Monday morning Premier League Analysis 25/02/08

It’s Monday, and that can mean only one thing…..

Birmingham 2 -2 Arsenal

The main talking point was the horrific injury suffered by Eduardo, who will definitely miss the rest of the season. The resultant red card for Martin Taylor will rule him out with suspension. McFadden’s brace may encourage a few to take a gamble on the in-form forward, while the unusually quiet Adebayor still managed to pop up with a KC. Cameron Jerome was an unused sub, while Jens Lehmann was dropped for the returning Almunia.

Blackburn 4 – 1 Bolton

The resurgent David Dunn chipped in with an impressive three KCs from central midfield, while Morten Gamst Pedersen grabbed his first EPL goal of the season. He’s never been the same since the name on the back of his shirt changed to Gamst. Mild-mannered El-Hadji Diouf picked up another booking, but will be saved by the yellow card amnesty which kicks in next week.

Fulham 0 – 1 West Ham

A hotly-disputed Nobby Solano winner spoiled the chance of a rare Fulham clean sheet, while Brian McBride made his first start of the season, but could not stop his team sliding to defeat. A red card for dissent will earn Leon Andreasen a suspension. Dean Ashton could only make the bench, as Carlton Cole was preferred up front. Another clean sheet for the happy hammers, for whom George McCartney is proving to be YTM’s defensive bargain of the season at just £2.0m.

Liverpool 3 -2 Middlesbrough

A hat-trick for the rampant Fernando Torres put Boro to the sword, though they only had themselves to blame for two of the goals. Jamie Carragher missed out through suspension, though he’ll return for Liverpool’s double-header next week. Aurelio was preferred to Riise once more, and things are beginning to look bleak at Anfield for the flame-haired Norwegian. Jeremie Aliadiere earned himself a red card for reacting to Mascherano’s sneaky nose pull, though it looked a yellow card at most. Wheater’s suspension will now come in the FA Cup this week, so is of no concern to YTM managers.

Newcastle 1 – Manchester United 5

Easy, easy, easy. Rooney and Ronaldo ruthlessly exposed Newcastle’s defensive weakness, and Charles N’Zogbia and Steven Taylor will want to forget this one as soon as they can. Barton looked ineffective and was subbed once more. Evra and Vidic were withdrawn through illness and injury respectively, though both should recover quickly. Scholes and Anderson were rested after their European exploits in midweek, and should return looking fresh at the weekend.

Portsmouth 1 – 0 Sunderland

This one was always going to be 1-0. 10 consecutive away defeats now for Sunderland – an appalling record. Kane looked awesome as a second-half sub, and must be threatening Milan Baros’s place in the starting lineup. Defoe dispatched the penalty with aplomb, and certainly looks a great fantasy pick for the rest of this season. Sunderland’s Chopra and McShane were relegated to the bench, while new signing Andy Reid looked to be struggling for fitness. The Black Cats are a different prospect at home, though, so don’t write them off just yet.

Reading 1 – 2 Aston Villa

Gabby Agbonlahor returned for Villa, and set up the opener for Ashley Young. Curtis Davies continued to be preferred to Zat Knight in central defence, while Gardner replaced Olof Mellberg at right-back. The Swede may have played his last game in England. Marlon Harewood had a goalscoring impact from the bench for the second match in succession, but has yet to start a Premiership match for Villa.

Reading are in freefall, and Steve Coppell has admitted that he’ll be wielding the axe to try to renew Reading’s decent early form. Only Hahnemann, Shorey and Hunt look assured of their place.

Wigan 2 – 0 Derby

Goals from Scharner and Valencia saw off the hapless Rams. Some will have been hoping for big points from Emile Heskey in this fixture, but he could only muster a KC. Jason Koumas and Marcus Bent were benched once more, and have gone from decent budget selections to YTM liabilities. Derby left Argentine striker Villa on the bench, and don’t look to be getting any better as the season rolls on. Avoid their players at all costs.

That’s it for this week. Liverpool have two matches next week, as do West Ham. Is it time to start looking at the likes of Carragher, Gerrard, Torres or even Upson as a means to make a late surge up the table? If you’re going to take a gamble, now might be the time.

Thanks,

Andy @ YTM