Injuries and Suspensions

Premier League team news - Barclays Premier League - ESPN Soccernet

First, a note from Jeremy who pointed out the strangeness of N'gog being on the LIV bench yesterday but apparently not fit enough to come in and so much so that he is not even likely to make it to the weekend that won't be played until Sunday.  That Rafa is an odd dude.  Either that or he was basically saying, my squad is left so thin right now that I'd rather bring someone I will definitely not throw on rather than bringing along someone who is able-bodied.

So, first the important notes from Stoke, Fulham, Citeh, and Spurs...

• Stoke -Sidibe could be back but that hardly sounds like a ringing endorsement and Begovic will start both matches which is only mildly attractive given the opposition and Stoke's mid-table quality;
• Fulham - Zamora is definitely out and the news suggests Dempsey will fill in - not much word on other expected changes to rest starters ahead of the Europa Cup final but expect a similar line-up to last weekend;
• Spurs - Word is that Lennon may start which isn't terribly helpful; you'd have to expect that even if he starts both matches he'll make way for Bentley between the 60th and 70th minute in both matches as he makes his way back to total fitness; typical news on King - could feature but can't imagine he'll start both given his fragile nature - figure Bassong starts vs. Bolton and King starts @Citeh;
• Citeh - We were hoping for something more specific from Citeh - apparently Mancini isn't saying who his choice in net will be (Fulop vs. Nielsen) or give a definitive answer on K2 (Barry is fairly irrelevant based on his performance this season but he's in question as well).  I'm leaning toward ignoring the Citeh goalkeeping situation altogether and doing to same with K2 and praying he doesn't play two and score a bunch;

The rest...

• Looks like Rooney and Rio will be risked and its hard to argue since ManYoo have slight title hopes - all of England will hold their collective breath in hopes that their key men for this summer aren't being rushed back to the detriment of the Three Lions;
• O'Hara still out for Pompey;
• Geoffrey Mujangi Bia to start for Wolves in midfield vs. Pompey;
• N'gog out and Kuyt and Masch are question marks against Chelsea;
• JT is back from suspension for CHE;
• Hutton (the b@stard) is suspended for SUN and BFAR is out after calf surgery;

That's about it - good luck with team selections and we'll look forward to seeing you on the live chat tomorrow.

Cheers - Neal

Let the Summer Transfer Speculation Start In Earnest...

£40m Sergio Aguero heading to Chelsea - Transfers - ESPN Soccernet

Still waiting on some injury news but figured I'd get a head start on the summer transfer columns by forwarding this one along to everyone.

So, does this mean The Elk is gone? Does it mean that Chelsea will make fantasy managers miserable by rotating Drogs/Elk/Aguero + occasional appearances from Sturridge and Kalou at striker? In the real world, you'd think that after paying that much money for any player, that player would be a no-doubt-about-it starter every week he was healthy but when you talk about the super-rich clubs like Chelsea, Citeh, Real, and Barca who don't really operate with budgets that logic doesn't really apply.  In any event, he is the first potential +10 nominee heading into the next fantasy season with the hope being that there are more to come with ManYoo (striker? attacking midfielder? and winger?), Arsenal (keeper? center back? striker?), and Citeh (just about any and everything they can get their grubby paws on) all in the market for expensive players.  It could be the first time ever that a strong fantasy team could feature 3 premium superstars (Rooney, Drogs, Cesc/Gerrard) AND an entire team of new players in the league.  Interesting times.

The Week Ahead

I have to admit, I'm usually pretty well settled on my squad by the time I write this and only make changes due to injury or the threat of injury. This week? Not so much.  While there is the obvious focus on the teams with two matches (Spurs, Citeh, Stoke, and Fulham) I can't say I'm entirely thrilled with the options available to me the way I was with say Villa a couple of weeks ago. 

Why is that you ask? Some of it has to do with match-ups - Citeh has two home matches against very good competition (Villa and Spurs) who will be fighting them tooth and nail for the 4th Champions League spot.  Spurs has one attractive match-up (Bolton at WHL) and the aforementioned tough road match at Citeh.  Stoke host still-in-the-Europa-League-qualifying-hunt Everton and then travel to who-knows-what-you'll-get-from-them Fulham in mid-week and Fulham have a very attractive schedule (home twice for WHU and Stoke) but very little motivation to focus on the league.  Throw in the fact that nearly all of the Spurs players are expensive (except Modric and unless we think Bassong is going to play twice) and the fact that both Spurs and Citeh were fantasy duds (except Bale, he's always awesome) last weekend and it's really hard to get too excited about your choices, isn't it?

