Say What?

Roberto Martinez lauds Gerard Deulofeu’s ability for a killer pass. Claudio Ranieri discusses Riyad Mahrez’ versatility, Chris Smalling praises United’s defensive record, whilst Yannick Bolasie reckons he’s hitting top form ahead of some kind fixtures for Palace. Here’s some of this week’s most pertinent quotes for Fantasy managers to consume…

Van Gaal Praises Lingard Impact

Making just his second Premier League start for the club, Jesse Lingard scored the opener as Manchester United recorded a 2-0 home victory over West Bromwich Albion last weekend. Deployed on the left flank in the Red Devils’ favoured 4-2-3-1 set-up, with Anthony Martial shifted back into the lone striker role, the 4.5-priced winger posed a real threat for the hosts, carving out three goal scoring opportunities. Louis van Gaal spoke on Lingard’s willingness to learn following a lengthy injury layoff:

“Maybe you remember I put him in the line-up in the first game against Swansea City at home because then he had impressed me already. Then he has a very heavy injury in that game so he needs to rehabilitate and that takes a long time but I have said in the beginning of the season I want to keep you and he has to wait for the moment that he is in better shape than his companions for the same position and since he is playing I think he is playing very well. In the training session earlier this week, he had these chances but shot directly, I told him to control the ball first because with that touch you have more of a feel of the ball – he did today it and scored a fantastic goal. I’m very happy for him, he deserves it because I think he played very well. We played three games in a row without scoring a goal, though we had more than enough chances. That’s why you look for solutions and one of those was to bring Jesse into the team.”

Neil Hails Mbokani’s Displays

Having missed Norwich’s trip to Manchester City by virtue of illness, Dieumerci Mbokani announced his return to the Canaries’ matchday squad with a vital assist for the winner against Swansea City. The DR Congo international has now delivered attacking returns in three of his previous four outings, despite clocking less than 250 minutes during that stretch. On witnessing his contribution from the bench against the Swans, Alex Neil waxed lyrical on the strength and aerial presence that Mbokani lends to the team at both ends of the pitch:

“Yeah, he was a monster when he came on. His strength, his power, gave us a different dimension and he was excellent. I thought he made a real difference and he set his stall out in the first few seconds when the ball came up to him and he held it up and was big and strong. It was unfortunate we’ve not had him available for the last two weeks through illness although to be honest he wouldn’t have played at Manchester City. I felt that game was more suited to Cameron (Jerome) so he wouldn’t have played regardless, but he can be a big player for us this season. He is 6ft 3in and built like a bear so of course he is going to be good in the air. In all the games he has played he has been a big threat in both boxes. When he is in the team we obviously become a bigger side, which helps us defensively. He always comes back for set pieces and you saw at the end he was there at our back post because that was his man to mark.”

Shawcross discusses fitness levels

Ryan Shawcross underwent back surgery in the summer, ruling him out of the first 10 Gameweeks of the campaign. The Potters centre-back has since earned back-to-back starts in the league, with the Staffordshire club carding clean sheets in both fixtures. Over that stretch, only Southampton (zero) conceded fewer big chances (one) than Stoke, underlining his smooth transition back into the starting line-up. Shawcross is now confident that the operation and his ongoing rehab will allow him reach the height of his potential:

“The reason I had the operation was so that I could play to a standard that was better than I have managed over the past two years. It’s nothing special to have played through the pain barrier. There are lads in the squad who have played for years and years with niggles, it’s just a case with me that the niggle turned out to be an injury that eventually needed sorting out. I’m pleased with how it’s gone, but it doesn’t happen overnight. I’ve still got a lot of work to do for the rest of the season, but I’m delighted with how it’s gone so far. I’ve had no reaction. I put a plan together with the club’s medical staff and the surgeon, and it seems to be working so far, so hopefully that can continue. It’s a case of a lot of rehab, a lot of prehab and making sure I’m strong around the back area. It’s something a lot of the lads do, it’s not just me who has to manage his body.”

Allardyce explains Watmore selection

After seeing his side hammered 6-2 at Everton, Sam Allardyce moved from 3-4-1-2 to a 4-3-3 formation at home to Southampton. As he continues to tinker with his new squad, the Sunderland boss surprisingly opted for young Duncan Watmore on the left flank, with new signings Jeremain Lens and Fabio Borini named amongst the subs. After the 1-0 loss, Big Sam discussed his decision before admitting that Watmore may have failed to take his chance:

“I think he’s got something in his make-up that other players haven’t. He likes to try to get in-behind defenders, get in between them and in on goal. He’s scored a couple of goals when he’s come on as a sub, and I saw a couple of great runs at Everton. I thought let’s see it from the start, let’s see what he’s got. He didn’t get any chances, but there were one or two runs which picked up the fans and got us up the other end of the field. But then, unfortunately, he didn’t produce any real quality to cause Southampton any problems.”

Ranieri discusses Mahrez versatility

Claudio Ranieri set out his troops in a 4-4-1-1 set-up against Watford, fielding Riyad Mahrez at the number-ten berth. With the match goalless at half-time, the introduction of Shinji Okazaki – at the expense of Jeffrey Schlupp – prompted a switch to a 4-4-2 formation, with Marc Albrighton switching flanks and Mahrez shifting onto his favoured right wing berth. Ranieri reasoned that the Algerian’s presence on that side nullified the threat of Watford left-back Nathan Ake as the Foxes climbed to third with a 2-1 win against Quique Sanchez Flores’ side:

“I needed a good link between Vardy and the midfielders and I wanted to put Riyad in his zone, he loves to play in that zone. In the first half, the opponent full-back pushed forward a lot, but in the second he could not because Riyad made the difference. Through the middle, Okazaki played and he also helped us when we didn’t have the ball. We worked very hard and in the second half I thought we deserved to win the match, we created more chances than them.”

