Yorke backing Ruud to return

Former Manchester United star Dwight Yorke has voiced his sympathy for Ruud van Nistelrooy, although the Trinidadian international believes that the Carling Cup final snub will have little bearing on the striker's future prospects at Old Trafford.

No reason to post this other than the excuse it gives me to look for photos of Yorke with Jordan.

Reply hazy, try again

Republic of Ireland boss Steve Staunton has confirmed Steve Finnan has returned to Liverpool due to a neck injury.

...

It remains unclear whether Finnan will be a doubt to face Charlton at Anfield this weekend.

I'm picking up Kromkamp either way.

Injured Gallas set to miss Slovakia friendly

Chelsea defender William Gallas has not recovered from a thigh injury and will miss France's World Cup warm-up friendly against Slovakia on Wednesday.

I wonder how much longer he's out. You have to figure that he's Jose's first choice left back when he returns (whether or not he wants to play the position).

In the mean time, I don't think Damien Duff will fill in again. So will Ferriera switch to the left to allow Johnson or Geremi to play at right back? Geremi certainly isn't a good option for fantasy managers as I think Yahoo! has him listed as a middie (Remember his great season at Boro? He was a fantasy stud!). But I don't think Jose trusts Johnson either. Will Essien cover right back?

Interesting choices for a team claiming to have 2 world-class players at every position.

Update: I failed to mention that this supposes that del Horno is out of favor. If not, he plays and is a great fantasy value at his original $5 value. At least until Gallas returns.

Friday's Team News Today

Downing missed Middlesbrough's 2-0 victory at West Brom with a knee problem and will not be available for the [U-21] friendly at the Madejski Stadium.

I assume this will make him doubtful for the game against Birmingham City.

Cool new Yahoo! feature

A little creepy though. Yahoo! has been tracking you, and now posts your fantasy history and profile.

The Secret of My Success...

... Chelsea edition.

Svetoslav Todorov is in the Pompey squad but manager Redknapp may prefer to match-up Chelsea's 4-4-3 system with two wide players Ognjen Koroman, a Serbian making his Premiership debut, and Wayne Routledge, on loan from Tottenham, with Andres D'Alessandro the midfield playmaker.

So all this time, they've been fielding 11 field players! Kudos to Harry for figuring this out, and if he can get 11 of his players on the pitch (plus Kiely) then more power to him.

No Magic 8-ball

Mourinho must once again choose between the natural quality of Hernan Crespo or the raw power of Didier Drogba to lead the line, whilst Damien Duff, Arjen Robben, Shaun Wright-Phillips and Joe Cole battle for the two wide positions.

Well, thanks for nothing!

An (almost) Full Schedule to Contemplate...

Not much of a week for the average Fantasy EPL manager last week - fortunately, there was an unexpected Arsenal win, a Chelsea loss, and a chance to see Ronaldinho on TV to keep us excited about the beautiful game over the last week. This week brings a schedule that is nearly full with the exception of ManYoo, Wigan, Spurs, and West Ham who are off due to the Carling Cup final.

Turning our attention to the teams that will be playing we find Boro with a match-up against West Brom that looks attractive as does Chelsea's match-up with Pompey no matter how badly Chelsea has been playing. I'd like to preface the rest of the column with the fact that I'm writing before the injury updates have been released and I have a full slate of meetings tomorrow so please check BBC.com, Soccernet.com or this space if Jeremy is up to posting a few pertinent notes from the injury roles. Away we go...

Chelsea - So, what wins out here? Will Chelsea continue to struggle through 2006 or will Pompey's propensity for terrible performances give Chelsea exactly the boost it needs to get back on track after losses against Barca and Boro and a pathetic showing against Colchester despite a 3-1 win. More importantly, we are back to the question of who plays. Both Drogba and Crespo were terrible against Barca and Drogba's horridness goes back to the Colchester match. Robben went off after playing well so who knows if he'll play. Lampard is, well, Lampard but that hasn't done much good for anyone recently. I honestly think Joe Cole might be the best bet for Chelsea in this match. Who knows if Del Horno has earned a spot in the Mourinho doghouse after his brutally bad performance against Barca - at least he won't be tired. Honestly, not nearly as much to choose from here as you'd expect from a match featuring the run-away champions against a team in the relegation zone. As always, not much worth considering on the Pompey side.