So, with only two fantasy match-weeks remaining in the schedule, I'm going to dispense with the usual format and just launch straight into my strategy for this week. 

• Holding players at a discount - we're past the time when holding a player at a big discount is going to help you for the long term so each week you should be asking yourself, "is this the best way I can spend this money for THIS WEEK?"  Arteta at 13 is a great bargain and he's been on fire but you have to decide if you'd rather have one road game from Arteta or two from someone like Defoe for the same price.
• Going for two-gamers - I may be over-reacting to a very productive week from my Villa contingent a few weeks back but I'd just be beside myself next midweek if I went with attractive-looking one gamers and they did nada for me over the weekend only to have to watch the two-gamers have another shot at it.  I'm trying to avoid crap two-gamers just for the sake of getting two matches (think Zabaleta/Palacios who are YC machines);

City duo doubtful for Villa clash

Racing to join Petrov on the sidelines?

City duo doubtful for Villa clash

Big-money striker Emmanuel Adebayor is struggling to shake off a thigh problem, whilst former Villa midfielder Gareth Barry is doubtful for the encounter with his former club after picking up a hamstring injury.

Manager Roberto Mancini must also decide whether to draft Martin Fulop straight into his starting line-up following his arrival on an emergency loan from Sunderland.

Time to scrape together the extra buck to move from K2 to Defoe. I gutted from Vanden Borre to Mancienne at the back to do just that.

As for Barry, I was just talking with Neal about him.

Fulop makes Man City switch

Once more into the breach!

Manchester City have signed up Hungarian international Marton Fulop on loan from Premier League rivals Sunderland to resolve a goalkeeping crisis threatening their bid for a Champions League qualifying place.

The 26-year-old joined up with his new, short-term team-mates at training on Wednesday after the deal was finalised...

"I'm ready to play, if I'm selected. I came here to do a job and I'm confident that I can do that. I feel good, and we need a win to get that fourth-place spot, which is so important for the club...

The Hungarian is expected to play against Aston Villa at home on Saturday. City have three games remaining and are sixth in the league, a point behind fourth-placed Tottenham and Villa and one ahead of Liverpool.

And thus we double the number of double-match keepers for a buck... well, Begovic for a buck and Fülop for a buck-sixty. Choose wisely.

Oh, and don't search Y! for "Fulop" as the umlaut doesn't register as a "u". Search for Sunderland keepers.

Tidbits from the Fantasist

Haven't you always imagined this guy was The Fantasist? But who knew he was a Barca fan!?

Interesting tidbits in The Fantasists blog today.

In relation to the growing idea that a player should return his value in points:

Last weekend 266 players featured in the Premier League, of which 57 outscored their value - that's 21 per cent.

Also,

The Fantasist's own team (1,232nd out of about 250,000 overall)

"250,000 overall"? Finally, after years of guessing - and guessing closer to 400,000 - we have an idea about how big the game actually is. Now, if only we had a sense of how many teams were still active at this point in the season...

Cruel Irony

Or maybe just lousy timing.

Shawcross won't be rushed, Thursday, April 15, 2010

Meanwhile, Pulis has hinted that Asmir Begovic will be making his debut in goal for Stoke before the end of the season.

Begovic, who could have been Portsmouth's FA Cup final goalkeeper had he not left for Stoke in January, is likely to be blooded in the final few fixtures.

"He's been fantastic in training and it would be nice to give him an opportunity," said Pulis.

It would also give Thomas Sorensen a break ahead of this summer's World Cup assignment with Denmark. The Dane's warm-up begins with a pre-tournament friendly in Copenhagen against a Senegal side that could include club captain Abdoulaye Faye.

Further news, from whydelilah.co.uk:

"[Begovic]'s going to get some games now," Pulis added, "and hopefully the people in front of him will work a bit harder and make it more difficult for teams to play against us."

Steve Simonsen will take up residence on the bench against Everton next Saturday after already returning from a seven-match loan spell at Sheffield United.

Skipper Abdoulaye Faye is also struggling with a leg injury, but Stoke had the consolation of seeing Ryan Shawcross return for his first game since being sidelined by suspension and injury in late February.

Manchester City seek emergency loan of Marton Fulop

UPDATE: from the BBC:

Manchester City will be given special dispensation to sign a goalkeeper on an emergency loan deal until the end of the season, BBC Sport understands.

Shay Given will miss City's last three games after dislocating a shoulder in the 0-0 draw with Arsenal on Saturday.

