Say What?

Jose Mourinho discusses Eden Hazard and Kenedy’s roles in Chelsea’s narrow win over Norwich. Jurgen Klopp, Alex Neil and Big Sam talk tactics, whilst Alan Pardew is looking to address Palace’s problems at Selhurst Park.

Hazard keen on central role…

In the wake of three successive defeats that harvested just two goals, Mourinho elected to shuffle his attacking quartet for Norwich’s visit, shifting Hazard into the number-ten berth and deploying Pedro on the left flank. The Belgium international proved to be a creative force for the Blues with the second most key passes (five) among midfielders last Gameweek but could only muster one shot throughout the match. Hazard revealed that it was his idea to adopt a central role in the recent cup loss at Stoke and against the Canaries last weekend:

“We spoke before the Stoke game. I said to him [Mourinho]: ‘Maybe we have to try something, to change sometimes. Maybe I have to play No 10, because we have to try.’ We did and I played a good game in the Cup in Stoke, and this was the same, against Norwich. I like playing No 10. When I was young I played there. Sometimes there is more freedom, sometimes not.  Against compact teams, it’s difficult to find space but we have good players and they’re able to pass and move. I don’t know if I have to play every game as a No 10. I just want to play. I will play as a left winger, too. I just want to be on the pitch. It doesn’t matter if that’s in the middle or on the flanks.”

…though Jose’s still uncertain….

Mourinho was more bullish on his viewpoint regarding Hazard’s best position, asserting that he’s most effective when engaging in one-on-one duels against full-backs. Nonetheless, the underlying statistics show that Hazard ranked second only to Alexis Sanchez (16) in terms of successful take-ons (nine), perhaps convincing the Portuguese manager to retain him centrally against Spurs:

 “I think his best position is the position where last season he was the player of the season. There he can attack defenders more in an individual way. When he gets the ball it’s more about him attacking the right back and the right back is always in trouble against a player who has his best quality in a one-against-one. When he plays at No 10 he gets into areas where sometimes he is surrounded by teams with two or three players in the same zone. Many times he receives the ball with his back to the opponents and I know he can turn well but I also know that players can be very aggressive with him and press him from behind and make lots of fouls like he always had. He can do both things. Let’s see match after match what we think is the best for him it depends on what we want for the game.”

Mourinho on starting Kenedy at left-back

Brazilian forward Kenedy was a surprise inclusion in Chelsea’s starting XI for their home tie against Norwich City, starting at left-back ahead of Cesar Azpilicueta and Baba Rahman. Given that the Canaries claimed 36% of the possession and fashioned just four attempts at Stamford Bridge, the experiment worked as Kenedy had little defending to do. Jose Mourinho expected the Norfolk outfit to bunker in with five at the back like they did against Manchester City, hence the deployment of a natural wide man:

“He’s an attacking player, he was playing in a position where he wasn’t really a left-back. We were ready for them to come and play with four at the back, which they did, but we were also ready for them to play with five at the back which they did against Man City, so I wanted to have a player in that position who could adapt to both situations. If they played with five at the back I would have played with three at the back and used Kenedy as a left winger. When they came with four we knew what we had to do.”

Koeman explains Mane Omission

As a Senegal international, Sadio Mane is occasionally prone to being rested in the first match back from international breaks by virtue of the long-haul flights. The Southampton winger ended up starting from the bench against Stoke City, before coming on for a 27-minute stint in the second half, with Ronald Koeman explaining that an ankle knock sustained on international duties also affected his decision, despite Mane starting both matches for his country:

 “It’s always the question after international duty to make a decision about that. Sadio came back late Thursday in the morning and didn’t have the training session with the team. He also had an ankle problem. That was the reason I didn’t start with Sadio. Normally, without any problem, without any problem with freshness, he starts the game. That was the reason to change it, but it’s always difficult because players are coming back. For the manager I think it’s the most difficult decision to make, what is the best starting XI for the game because you are not really sure about the focus or the sharpness of the players.”