The Former "Big Two" - Well, ManYoo are off this week but I'm keeping Cristiano Ronaldo because I have him for cheap and I'm not inclined to risk trading down to a lesser midfielder. Plus, who knows maybe he'll have another 4 goal game next week :-)

The second biggest question of the week (after the above question about Chelsea/Pompey) is whether Arsenal will use the win against Real Madrid as a springboard to start playing like the Arsenal of two years ago. Arsenal travel to Ewood Park with a miserable away record in the Premiership so far - so who shows up? The Bernabeu conquerors or the guys who lost to Newcastle on the road. Regardless, I think you have to put Eboue into your line-up. Obviously, Henry is a good idea if you have the money. Reyes looked very good against Real and should be considered an excellent bet if it looks like he won't be subbed out for Adebayor or van Persie.

Against the Relegation Zone - We've already covered the Chelsea/Pompey tilt which leaves us with the dreaded "six-pointer" at the bottom of the table between Birmingham and Sunderland. Even if the match actually yielded six points for Sunderland, it wouldn't matter so this match is really about whether Birmingham can make things interesting for the teams just ahead of them in the standings. This seems like a good time to pick up Pennant, Jarosik and perhaps a Brum defender, say Mario Melchiott might not be a bad idea either. Maik Taylor is also one of three keepers worth considering this weekend who isn't insanely expensive (Reina and Niemi being the others - although you should probably wait and pick Niemi up for next week but before his price changes)

Misc. Fantasy EPL Notes - I have to say, I'm starting to warm to Luke Moore and the fact that Villa are playing against Charlton isn't discouraging me from picking him up to go along with Blog favorite James Milner...My second duo comes from the Boro/WBA - I'm a long time fan of The Yak going back to his crazy streak of goals at the end of the season two years ago (sorry to bring that up Kris) and he's going in the squad and unless he gets hurt, I'm sticking with Downing for the rest of the season...I really don't like the fantasy prospects offered by the Bolton/Fulham match-up but I do like Wayne Bridge who has been a point machine since coming over from Chelsea on loan...If you must take someone from Bolton then Nolan, Davies or Stelios are really the only logical choices but I can't see any of the three being spectacular...I have to say that Emre looked like the one bright spot on the field during the Charlton/NUFC game at midweek, assuming that he doesn't hurt himself getting out of bed in the morning, it might be worth getting back on that bandwagon...on the Everton side I can't in good conscience recommend any of the Toffees offensive players but Nuno Valente might be a good option if you're looking for a relatively inexpensive defender...Finally, we have Liverpool and Man City - I'm in on Kewell who's still cheap and Reina who's back after suspension and not terrible expensive...Gerrard is never a bad idea but he didn't play the full match against Benfica and you have to wonder if he's really healthy.

Remember to check tomorrow's injury report and happy shopping...

The great thing about Fantasy EPL...

... especially the Yahoo! game is that no matter how bad you screw up a week - and this week I got everything bass-ackwards (props to Kahzaad who called me on it in the comments) - the next week is right around the corner. With all new chances to get things horribly wrong.

So who's in your lineup? Keeping ManU players you have under value? Keeping the Bents as CHA are better at home and now get a shot to run at Liam Ridgewell? Loading up on Chelsea as they face lowly Portsmouth? Or are you betting against teams with European games in midweek and thinking that Blackburn, Fulham, West Brom and Man City can pull the upsets?

Chelsea v. Barca Review

Since Jeremy gave us his take on Arsenal and Real, I figured I'd give you my take on Chelsea vs. Barca.

The Refs - The red card was questionable but I think ultimately justice was done because the previous challenge by Del Horno on Messi deserved a yellow as did his the challenge that led to the straight red. Now, about the hand balls by Geremi and Terry. I can see missing one but not both.

Messi - Wow, I wrote my first (non-blog) article about soccer primarily about how awesome he was at the U20 tournament last summer. Now that he's got a bigger stage, he just keeps getting better. He was crushing Del Horno before the sending off and he beat up everyone that followed. His chip that hit to far top corner almost became a Champions League goal for the ages. Anyone else excited to see what he does this summer?