Stuart Taylor is also out and Joe Hart is on loan at Birmingham, which leaves only the inexperienced Gunnar Nielsen.

Spokesmen for Aston Villa, Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool said they had "no comment" on the Premier League ruling.

###

from The Guardian:

Manchester City want to sign Marton Fulop from Sunderland to take over from the injured Shay Given on an emergency loan deal until the end of the season.
Fulop, the Hungary goalkeeper, has fallen out of favour at the Stadium of Light and heads a list of targets drawn up by City to fill the void left by Given dislocating a shoulder in Saturday's 0‑0 draw at Arsenal...
City need permission from the Premier League to allow them to bring in another goalkeeper outside of the transfer window. The club have made an official request, backing up their claim with medical statements, and will find out tomorrow if they have been successful. However, it is understood that the Premier League is likely to be sympathetic as they fit the criteria for an emergency deal.

Fulop is 1.6 in the Y! game and could be a great bargain, with two home matches this week.  However, I'm likely to stick with the even cheaper Begovic (for a buck) home to Everton and at Fulham.  Pending Europa Cup results, of course.

In other Sunderland-related news:

Sunderland are appealing to the Football Association over the red card shown to Alan Hutton following his altercation with Jozy Altidore in the win at Hull City.
A spokesperson has confirmed they "are appealing the severity of the sanction" following Hutton's dismissal in Saturday's 1-0 win. The defender was embroiled in an altercation with the Hull City striker at the end of the first half that resulted in the referee Lee Probert dismissing both players.
Followinga challenge between the duo, Hutton sparked the incident by throwing the ball at Altidore, who responded by headbutting the Scot, causing facial injuries. Hutton is now due to miss the final two games of this season, at home to Manchester United and at Wolves, as well as the first of next term.

Worst. Decision. Ever.

So do I ditch Liverpool (@Burnley) and Sunderland (@Hull) and go for the likes of Tevez and K2 (@Arsenal)? They have a double game week next week, but I don't want to get too caught up in that and miss out on points this week. But maybe I won't.

I did, and I'm devestated.

I went from Gerrard/Maxi/Reina to Tevez/Adebayor/Green. And I'm devestated.

Contwition

I'm so sorry about yesterday. Made a stupid, immature and costly mistake. I apologize to hull city and the fans who I let down. I let my emotions get the best of me and lost my composure. Believe it or not this year playing for hull was to date the best trip I've ever been on.

Stupid reaction by Jozy. Nicely taunted by Hutton who also went down quite theatrically.



Hutton was red carded as well, but has since had his suspension reduced to one match.

The Barn Door Live - April 24

Wow, big news this morning from PhysioRoom that Rooney isn't fit to make the Spurs match today - could this mean that Spurs ARE positioned to complete the hat trick of wins against the top 3 in 3 weeks? Would be big news for all those Spurs fans out there and obviously for the Chelsea supporters as well...

Here's my line-up for the week...Jussi, Bale, Jags, Hutton, Arteta, Gerrard, Maxi, MTay, AJ, Bendtner, and K2

For next week I'll be looking to load up on Spurs, Citeh, Stoke, and Fulham (depending on how their Euro adventure continues) as all four are currently scheduled to play two matches.

Injuries and Suspensions

photo courtesy of the Vladimir Weiss Facebook page

Premier League team news - Barclays Premier League - ESPN Soccernet

It applies to neither an injury or a suspension but the Bolton team news indicates that Weiss might be given a start so if you need a cheap midfielder with a great match-up then he might be your guy...

Why is this particularly interesting? Well, because Pompey will be without Belhadj, O'Hara, and Ben Haim.  Throw in whatever adjustments they make because they don't want to risk anyone getting hurt before the FA Cup final and you have to figure Bolton is going to win this one.

Apparently my good feeling about David Ngog and his match-up with Burnley might have been a bit premature.  Word is that he has a back complaint after Thursday's Europa Cup match and will face the dreaded Late Fitness Test.  Nando is clearly the big name along with Insua, Aurelio, Skertl, and Kelly (not a bad defence sitting in the training room really).

As I mentioned in The Week Ahead, I'm staying away from ManYoo/Spurs but it seems likely that Wes Brown and Aaron Lennon don't agree with me and both are going to show up and potentially be involved for the first time in a while.  My sense is that neither will start so really nothing important in this one.  Kranj and Corluka are the only two really important injuries here with Ledley King facing his typical Late Fitness Test that we really should just re-name as "A Ledley" for all players.