Klopp Discusses Weekend Team Selection

Following a lacklustre start to the campaign, Roberto Firmino flaunted his Fantasy potential with a man-of-the match display against Manchester City, carding one goal and two assists. Handed the central role in a front three, the Brazilian dovetailed to great effect with his compatriot, Philippe Coutinho, as the pair scythed through the hosts’ static defence – Firmino finished the Gameweek with more attempts (five) and shots on target (four) than any other midfielder. Post-match, Jurgen Klopp revealed the reasons behind his Etihad team selection, with both Christian Benteke and Daniel Sturridge handed bench-warming duties against the champions:

“I told you a few weeks ago I knew about his (Firmino’s) quality. He trained for 10/12 days with us without interruption, which is very important. He was with us at Melwood, the same as Phil Coutinho, and that was the reason we played like this in a formation like this. We tried to put as many players as possible on the pitch who had trained together in the last 12 days..What we try to do is to analyse the opponent and see what their biggest strength is and things we can do that they don’t feel confident [defending against] then we try to do it. It’s a very important thing in football and the better your opponent is the more important it gets that you do things like this.”

Martinez Hails Barkley Improvement

With five goals and four assists this term, Ross Barkley is well on his way to surpassing his career-best haul of attacking returns (six goals and four assists) for Everton. The 6.9-priced playmaker is now up to joint-fifth in the FPL midfield standings after a brace and assist against Aston Villa and there’s now hope he can kick on during the Toffees’ favourable end to the year (bou, CRY, nor, LEI, new, STO). Roberto Martinez believes that Barkley has made significant improvements to his game over the past 12 months:

“He has developed an understanding of what the team needs out of him. The big turning point for Ross was last season, he wanted to take responsibility of not getting a good level of performances week in week out whether that was because of the Europa League, or the demands we had that season. Any other player could have come up with excuses or say it is not their problem. He looked at the situation and took responsibility. I think Ross has been at that level since the Watford match. In certain aspects he has got better but this season Ross has gone to another level. Remember the young man we had three years ago, he would make the same decisions in the same area of the pitch now he is a different player, a different footballer in that respect.”

Smalling Cites Reasons Behind United’s Resolve

Notwithstanding the constant rotation within their rearguard, Manchester United boast the best defensive record this term. Aside from conceding the fewest goals (nine), the Red Devils have also recorded the most clean sheets (eight), with four arriving in their previous five fixtures. Moreover, only Arsenal have surrendered fewer big chances (11) than Louis van Gaal’s troops (14). When pressed as to the key to Man United’s defensive diligence, Chris Smalling outlined their rigorous tactical work in training:

“I think it’s the hard work on the training field. We do a lot of tactical play, we play a lot of 11 versus 11s and, in terms of how the pitch is broken up, we know where as a front pair when to drop and how deep for us to go. Each day, we work on that and I think it’s paying off where, no matter who comes into the team, we know our jobs. We do a lot of defensive organisation at the Aon Training Complex, and also our counter-attacking and how we attack as well. Everyone knows their position when we’ve got the ball and when we’ve not got the ball and I think that’s crucial when you come to a Saturday. The ball could fall wherever due to circumstances but, if you know your job, you can come up against anything.” 

Neil explains move away from attacking style…

In response to their 6-2 mauling at the hands of Newcastle United in Gameweek 9, Norwich have eschewed their attacking style and opted for a more pragmatic approach. Aside from deploying a five-man defence away to Manchester City, Alex Neil has placed a greater emphasis on tactical discipline and refrained from starting less industrious players like Wes Hoolahan in the trickier match-ups. The Scottish boss admits he may have to be a little more pragmatic with his tactics if Norwich are to stand a chance of avoiding the drop:

 “We played that attacking style last season and the start of this year because that is generally the way my teams play. But it’s not about me, it’s about the club and financial stability. The growing of the club is bigger than my philosophy. I’ve got to find a way of keeping us in this league so that style can grow with this team. I’m not so sure that playing that (attacking) style over the course of the season is going to work. It’s not as enjoyable for me but, ultimately, my job is to keep us in the league.”