Bolasie feels back in form

Crystal Palace registered their third successive league victory over Liverpool on Sunday and Yannick Bolasie was on hand to kick off the scoring – his second goal in five outings. In the absence of any strong forward options, the Eagles played the elusive winger alongside Bakary Sako in a 4-4-2 set-up before he switched over to the left flank upon the late introduction of Connor Wickham. Discussing the Anfield win, Bolasie believes he’s discovered his attacking rhythm following a lethargic start to the campaign:

“It’s down to the gaffer’s tactics. He knows them inside out. He always gets it spot on [against Liverpool]. We know how to exploit their weaknesses. We’ve been working on it all week – knowing how we’ll get our chances to score goals – and it’s come off for us today. We’ve been on a bumpy ride, but we’ve got our targets, and I think today three points was massive for us. Personally, I’m starting to feel like myself again, after I had a slow start this season, so I’m looking forward to that continuing”

Martinez Praises Deulofeu Vision

Since being handed his first start of the season in Gameweek 7, Gerard Deulofeu has demonstrated his worth to Everton’s attack with a goal and six assists. Owned by less than 1% of FPL managers, the young Spaniard has been named in the Toffees’ first XI in five of the last six and has overshadowed the 21%-owned Ross Barkley, who has produced just one goal over the same period. Indeed, despite clocking less than half the minutes of Barkley this season, the former Barcelona youngster is now only 14 points shy of the former’s total score (53 compared to 39), underlining his fine form of late. Roberto Martinez lauded Deulofeu’s supreme ability to set up his team-mates after he teed up Romelu Lukaku’s equaliser at Upton Park:

“The goal was full of terrific quality. The assist and the finish were special and I think it’s something we’re getting used to from both players. Gerard Deulofeu has got sensational vision, which is very rare to see in a winger. Normally, they get their heads down and want to run with the ball. But to get into the one-on-one situation and to assist in the manner in which he did was fantastic, the weight of pass particularly.”

Deulofeu pleased with Lukaku Link Up

Only Mesut Ozil (ten) lays claim to more assists than Deulofeu (six) this term, though the latter boasts a superior assist frequency (one every 72.6 minutes compared to Ozil’s 93.3 minutes). With the fixtures falling in Everton’s favour, the 6.2-priced Deulofeu – whose average of 43.2 minutes per chance created is quicker than Barkley’s 49.4 – is gaining Fantasy interest due to his recent showings on the flank. Discussing his role as a creator, the wide man isdetermined to help Romelu Lukaku increase his goal tally after the big Belgian climbed to second in the FPL forward standings last weekend:

“I say every week, I am so happy to play with the likes of Rom and Ross. We have good players here – and when you play with good players, it makes things easier. It was a good assist and I want to get more assists for Rom. Rom is an animal! I want him to score a lot of goals this season.”

Ibe looking to progress under Klopp

Fresh from netting the winning goal against Rubin Kazan in the Europa League, Liverpool youngster Jordon Ibe was handed his third league start of the campaign at home to Crystal Palace, restricting Roberto Firmino to a bench role. During his 86-minute stint, the 4.6-priced midfielder tallied three attempts (two in the box) and as many key passes, staking a claim for a starting berth for the Reds’ upcoming trip to Manchester City. Ibe is keen to push on and flourish under a manager that’s got a stellar record for developing young talent:

“He obviously did a great job at Borussia Dortmund. The fact that the young players he brought in were a big part of the success is very encouraging for guys like me. Of course, those youngsters at Dortmund didn’t just become a little bit better either – some of them, like Robert Lewandowski, have become players who are operating at the highest level in the Champions League. Hopefully he can help me and some of the lads here do the same. I’m hoping my attributes – pace and strength and being able to go past people – will suit the way he wants to play and I can get some opportunities.”

Smalling lauds Red Devils’ resilience

Although Manchester United are yet to find their best form on the attacking front, they’ve proved a tough nut to crack and currently possess the best defensive record in the league (eight goals conceded, eight clean sheets). Moreover, throughout the course of the campaign, the Red Devils rank fourth bottom for shots inside the box conceded (75) and third bottom for big chances conceded (13). Chris Smalling – who’s been the only ever-present in Man United’s defence – hailed his side’s resilience as they head into the break just two points off the summit on the back of a 2-0 win over West Brom:

“Over the last year we have had a very good record and in the last month we’ve had many clean sheets and as a back four, that’s really pleasing, We’ve been able to do that even when we’ve had a few changes in the back four and have stuck together. Everyone knows their jobs so it’s great to be a part of such a good defensive unit, especially knowing that we’ve always got that chance of scoring at the other end if we can keep it tight. I think a lot of managers say that it starts from the front and us as defenders know it helps our job when the front two strikers put that pressure on. If they can do that it makes our job a lot easier. You know that without the whole team working together, it’s a very hard job for the defenders, so everyone plays a part.”

Howe refuses to alter approach

Despite seeing his side drop into the bottom three after suffering a fourth successive loss, Bournemouth boss Eddie Howe has no intentions of changing their style of play. Although the Cherries have scored just three goals in five matches without the injured Callum Wilson, Howe remains steadfast in his approach after watching his players spurn 20 scoring opportunities against Newcastle last weekend:

If you can find me a way that is different to dominating the ball and dominating chances that guarantees you winning games, I would be surprised to hear it. I have made it very clear from day one of pre-season that we are not going to change for anybody. Our style of football can, and I think will, be effective at this level. We just have to keep going. “Different can be a dangerous thing to do on the back of a defeat because you lose your identity and what you work towards every day. There will certainly be aspects of our game that we will be working very hard on to make sure those fine margins between defeat and victory go in our favour.”