At Hull, Altidore is likely to get a start with JVoH injured and Anthony Gardner is returning and likely to replace Mouyokolo who drew some attention from fantasy managers while he was in the line-up...

Scott Parker is back from suspension for WHU and Gary Caldwell does the same for their opponents Wigan.

Karl Henry is still suspended for Wolves while Rovers will be without Samba (groin) and Emerton (hammy) and everyone's favorite bundle of joy El Hadji Diouf is doubtful (tonsils). 

Arsenal has their usual laundry list of absentees - Almunia, Cesc, Arsh, Verm, Gallas, Gibbs, Djourou, and Ramsey but there is a good chance that Song and EdS will be back but it shouldn't matter too much to you.  Still have a bad feeling about this one for Arsenal.  Too much speed and attacking skill at Citeh for the Arsenal second team defence to contain. 

Early season favorite Johnny Heitinga looks like he may miss out on the rest of the season for Everton and he's definitely out this weekend while Fulham will be missing Zamora (good for EVE defenders and Howard's value) with Dempsey likely to replace Zamora.  Hero of Mike Langlais' late season run up the charts in our private group Chris Baird is likely to make way for old blog favorite John Pantsil.  In his debut away to Everton is probably not when you want to pick him up but definitely worth thinking about on the BD or for next week if the BD isn't necessary.

Finally, Chelsea are relatively healthy but will be missing John Terry due to his really stupid suspension last weekend.  I'm still sort of chuckling to myself that he was arguing with the officials as he left the field because he clearly seemed to believe that he shouldn't have seen red when it was pretty clear to everyone else on the planet not wearing really thick blue-tinted glasses that they were both legitimate cards.  Hmm, sense of entitlement, no sense of the likelihood of being punished for stupid behavior, any wonder this whole "being faithful" thing isn't working out so well for he or his wife?

The Week Ahead - NFL Draft Edition

Doesn't get much better than writing about fantasy soccer while watching the NFL Draft and keeping track of the Phillies/Braves on text cast. That's a good Thursday night.

The big question on my mind is "are Spurs capable of running the Premier League gauntlet?" Beating Arsenal, Chelsea, and ManYoo over three successive weekends? Can Bale score against all three (sorry Jer but it would be irresponsible journalism if I didn't ask)? Do ManYoo have the money to just have Bale stick behind when Spurs head back to London? Can all of the loyal blog readers out there believe that I've focused this much on Spurs in a positive light?

Honestly, I don't have too much by way of a rant this week. I'd already prepared myself for Arsenal being close but not quite good enough for the title. I'd have preferred to have better information on Arteta starting last weekend because I gave him up at 7 and change and bought him back on the Barn Door for 13 and change while replacing him with two matches of Downing who couldn't score more in two matches than Arteta did in one. Outside of those minor annoyances and the Phillies blowing a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the ninth to the Braves on Tuesday night, it was a pretty strong week.

So, with no further ado, lets move on to the match-ups and the players most important to you for the upcoming weekend...

Song could return for Manchester City game

...or, The Song Remains the Same for Arsenal.

Alex Song may return for the visit of Manchester City on Saturday evening.

The midfielder, who has missed the last three games with an inflamed cartilage, faces a fitness test on Friday.

The inclusion of the Cameroon international is the only major change possible from the squad that lost at Wigan last Sunday. That is because Andrey Arshavin (calf), Manuel Almunia (wrist) and Denilson (groin) are still out.

“Maybe Song [could be off the injury list],” Wenger told TV Online on Thursday. “He has a test tomorrow and we’ll see. He is a question mark.

“Apart from that, nobody is back. Andrey Arshavin is out. Everyone else - Gallas, Almunia, Denilson - is still out too.”

I'm beginning to think that I took the wrong lesson from Burnley 0 - Manchester City 5. I thought Burnley were done and it was another "Who is playing Derby?" type situation where the bet was to pile in against them. But that really hasn't paid dividends for me. Granted, it hasn't been a bad play. But the better play would have been staying with Citeh. Neal had a bumper return from K2 and Onuoha in their 5-1 thrashing of Birmingham and I didn't do badly with AJ. Now those players are a little more affordable on the back of the 0-1 defeat to local rivals Manchester United. What can Citeh's front four of Tevez, K2, Bellamy and AJ do against the likes of Campbell, Silvestre and Fabianski? They scored four on Arsenal's first team at Eastlands earlier in the season, which gets lost when all we remember is K2 stamp on RvP. (Which reminds me, that should be added to the memorable images of the season, shouldn't it?)

