Say What? – Gameweek 22

Say What? returns a little later than usual to deliver some tasty soundbites from a busy Gameweek 22. This week, fitness became the focus as we hear from Manuel Pellegrini on two returning stars, Radamel Falcao on his match sharpness and Mauricio Pochettino on Tottenham’s habit of sneaking late winners. We also hear from Mark Hughes and Arsene Wenger on a couple of in-form creators, Louis van Gaal, Alan Pardew and Sunderland coach Charlie Oatwell share some tactical insight, and Bafetimbi Gomis sparks rumours of unrest at the Liberty.

Arsene Wenger had much to be cheerful about after the Gunners bucked their form against Premier League heavyweight contenders with a 2-0 win over Manchester City at the Etihad, and top on his agenda was the form of a certain Spaniard. Santi Cazorla’s move into the middle of the park has sparked Fantasy form worthy of 11.5-priced team-mate Alexis Sanchez, averaging a mighty seven points per appearances over a solid ten-match spread.

“Since Cazorla has started playing centrally – he played wide a lot and now he’s at a level of his career where he can have more influence centrally – he’s been fantastic because he gets you out of pressure in very tight situations. He finds openings that are very interesting. He is a good example for young players, he shows you how important it is to be two footed in the middle of the park – it’s a vital quality for a midfielder today – and he does that very well. He loves the game.”

The result saw reigning champions Manchester City fail to win for the third time in their last four Premier League fixtures, but manager Manuel Pellegrini found reason to remain optimistic in light of the return to fitness of star striker Sergio Aguero and captain Vincent Kompany.

“It is important to get minutes under your belt when you have been out for a while with injury and they were not able to give their best performance because it takes time to get back to their optimum levels. This week will be useful for them because they can continue to build their fitness and I hope in the next ten days or so they will be back to where they want to be.”

Renowned for his double-session fitness regime at former club Southampton, Mauricio Pochettino’s approach has clearly made a difference to new club Spurs in recent weeks. After Christian Eriksen struck another late winner at home to Sunderland last time out, the Argentine attributed Spurs’ ability to win games late on to his players’ improved work ethic as key to their improvement.

“I think our fitness is very good and this is the club, the sports science and the medical staff are doing a great job so far and we have to keep going. But I think it is also our mentality. Always in football you need to believe and you need to be strong in your mind and believe it is possible to win the game.  But it is true that it is important to feel good in your legs and powerful. When you are in a good condition you have a good opportunity to go forward.”

Radamel Falcao’s fitness has been the subject of much discussion this season, but after missing the Gameweek 21 home loss to the Saints, the Columbian was given the full 90 minutes at Loftus Road as United returned to winning ways. The start was only Falcao’s seventh of the season and in light of the fact he’d only been afforded a full match on two occasions previously, Falcao was quick to rebuff any concerns over his condition for future outings, suggesting he is now finally ready for a proper run in the team.

“I am fine. I feel really good. I am playing without any sort of fitness problems. It was a very important 90 minutes for me. I need to play and I am very happy that I did. Obviously I really hope to score soon but the opportunities will come, I am sure of that.”

Of course, that decision lies solely in the hands of Louis van Gaal. The Manchester United boss has actively made changes to matchday squads on a regular basis this season and judging by his latest comments, he’s in no mood to settle on a style any time soon…

“I know in advance that when we play with four midfielders in a diamond that we create more chances, but then the balance of the team is also weak. And you’ve seen it because we had created chances but so had QPR. We have to decide every week how we have to play. And that’s the question. But also with the other system we played against Tottenham Hotspur, maybe you remember the first half we created maybe six or seven more chances than today, and we didn’t score. So it’s always the question, are you effective enough? Against Southampton away we scored two out of three chances and we won the game.”

Crystal Palace manager Alan Pardew also discussed his willingness to tinker after moving from 4-4-2 to 4-1-4-1 to spark a turnaround at Burnley. Dwight Gayle drew the plaudits with a brace, beefed up with an assist and maximum bonus, while former Fantasy favourite Jason Puncheon also seized the opportunity to impress his new manager, simultaneously catapulting him back onto our radars in time for a the visit of Everton.

“I’d be foolish if I hadn’t learned over the four years to become a better manager. I had to respond to some difficult times at Newcastle. I don’t mean things that happened off the pitch. When you are a big team and are expected to beat a lot of opposition and are behind, you need to find a way so I am armed a little bit better for this kind of battle.”

With Wilfried Bony departing for pastures new, many would have considered Bafetimbi Gomis one to watch at Swansea for the second half of the season. The France international had failed to register a full 90 minutes for the Swans in 2014 but has now played every minute for Gary Monk since the turn of the year. With Bony out of the picture, and first team football all but guaranteed at his new club, Gomis sparked rumours of unrest after his comments from a French television interview were picked up by the national press.

“I have been approached by clubs. For the moment I am concentrating on Swansea. Me leaving? It is possible. When Bony was here, it was also planned that I should play a certain number of games…that wasn’t the case. Today, I ask myself many questions. I need time to think, because [promises weren’t kept]. At my age, it’s very difficult to accept to spend my time on the bench.”

Stoke City celebrated a second away victory in three after emerging from the King Power Stadium with all three points thanks to a 1-0 triumph over Leicester City. The win will have been just what Mark Hughes needed after a meek performance at the Emirates in their previous encounter and the Stoke manager was quick to heap praise on former Barcelona starlet Bojan Krkic’s impact in the final third. With Manchester City the only top-half side they face in the next eight Gameweeks, the Spaniard will have a fine opportunity to deliver on his manager’s words.

“He’s got that creative spark that we possibly lacked last year, certainly on our travels, we were struggling to get positive results on the road last year. But we have certainly got a lot more creativity in terms of what we can do on the counter-attack and when we get Bojan in good areas then you expect, with the talent that he has, that he will take chances, and that is exactly what he has done against today.”

 
Jermain Defoe’s weekend debut for Sunderland saw Gus Poyet move away from his default 4-1-4-1 formation and turn to a 3-5-2 to accommodate his new signing alongside Steven Fletcher up front. Ahead of tomorrow’s FA Cup clash against Fulham, though, first-team coach Charlie Oatway admitted the Black Cats are still tinkering with their tactics in order to find the best system to suit the 32-year-old:

“We have looked at a few systems during training this week – both the four and the three, with wing-backs and full-backs. We’ve looked at everything. Gus is open-minded and flexible depending on how we’re playing and who’s fit. We’ll see tomorrow. Jermain needs help up there. He’s one of those players who likes to play off someone. He needs someone closer than two wingers. But these are Premier League players. They should be able to adapt to it a bit easier than in the Championship or Leagues One and Two. We’re looking for them to adapt to it pretty quickly, otherwise they won’t be playing. It’s quite simple.”

Raheem Sterling’s Fantasy prospects have steadily improved as a result of Brendan Rodgers’ recent switch to a 3-4-2-1 formation. Despite producing returns in three of his last four league appearances and scoring four of his seven goals this season since the change of tactics, the youngster reckons he still has a lot of adapting to do:

“It’s a role that I am learning and adapting to. But if you want to be a good player, it is something you’ve got to do, you’ve got to adapt and play in different positions. When I get in front of goal, sometimes I can get a bit excited thinking I’ve done it all. But I just have to keep focused, and work hard to try to take my game to the next level by getting more goals and assists.”