Headlines

Nani and Fletcher to miss Wolves clash

Sir Alex Ferguson has ruled Nani and Darren Fletcher out of Saturday's Premier League encounter with Wolves.

The pair both picked up injuries during the3-0 win over Bursaspor in Turkey.

And whilst it is hoped the damage is not too serious, it is enough to keep two of Ferguson's most important players out of a key domestic encounter.

"Unfortunately, Nani has a groin injury and is out for Saturday," confirmed Ferguson.

Balotelli looking to reach the top

Balotelli endured a disappointing first Barclays Premier League start in the defeat to Wolves on Saturday, but could get another chance to impress in Thursday's Europa League clash with Lech Poznan if he shakes off a knock to the thigh in time.

Two weeks out for Joe Cole

Joe Cole will be out for two weeks following the hamstring injury he sustained in Liverpool's 1-0 win over Bolton on Sunday...

That means Cole will miss out on facing his old club Chelsea at Anfield on Sunday.

Injured Fabregas out of Arsenal's trip to Donetsk

Arsenal will not risk skipper Cesc Fabregas against Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League on Wednesday after the Spaniard strained a hamstring against West Ham United at the weekend...

"Cesc will not travel," Wenger told Arsenal's website (www.arsenal.com). "It's a mixture of caution and his hamstring. We cannot take the gamble. He has a good chance to play (against Newcastle) on Sunday but tomorrow would be a risk."

Alex Song is also doubtful for the Group H clash with a calf strain, as are Andrei Arshavin and Denilson who have groin injuries.

Spurs make it White Hot Lane for holders Inter

Spurs fans were buoyed before kickoff when Van der Vaart was declared fit after tweaking a hamstring on Saturday.

Besides scoring the opening goal he was also at the heart of most of Spurs attacks during a 45-minute appearance before going off at halftime.

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I know what you're thinking... "What does all this mean?"

And I wish I had good answers. Nani's situation is the most troublesome for me. Van Der Vaart I have so cheaply that it's worth keeping him even if he is out for a game or two. But Nani, while I have him at a discount, is still a significant investment and I'm leaning towards selling him. Not only will he miss the match against Wolves, but there are midweek games (a new gameweek for Y!, however) so you wonder if he'll be fit to play in the Manchester derby on Wednesday.  Fabregas is seemingly likely to play so is a good investment, but maybe Nasri is a better bet - he's healthier [at time of writing] and has been scoring well for fantasy.  We'll see if he plays, and if so how he fares, in the Ukraine today.

As for the man of the moment, Gareth Bale, he hasn't transferred his Champions League form to the Premier League recently.  But if Van Der Vaart does miss any time then Bale could be right back on set-piece duty and the offense will once again run through him on the left rather than Van Der Vaart through the middle.  Playing at Bolton and then home to Sunderland is a bit of mixed bag, especially after yesterday's exertions.  But I might consider backing him, even at just under 15.

Headlines

• Two weeks out for Joe Cole - Joe Cole will be out for two weeks following the hamstring injury he sustained in Liverpool's 1-0 win over Bolton on Sunday.
• Cesc out of Shakhtar clash - Cesc Fabregas will miss Arsenal's Champions League clash with Shakhtar Donetsk because of a hamstring injury.
• Noble out for a month - West Ham United Mark Noble is ruled out for up to a month after undergoing surgery for appendicitis.

I see increased fantasy value for Victor Obinna and Samir Nasri.

Season Preview: Liverpool

Overall Outlook - I have to admit that I haven't really figured out what I think of Liverpool's chances yet this season.  They certainly have the talent on hand to break back into the Top 4 if everything goes their way but they also have most of the same cast of characters as they did last season when they fell to seventh.  The manager is new but the guy he's replacing has had more success than any manager in recent Anfield history.  There is some new talent but most of it all plays the same position - attacking midfield.  Hard to see how it is all going to come together.  Just a note, I'm assuming for the sake of this article that Masch will find himself at Inter before the start of the season and that one or more of the suggested replacements (Poulsen, et al) will arrive.