So do I ditch Liverpool (@Burnley) and Sunderland (@Hull) and go for the likes of Tevez and K2 (@Arsenal)?  They have a double game week next week, but I don't want to get too caught up in that and miss out on points this week.  But maybe I won't.

Vennegoor given all clear

Well, maybe not all clear.

Hull City have welcomed news revealing that Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink has suffered no long-term damage.

The Dutch striker was knocked unconscious after colliding with Richard Dunne during Wednesday's 2-0 defeat to Aston Villa, with the game delayed by seven minutes as he was treated on the field before being carried off.

Vennegoor of Hesselink was immediately rushed to Hull Royal Infirmary for scans, with it feared that he may have suffered major head trauma.

However, medical tests have come back all clear and he has subsequently been released to recuperate at home.

The 31-year-old frontman will definitely sit out the Tigers' home date with Sunderland on Saturday, but could figure again before the end of the season.

I've had N'Gog penciled in as a cheap striker this week. But he's suffered a 24 trip to Madrid to play today and travels to Burnley at the weekend. Perhaps Jozy is a better option? He's cheaper. Hull must win, and they're at home to a poor-traveling Sunderland side. I don't know that I'm ready to ship out DBent from another of the striker positions, but maybe there are goals from both sides in this one.

Or is that just our USA bias talking?

Next up, the grope.

It's been quite a season in the English Premier League already.

We've had the handshake.

No changes for Villa

Aston Villa manager Martin O'Neill is to set to name an unchanged side as his team chase Champions League qualification in Wednesday night's Barclays Premier League encounter at Hull City.

O'Neill is poised to retain the 11 that started last Sunday's 2-1 win at Portsmouth.

Meanwhile,

Hull boss Iain Dowie will not risk defender Anthony Gardner against Aston Villa.

The former Tottenham player, who has been out for two months with an ankle injury, has returned to full training and Dowie is hopeful he will be ready to face Sunderland on Saturday.

Midfielders Dean Marney (illness) and Bernard Mendy (hamstring) are doubtful while Caleb Folan is set to miss out because of a hip problem.

Kamil Zayatte, Amr Zaki, Ian Ashbee, Richard Garcia (all knee) and Stephen Hunt (foot) are out but keeper Matt Duke and teenage midfielder Tom Cairney will keep their places after impressing in the goalless draw against Birmingham at the weekend.

Europa League Semis On

Liverpool face the prospect of a 2,400 mile round-trip coach journey after Uefa ruled that the Europa League semi-final against Atletico Madrid on Thursday would go ahead as planned.

European football's governing body made the decision despite widespread travel chaos, caused by the Icelandic volcanic ash cloud. Uefa had earlier confirmed that Fulham's semi-final in Hamburg on the same day would also take place.

"Uefa is continuing to closely monitor the travel situation throughout Europe and beyond, in an effort to confirm the staging of a number of matches that are due to take place this week in Uefa competitions," a statement read.

"Regarding the Uefa Europa League semi-final, first-leg matches between Atletico Madrid and Liverpool, and Hamburg SV and Fulham, it is planned that both games will go ahead as normal.

Emphasis mine.

This will certainly diminish the appeal of Liverpool players ahead of their trip to Burnley at the weekend. It will also make your Everton players - the likes of Arteta, Jagielka and Howard - more attractive as they'll face a road-weary Fulham.

Knee surgery rules Torres out for rest of season

Fernando Torres will miss the remainder of the season for Liverpool due to knee surgery, and his participation in the World Cup finals must be in some doubt as his club expect him to be sidelined for six weeks.

Torres, who previously underwent knee surgery in January, missed Liverpool's 0-0 draw with Fulham last weekend due to the problem and the striker will go under the knife on Sunday night after being seen by a specialist.

David N'gog
6.20
@Burnley

Get in while the barn door is open.

Meanwhile,

Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti will allow Didier Drogba to decide whether he is fit enough to play on this season.

The Ivorian striker is currently nursing a groin injury, and may yet require surgery in order to cure the ailment.

He was in obvious discomfort throughout the Blues' 2-1 defeat at local rivals Tottenham on Sunday, but was unable to be replaced in the second half as Ancelotti had used all of his substitutes.

Drogba is now in danger of inflaming the problem and ruling himself out of action for a prolonged period of time.

Maicon's Juggling and Vollied Goal

Watching this makes me happy.



... and that's saying something on a day when Gareth Bale made a mockery of my team selection and has left me dreading the next two match days.