Dann may make Palace’s clash with the Hammers, while Alan Irvine is determined to help new boy Cristian Gamboa’s fitness drive:

Arsenal Held as Ramsey Sees Red

Arsene Wenger made just two changes from the side he fielded against Crystal Palace for last night’s Champions League play-off tie, with the injured Kieran Gibbs missing out and Yaya Sanogo (hamstring) failing to make the squad. In came Olivier Giroud and Nacho Monreal, though neither could inspire the Gunners, who were held 0-0 by Turkish side Besiktas. The main talking point of the game was Aaron Ramsey’s first ever dismissal in club football, which came courtesy of two bookable offences, and will ensure the Welshman misses the second leg of the tie.

The Scout Says: Whilst Arsenal failed to flatter last night, with owners of Olivier Giroud likely to be particularly disappointed with the striker’s lack of composure on a number of occasions, there were nonetheless some positives to take from the game for Fantasy managers. Alexis Sanchez put in another impressive performance on the wing, whilst a clean sheet for the Gunners in Turkey will have owners of their rearguard assets feeling optimistic ahead of their weekend trip to Everton. Plus, with Gibbs looking set to remain sidelined for up to three weeks, Nacho Monreal now offers us a 5.0-priced option in the Gunner’s backline for the short term. And Ramsey’s red card is not all doom and gloom. His owners will be happy to hear that the midfield talisman misses the second leg against Besiktas, ensuring he will be fully fit and prepared for the Gameweek 3 trip to newly-promoted Leicester. It may well be that that extra fitness gives him the edge over the likes of Sanchez and Santi Cazorla and provide him with the platform to run riot at the King Power Stadium in two weekend’s time.

BARKLEY RETURN DATE STILL UNCERTAIN

Roberto Martinez has given an injury update on Ross Barkley, confirming that, whilst his treatment is going well, he still cannot provide a specific return date for the midfielder:

“His knee has reacted really well to treatment. It’s a medial ligament injury and we know that Ross, in terms of the power and the strength that he has in his body, he could easily react to treatment a lot better than other players. The length that Ross will be out is a little uncertain at the moment and it could be anything between the eight weeks that we mentioned or a little further. Obviously we are going to get further updates in days to come but we need to leave Ross alone and leave him to recover.”

The Scout Says: The most popular midfielder in the Fantasy Premier League (FPL) prior to picking up the knee injury in training before the opening weekend of the 2014/15 campaign, Barkley’s absence was felt by Martinez and his Everton side as they were unable to overcome Leicester in their 2-2 draw on Saturday. Whether it is just the eight weeks or even more, his continued absence should guarantee the pitch time of Steven Naismith in “the hole” behind Romelu Lukaku – although his classification as a forward is likely to deter many, the 5.0-priced Scot staked a claim as a budget option with a goal and maximum bonus points at the weekend.

LALLANA STEPS UP RECOVERY

Adam Lallana has begun extra training on his own to speed up his return from a knee problem sustained during Liverpool’s pre-season tour of America. Having missed out on the start of the new season due to the injury, Lallana is reported to be working himself extra hard in order to push forward his debut date to within the next couple of weeks.

The Scout Says: So, Mr. Rodgers, what does this mean for your teamsheet? Much of the talk surrounding Liverpool in pre-season has centred on how Brendan Rodgers will fit Lallana into his starting XI, with Jordan Henderson, Philippe Coutinho and Raheem Sterling currently filling the positions that Lallana is likely to compete for. All three are in good form after positive displays in Sunday’s 2-1 victory over Southampton on Sunday, and should they continue in the same vein, Lallana may struggle to oust any of them from the starting line-up. One solution for Rodgers would be to shift Henderson back to the double-pivot alongside Steven Gerrard, freeing up a slot in the three-man attacking midfield for Lallana to fill – this scenario would dent the potential of the 6.0-priced Henderson, who picked up an assist at the weekend and has already acquired 22,000 new owners ahead of Gameweek 2. Whatever Rodgers chooses to do, Lallana, available in FPL for 8.5, will surely remain a differential pick behind the equally priced Sterling in the Liverpool midfield for the near future. However, should he repeat the form that harvested 178 points last season, Lallana – once fully fit – could well emerge as one of the Merseyside outfit’s key assets in the coming months, with the schedule taking a real turn for the better around Gameweek 4.