The One Where Jeremy Picks a Team

Jeremy Spitzberg: have you put together a "real" team yet?
Jeremy Spitzberg: guess there's no hurry
Neal Thurman: check your text messages
Neal Thurman: :-)
Neal Thurman: EvdS, Boateng, Koscielny, [space for Korolev], MPet, Eth, JCole, DSilva, Chamack, new LIV striker, Roonaldo
Jeremy Spitzberg: why don't you just TELL me what movie you want to see
Neal Thurman: ?
Jeremy Spitzberg: never mind
Jeremy Spitzberg: jcole super cheap?
Jeremy Spitzberg: or you have expectations?
Neal Thurman: 7.06
Neal Thurman: cheap
Jeremy Spitzberg: too bad jovanovic is a striker
Neal Thurman: Riera already out the door, rumors that Maxi will follow - seems like they're making room for JCole - even if his stats are "Yossi-like" that's not terrible at 7
Jeremy Spitzberg: true
Jeremy Spitzberg: we'll see
Jeremy Spitzberg: emerton a middie
Jeremy Spitzberg: starting from the last page and working fwd
Jeremy Spitzberg: in case any bargains jump out at me

Update: The Season is Live With Sane Pricing and Cleared Out Rosters...

For all those of you who rushed to create a team of Galaticos for under 60.00 yesterday, I hope you enjoyed it while it lasted.  Yahoo! reset everyone's rosters at the same time they re-adjusted prices to better reflect reality from last season.  As you confront this new reality and start piecing a roster together that doesn't include Rooney, Gerrard, Lamps, Cesc, EvdS, Bale, RvP, Elk, and whichever other defenders you filled in the rest of the places with I'll give you my first few observations...

The new guys will obviously be important in getting you to a few premium proven commodities: Koscielny, Chamakh and Silva are the only three obvious ones who are in the system so far but I'm sure Citeh will contribute one or two more options before the season starts.  All we have to do is figure out who Citeh will start in central defence - Toure? Lescott? Boateng? Onuoha? Richards? (I'd assume Toure and Boateng but who knows really).

Joe Cole to Liverpool, continued

It's all smiles for Joe Cole at Liverpool.

This began as a comment in response to Kellz, but took on a life of its own so it gets its own post.

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Kellz,

I won't speak for Neal, but for me JCole isn't free. No transfer fee, sure. But 90K a week is a lot of money. Especially -- and here's what I can't get past -- for the one position on the field where Liverpool have numbers! I keep coming back to, "Is JCole a significant upgrade -- for that kind of money -- over Babel, Aquilani, Gerrard, Jovanovic, Maxi, Babel, Kuyt, and Riera?"

Let's put it this way, what if Liverpool got Gigi Buffon on a free? That's a big signing for Liverpool, right? He's a huge name in international football with a long pedigree and titles to his name.  But do you need to spend big money (wages only, but still) on Buffon when you already have Reina?

At some point you have to fill needs, and not just make signings to "win the press conference".  There are outfield positions where Liverpool are weak or thin, or both. Who starts the season at striker if Torres can't? N'gog? Kuyt? Are you happy with those options? Would you rather Liverpool be paying some of that money for Guillermo Franco or Benjani who were released from their clubs this summer?  Maybe they would have been better off spending a transfer fee on Luis Suarez or Miroslav Klose.  Or maybe Robbie Keane, who isn't wanted at Spurs and is a lifelong Liverpool fan.

Wait... Never mind.  Scratch that last idea.

What if Liverpool had signed Paul Scharner on a free transfer?  It wouldn't be a sexy signing.  But he can play holding midfield.  He can play in the center of defence.  Both are positions where Liverpool could use further options.  I don't know how Torres and Gerrard would have felt about that signing, but it seems silly to me to think that Torres and Gerrard would pledge themselves to Liverpool because they went out and signed another attacking midfielder.  Unless they think that they'll have leverage to demand pay increases themselves based on what Cole is now earning.

As for your thought experiment of JCole going to Arsenal, I think the same thing. "Is JCole a significant upgrade -- for that kind of money -- over Arshavin, Nasri, Rosicky, Wilshere, Ramsey, Fabregas, and Walcott?"  I think the answer is no.  In fact, I think Arsenal should now go out and buy Scharner to be understudy to Song and third or fourth choice center back.  In fact, I'm starting the official bandwagon now!