Allardyce on prioritising defence…

Sunderland’s clean sheet at Crystal Palace on Monday represented their second shut-out in four matches under Sam Allardyce. That being said, a 6-2 thrashing at Everton in Gameweek 11 ensures that the Black Cats lay claim to the second word defensive record (26 goals conceded) in the league. Given that the Wearsiders drew five blanks in their last nine match-ups, Allardyce has been quick to stress the importance of keeping it tight at the back:

“My philosophy has always been you start from the back. When we are a conceding on average over two goals a game, that is the first thing which we have to stop and the players have to understand that. If they think it is a negative, it is not, it is a massive positive because as soon as you don’t concede a goal you don’t lose the game, then you have got a point and of course afterwards you only need one goal to win it. So it should be the most positive thing in their mind, because if they achieve a clean sheet as often as they possibly can it will give them a very, very good chance of winning more and more football matches and getting safer up the league as quickly as possible….

Allardyce pleased with new formation….

Sunderland lined up in a 3-5-2 set-up against the Eagles, with wing-backs Billy Jones and Patrick van Aanholt providing the width. Although Crystal Palace had 67% of the possession and fired off 19 shots, the Black Cats didn’t concede a single big chance throughout the encounter, underlining the effectiveness of the system. Quizzed on their new approach, Allardyce explained his intention to frustrate opponents away from the Stadium of Light:

“I liked it [the formation] at Everton away and the only reason it didn’t work was because of our frailties in defending when we are at 2-2 and went gung-ho for the winner [Sunderland lost 6-2]. With Defoe and [Steven] Fletcher up front, if we get opportunities we can score. We got a few today and one perhaps gifted to us. The longer it went on, the more anxious they got and the more spaces they left, which ultimately Jermain capitalised on after a little bit of a mix-up…. In away terms, we have to frustrate the opposition. As Jose [Mourinho] says, we will ‘park the bus’, because we have to.”

Coleman admits Deulofeu partnership restricts his raids forward

Seamus Coleman emerged as a prime Fantasy pick across the previous two campaigns due to his nine goals and six assists from the left-back berth. The Ireland international grabbed an assist last time out against Aston Villa but has failed to register a goal in his 10 leagues starts this term – diminishing his appeal as a high-priced defender. Coleman – who has created just two chances in the last four Gameweeks – admits to tempering his marauding instincts now that his partner on the right flank, Gerard Deulofeu, is exploiting the space he would usually fill on the overlap:

 “When he came back he actually told me that he would be better defensively this season. When it comes to the right hand side, it’s just a case of the two of us having a good partnership. At the moment, when I get the ball I just give it to Geri because he is playing unbelievably. I think he is a better player now than the one he was two years ago. He has added so much more to his game, which is a credit to him. My role has been a bit different. When you have got someone like Geri in front of you, its not like you can get on the overlap every time because he himself is so fast. He is not a link-up winger, he likes to stay wide and get at people. So now it’s a case of me getting the ball to him and backing him up. I have no complaints with that, because Geri is producing the goods.”

Pardew on Palace’s Home Struggles

Defeat at home to Sunderland meant that Palace have won just three of their last 11 head-to-heads at Selhurst Park. Furthermore, the South London outfit have tallied just six goals at home in seven matches, giving rise to a paltry 6.5% conversion rate. Conversely, the Eagles have thrived on their travels this campaign, besting the likes of Liverpool and Chelsea in their own backyward. Alan Pardew concedes that his side need to find a solution to breaking down deep-lying defences:

“It is kind of a compliment that teams come and put five at the back and then three midfield players on top and say ‘break us down’. Unfortunately we couldn’t find a way. It’s a painful loss. We just couldn’t get the balance right – sometimes that is just making the right decision. We kept making too many wrong ones. But it is an area [goalscoring] that has been a problem this year. Away from home, when teams comes on to us, we enjoy it a little more. I won’t deny that. We have to find a solution at home and we’ve got another chance on Saturday to see if we can.”