FURTHER SCANS NEEDED FOR SNODGRASS

Hull City midfielder Robert Snodgrass will have to undergo further scans to determine the extent of the knee injury picked up on his debut for the Tigers against QPR on Saturday. Despite some reports suggesting that the playmaker will be ruled out for four months, initial scans have actually proved inconclusive and further testing is in fact required for a more accurate diagnosis.

The Scout Says: Even if those initial reports are indeed scaremongering, any lengthy period of absence for Snodgrass will come as a significant blow for Steve Bruce’s side. Playing in the role behind the two strikers, the 6.0-priced midfielder was backed by his new manager to let his creativity and eye for a killer pass make the difference for the Tigers going into the new season. Forced off after just 39 minutes at the weekend, however, it’s looking likely that Bruce, and those Fantasy managers who took a punt on Snodgrass finally being able to turn his stats into returns, will now have to rethink their plans. Should the former Norwich man face a prolonged spell on the sidelines, a switch to the similarly priced Gylfi Sigurdsson looks the most obvious response, though for those trying to avoid being swept up by that bandwagon, Tom Ince, at 5.5, seems to be a sure starter for Hull in Snodgrass’ absence and offers an out-of-position prospect after he was fielded alongside Nikica Jelavic in a front two on Saturday.

Palace Optimistic on Dann

Reports suggest that the thigh injury that forced Crystal Palace centre-back Scott Dann off against Arsenal on Saturday is not as bad as first feared, and the defender could now be fit to face West Ham this weekend.

The Scout Says: There’s no doubt that Palace gave a good account of themselves in their opening fixture of the season. Despite being managerless, the defensive solidity that saw them accumulate 12 clean sheets last season was still there for all to see, and they were unlucky to lose out to Arsenal in the final minutes of the match. Dann remains a crucial part of this solidity, and Palace will be understandably keen to have the centre-back fit for this Saturday. Nevertheless, Brede Hangeland’s goal-scoring debut for the Eagles underlines his attacking potential, and Fantasy managers eyeing up Palace’s defensive assets for their kind upcoming schedule (WHM, new, BUR, eve, LEI, hul) have their work cut out in choosing between the two 5.0-priced centre-backs, with new signing Martin Kelly – a cheaper alternative to his team-mates at 4.5 – and Fantasy favourite Joel Ward also offering plenty of potential in the full-back positions.

WEST BROM WAIT ON GAMBOA

Alan Irvine could be set to organise another behind-closed-doors friendly, following the meeting against Nottingham Forest last week, to help improve the fitness of another of his new signings, Cristian Gamboa:

“What we’ve got to do is assess him and find out where he is. Cristian has got great energy and athleticism as we saw in the World Cup, so we would hope he can get up to the right physical level quickly. But there is more to it than that. There is the football level, the technical and tactical part of that. Obviously we will arrange a game if we need to arrange a game.”

The Scout Says: Irvine is clearly full of praise for the right-back, who will surely challenge for a place in West Brom’s starting XI once he has reached the required level of fitness. Gamboa’s forays down the right flank for Costa Rica during this summer’s World Cup gave plenty of indication of his potential for attacking returns, and at just 4.5 he may well emerge as the number one choice in the Baggies’ backline. This news will not ring well with owners of Andre Wisdom, however – the on-loan Liverpool defender has acquired 7.6% ownership in FPL thanks to being one of the few viable 4.0 defenders in the game, a label that is sure to fade should Gamboa indeed force the youngster out of the right-back berth.