Ronaldinho - Clearly, he got most of the attention from the Chelsea defense. While he didn't have his best match ever, he created some excellent chances and opened up the field for Messi and Deco. Just having him on the field makes a difference in the game.

Eto'o - The commentators here in the States mentioned that Eto'o beat out Drogba for African Footballer of the Year by a mere two votes. My question...How's that possible? Eto'o's goal was a textbook example of what a target striker is supposed to do - I'll grant you, Drogba didn't have much service against Barcalona but he stunk against Colchester. Maybe Eto'o will be kind enough to drop a copy of the DVD of tonights game off for Didier to use as a practice tool.

Terry - what an up and down match. He scored his best goal of the year - sadly, it went into the wrong goal. He also managed to avoid being caught for pushing the ball out of the box with both hands. On the plus side, he cleared two balls off the line either of which would have put Chelsea all the way out of contention to move on to the next phase.

Henry - So, you've all heard the rumors - where exactly would Henry play for Barca? When he gets the ball deep in midfield, he tends to run from the center of the field towards the left wing - space that Ronaldinho and Deco tend to run in. I don't see Ronaldinho being relegated to the Pires role in an Arsenal-like offense, he tends to play much more centrally than Robert. Removing Eto'o and replacing him with Henry would remove any ariel threat from the offense and devalue the fantastic crossing ability of Ronaldinho, Messi, Deco and the rest. So, while I don't doubt that Henry is frustrated by his Gunners experience this season, I don't see Barca as a likely destination. Now Real? That's another story entirely.

Cone of Silence

COS on Chelsea/Barca.

One-nil to the Arsenal

Finally watched Real Madrid - Arsenal. Here are my thoughts, with an eye towards the weekend's game @ Blackburn:

• Neal is right, the Eboue bandwagon is rolling out of the garage. And he's cheap too. Under $5 1/2, I think. Expect a lot of fantasy managers to pick him up. I know I'll be looking to swing the deal.


• Real's best fullback, on both flanks, was Gravesen. How many times did he fill in those spots in the first half? And to the contrary, how many times did Cichino appear in central midfield? You would have thought that their plan would be to attack Flamini on their right but Cicinho spent so much time infield that there was no danger.


• How many times are we going to see Senderos lose a physical battle to a smaller player? It's one thing to lose the ball to Ronaldo who, um, has some weight behind him. But Beckham? That's sad. And scary for an Arsenal fan, or someone hoping that they can shut down Blackburn.
  


• Hleb has great close control with the ball, but he never seems to have a plan B. Get the ball. Turn. Run. Pass. And it's that last part that seems to give him troubles. He's gotta get his head up, make sure he retains possession first and foremost, and then be willing to run without the ball.
  


• And he can learn all that from watching Freddie play. Great game for him moved infield to support Henry. I was surprised that he was moved left when Reyes was taken out of the game as you would figure Pires would go to the flank instead of swapping with Freddie. All that was missing was the goal.


• Iker Casillas has got to be one of the best keepers in the world. He's never out of position, makes great decisions, and is athletic enough to make any save. And he's probably going to be around for another 10 years. Now if they can just get some protection in front of him.
  

Blackburn will pose a different sort of threat this weekend. The likely front two of Bellamy and Sinama-Pongolle are quick and will likey try to turn Senderos and get by him. But if Arsenal can put in the sort of committed performance we say yesterday, shut down Rovers' wide-men and get on their center backs on the break then it might not be their sixth road loss of the season. We'll just have to wait and see if yesterday can be a turning point for them. And with Eboue and Adebayor so cheap, we might just have to bet on it too. ;-)

Cone of Silence

COS on the CL games.

Eeney, meeney, miney, moe...

Been a while since we've had to play a game of "who's going to start for Chelsea", but with Drogba back from the ACN, the Champions' League entering the knock-out phase, and lowly Portsmouth visiting the Bridge this weekend...

Is Drogba a sure starter? Is Crespo more valuable in the CL than the EPL? Is Duff healthy again? Dose Jose rest Robben and Cole and play SWP?

As always, so many questions for the Fantasy EPL manager.

Tottenham 2-2 Wigan

Spurs had to come from behind twice after two goals from stand-in striker Andreas Johansson, who gave the Latics an early lead after racing through.

