Say What?

Penalty problems, Liverpool likely lads and Guardiola’s limited Kompany enthusiasm are among the subjects discussed by the players and managers this week.

And there’s also room for Rashford, Dann and Townsend too.

A Spot Of Bother

Who’s on penalties? It’s a familiar question among legions of Fantasy fans. But you normally expect the actual manager of a real football team to know the answer.

Not at Arsenal, it would seem, if Arsene Wenger’s reaction to Alexis Sanchez (11.0) taking (and missing) a spot kick at Hull is anything to go by.

“I have to check that but I think Santi was ahead on the list. We have three players and [maybe] he didn’t want to take it? Did he tell Alexis to take it? I don’t know.”

He doesn’t know!!?? Please, monsieur, explain yourself further.

“Look, ideally you want, as a manager, all the things to happen in the order you decided. We don’t live in an ideal world in our game and, on the other hand, everybody has missed penalties, Santi as well. We have to accept that, that you can miss a penalty. The keeper made a good save, he didn’t mishit it. That’s part of the game.”

Another ‘part of the game’ is delivering clear instructions to your players…

And now new boy Lucas Perez (8.3) has staked a claim for penalty duties after converting from the spot against Nottingham Forest this week.

The plot, ahead of Saturday’s huge match against Chelsea, is thickening.

The Quality Of Mersey

Finding room for a Liverpool midfielder in your Fantasy Premier League side is the wisest of moves at the moment.

Jurgen Klopp’s team is an exciting outfit, with 14 goals from six matches in all competitions thus far, and all but three of them coming from midfield.

But who to choose? Philippe Coutinho (8.1) and Sadio Mane (9.0) are the most popular picks at present, with ownership figures of 28.1% and 14.2% respectively.

Only this week Coutinho has been talking up his own quest for goals.

I’ve always maintained that scoring goals is something I have to improve. I’m always trying to get better and I’ve been working hard on it, of course, I’m the kind of player who’s always looking to improve. So if I can score more goals this season, excellent, but the most important thing is to help the team and do what the manager asks me to do.”

Two other players are making strong cases for FPL inclusion, however – Adam Lallana (7.1) is owned by 9.3% and Roberto Firmino (8.4) by 9.1%.

Both are talking themselves – and their manager – up, with Firmino first to proclaim:

“I’ve been quite hyperactive since I was a child. You have to be on the move. I’m not that crazy and I know there are times when you have to stop. I like to relax, of course I do! But when I am inside the pitch, that is it. You have to go on full on from the first minute. All of us have our qualities that add to the team. But our manager wants each of us to be like a runner. Don’t stop. Never stop. Keep going. That is the way it is for him and that is the way I like to play. He is a great person. If you do what he asks you to do, you will never let him down.”

Lallana also knows that flattery can get you everywhere, including a coveted central midfield role:

“I kind of got him from the word go and I feel like our relationship has blossomed and got better ever since. I see a lot more of the ball. When I was out wide, there would be periods in the game where I wouldn’t be as involved in the game as I would like. I’m sure anyone would say they want to be on the ball as much as possible. In the central area I’m getting a lot more touches on the ball and I’m being able to use one of my qualities.”

The pair have form – two goals and an assist apiece – and fixtures on their side, with Liverpool having just one match with a difficulty rating above three (a home clash against Man United) between now and New Year’s Eve.

Pep Not Necessarily A Kompany Man

Back in the day, if Vincent Kompany (5.9) was injured, Man City suffered.

And when he was fit again, he walked back into the team.

Not anymore.

Pep Guardiola is promising the Belgian precisely nothing ahead of his latest return to the fold.

“We need the players competing with each other. They have to know if they don’t play good that there’s another one beside me and the next time he is going to play. That’s the only way to arrive at the end of the season, fighting. I need Vincent because I know his quality. I need him to put pressure on John Stones, Nico Otamendi, (Aleksandar) Kolarov – all of them.”

City haven’t exactly struggled without Kompany so far – played five, won five – although they’ve managed just the one clean sheet.

Trips to Swansea and then Spurs before the next international break should give us a clearer idea of where the club captain stands in Pep’s grand scheme of things.

As long as he stays fit, that is.

Everyman Marcus

If Guardiola’s problems are of the cliched ‘nice ones to have’ variety, Jose Mourinho’s are legion, ugly and threatening to extend to his forwards.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic (11.8) has started well but looked toothless at Watford while Wayne Rooney (9.0) is in an abysmal run of form.

At least Marcus Rashford (6.8) continues to impress, and his versatility could well earn him an extended run in the team.

Rashford has spoken of his time at U16 level changing his mindset – and teaching him to play pretty much anywhere.

“I don’t regret playing in that position because it means now I can still play there if I need to – no.10, on both wings and up front as well. It means I have more in my armoury when it comes to the matches. I used to look up to players who would dribble at people, creating chances, scoring too. But the type of the player I want to be now is different to the type of player I wanted to be then.”

Two goals in his last three league matches suggests that the 3.9%-owned Rashford could be a low-cost differential, although when Leicester, Liverpool and Chelsea are among your next four opponents, he remains a high-risk option.

Scott Currently Better Dann Andros

Crystal Palace defenders are cheap for a reason, that reason being they’re Crystal Palace defenders.

But there’s always one that breaks the rules and his name tends to be Scott Dann (5.5).

His second league goal (and third overall) of the season helped the Eagles to a 4-1 mauling of Stoke last time out, and took him to third place among FPL defenders.

Dann’s attacking prowess is well known – he notched five goals and two assists last term and two goals and four assists the season before that.

So Andros Townsend’s (6.3) ‘friendly bet’ with his new team-mate might not be so wise.

“Scott and I had a friendly bet who would score more goals this season.”

Dann 3 Townsend 1 is the current state of play, and Townsend went on to reveal that he doesn’t quite understand what the word target means.

“I haven’t set a goal target, but I want to be in double figures.”

One person who is rather more on it than Andros is Alan Pardew.

The Palace boss knows exactly where the strengths in his team lie, and Dann is at the heart of them.

“I think set-pieces will be a feature of our play and I think other teams will have to concentrate on our power at those.”

Team-mate James McArthur has also chimed in to proclaim Dann’s penalty box prowess.

“I haven’t played with any centre-back who has a goal record like him – and he had another effort cleared off the line as well (against Stoke). He is such a threat and we look dangerous at free-kicks and corners. The delivery this season has been outstanding from Jason Puncheon – he needs a bit of credit.”

So, Dann has form, set-piece strength and tighter rules regarding holding in the penalty area in his favour.

But is that enough to tempt more than the 240,000+ FPL managers who already own him to have a punt?

His price, and a mixed bag of upcoming fixtures – Sunderland, Everton and Leicester away, the Hammers at home – probably means the jury will remain out.