In short, I think Liverpool have won a lot of press but I don't see how Joe Cole is going to help them win a lot of matches.  I'll be happy to be proven wrong and if so, I'll be thrilled to put him in my fantasy team.  But this transfer doesn't pass the smell test for me.

Not Sure I Love This Move - Cole to LIV

So Glen, is Liverpool a good place to be injured... I mean play?

Football365 | All The News | Football News | JOE COLE SECURES LIVERPOOL MOVE

It is being widely reported that Joe Cole has, as bookies over the weekend surmised by closing down betting on the topic, signed with Liverpool.  I can't say I'm thrilled about this outcome for either the player or Liverpool.  Here are a few random thoughts strung together to form my overall reaction.

• He's just not that good - As we were reminded during the World Cup, the current crop of English players just aren't that great and this one could barely make his way into that group.
• Lamps-lite - We have all witnessed the futility that has been the Gerrard/Lampard partnership in midfield for England and Cole isn't as good as Lampard but he wants to play as an attacking midfielder in the middle of the park - don't we know how this is going to end?
  
• Faux-winger - what you say? He's not a central player but a winger? Just because a number of managers have tried and failed to play him there doesn't mean he's actually a winger.  Is there any quality winger that he reminds you of?
  
• Other needs - While losing Benayoun is definitely a bummer, it seems to me that Liverpool have more pressing needs than a direct replacement.  Shouldn't they be chasing another striker with that sort of salary? How about a left-sided defender? Maybe a central midfielder to finally start to replace Xavi Alonso? 
• On the plus side - The fact that a player with choices wanted to go to Liverpool has to be seen as an endorsement of the Hodgson era and hopefully will help the club build some momentum.  The fact that they didn't have to pay a transfer fee has to be seen as a big plus as well.
  

Have Liverpool gotten more talented today? Yes, without a doubt.  Was it the best use of that amount of money? Probably not.

Still, here's hoping Joe Cole finally finds a regular starting spot so we can decide if he's really any good or not.

Reds sign Joe Cole

Exclusive: Reds sign Joe Cole - Liverpool FC

Liverpool FC are delighted to confirm the signing of Joe Cole on a four-year deal.

The England midfielder has agreed personal terms with the Reds and will undergo a medical in the next 48 hours.

Benayoun is gone. Long live Benayoun.

The most horrendous bout of cramp

Just a flesh wound.

If "the most horrendous bout of cramp." isn't your new team name, I'll be very disappointed in you.

from Sporting Life:

Didier Drogba has been given the all-clear to resume training on Thursday after being carried off against Tottenham on Sunday with a calf injury.

The Ivory Coast international is set to figure in the squad for the trip to Wigan on Saturday after a scan revealed there was no serious damage to his calf...

"Didier had a scan and there's no problem with his calf," confirmed Chelsea's assistant boss Ray Wilkins. "It was just the most horrendous bout of cramp.

Here's the original story from ChelseaFC.com. It's also interesting to note that Joe Cole and Yuri Zhirkov will start Chelsea's Carling Cup match against QPR.

So Chelsea's midfield just got even more crowded and even more difficult to predict.

Around the Premier League

An all-encompassing round-up of the Premier League's weekend action -- on the pitch, in the boardroom and on the treatment table.

Friendlies
Jo at the double for Toffees
Posh slayed by slick Villa
Arsenal held on Rosicky's return
City plundered by Pirates
Owen nets winner on debut
Thomas nets on Tigers debut
Round-up: Spurs ease to win
Cherries suffer Spurs defeat
Grant strike sinks Latics
Round-up: Blackburn hold Roma
Round-up: Stoke embarrassed

Transfers
Adebayor completes City move
Wigan finalise Scotland deal
Manucho heads to Valladolid
Everton reject Man City bid for Lescott
Forest agree Gunter fee
Thomas handed Tigers chance
Villa sign Downing

Injuries
Arteta taking recovery slowly
Ferguson sets date for Hargreaves return
McShane concern for Bruce
Cole has new knee knock