Mido flicked an equaliser from a Paul Stalteri cross before Johansson netted again after a neat move involving fellow striker Henri Camara.

But Spurs replied immediately, with Defoe finishing off a Mido flick-on.

Crap!

I was hoping, and with my team selection betting on a low-scoring game here. At least I had Scharner with an assist and a SOT to soften the blow.

Of course the other half of this week, I am betting on goals for Charlton and Newcastle. So expect a drab nil-nil draw on Tuesday. Sic semper.

World Cup hopes look to be over

Smith, whose hopes of a place in England's World Cup squad appear to be in jeopardy, needed oxygen as he was carried off on a stretcher, and Ferguson reported it was 'one of the worst' injuries he had witnessed.

Not to kick a man when he's down, but did Smith really hope to go to Germany as anything but a spectator? Did he think it, or is this just the press looking to make an emotional story even more heart-wrenching?

Exactly which position would Smith fill in the squad? Striker, perhaps his natural postion, but one he doesn't play anymore? Or midfield, where he is neither a natural nor a regular starter.

Birmingham v Sunderland

5-3, or 0-0?

Advice from the (Monday Morning) Manager

Fernando Morientes insists Liverpool players would never copy Gary Neville and taunt opposition fans after a goal.

This seems a bit... premature? Cart before the horse? Counting chickens before they are hatched? Something.

Liverpool strikers haven't scored a goal IN THE CALENDAR YEAR! Let's not worry about how we're going to celebrate just yet. But if they are looking for some advice, I believe it was Tom Landry (a pantheon manager, no matter what the sport) who said, "Act like you've been there before."

An Abbreviated Schedule...

Here we are - after a week of rumor an inuendo here's what we know...

1) There doesn't seem to be any truth to the rumor that Yahoo is closing down the game in mid-season;

2) They haven't done anything to correct the double counting that went on for ManYoo and Pompey (and don't you love the fact that no one has mentioned a single Pompey player when they've been complaining about the scoring errors - does this tell you something 'arry); and

3) There are only two games this week and they feature four teams that have only modestly interesting fantasy players.

What does all of this mean? It means that managers are going to have to make some difficult decisions between keeping players they have on the cheap vs. going after players who are going to play this week. Here's how I'm thinking about it...

First and foremost, there are a couple players that I have for a lot less than current market value that I think are going to stay at their elevated price (Ronaldo, Downing, Ashton, and Del Horno). I'm keeping them and would advise any of you to do the same because these are the players that will get you points while allowing you to buy other premium players for the rest of the season. I'd recommend keeping between 4 and 6 of these players on your roster if you're happy with them and are likely to keep them for the rest of the year. Otherwise, time to say good bye to your current roster and hello to...

(Recommendations in order of my preference by position)

Striker - Mido (should play now that he's back from Africa), Darren Bent (should be fun to watch against a sluggish central defense at St. James' Park), Marcus Bent (ditto), Shola Ameobi (Charlton's defense doesn't get too many people excited either).

Midfielder - Carrick (still the engine for Spurs), Camara (assuming there's no news that he's out of favor after his walkabout), N'Zogbia (nothing wrong with a winger playing at home against a mediocre-at-best defense), Murphy (still not sure how he fits with Spurs but if you have a good feeling, he could move up the list)

Defense - Chimbonda (if you can afford him), Dawson (he's been good to me this year), whichever of Charlton's outside defenders looks likely to play (they've all been better than you'd expect)

Keeper - Given (probably no clean sheet, but he should make a lot of saves), Myhre (has been piling up the fantasy points despite mediocre results at the Cottage), Robinson (not having the greatest fantasy year and Wigan don't seem likely to be shut out), Pollitt (I'm worried that Spurs might score a few now that they have their preferred "big-little" grouping up top and Murphy in midfield).

So, there you have it. A bit of an unconventional entry but it's a strange week.

Happy shopping...

We have questions, we get answers

Last week we asked:

Is [Craig Bellamy] ready for two games? Can/Will he have an impact? Is he worth almost $11?

I would say so! Nothing much over the weekend, but today's match with Sunderland was always going to be the payoff. And 2 goals (marred by a stupid yellow) is pretty sweet. And he missed the hat-trick by the width of the post.

Now, do you keep him as his price goes up? Or have you already dumped him for Marcus Bent?