It’s all hunky dory at Liverpool, while Son is looking prodigal at Spurs. Throw in some Theo, a United revival and a Saint going marching in on one (alleged) leg and you’ve got the pick of this week’s quotes from planet Premier League.
Klopp On Top Form
It’s a good time to be a Liverpool player – if you’re not a striker, that is.
The Reds are flying high in the table and banging in the goals, with most of them coming from midfield.
No surprise then that five Liverpool players are in the top 20 highest scoring FPL midfielders, even if one of them, James Milner (6.5), is currently excelling as a penalty-taking left-back.
Jurgen Klopp rarely bothers with an out-and-out forward, preferring to use Roberto Firmino (8.4) as a ‘false nine’. And that doesn’t look like changing any time soon.
“Roberto is always involved in offensive action or defensive action. He’s really strong in that situation and he can play nearly all the offensive positions. Roberto is in the centre and had the physical ability to do it.”
Klopp also praised Philippe Coutinho (8.2), who notched his third league goal of the season with a trademark long-range effort against Hull.
“I saw a lot of them when I was still in Germany, to be honest. I think he always scores goals like this! I would like to take the credit for his shooting ability, but I’m not responsible for this. It’s very good. All his goals he scored were because we created the spaces, not to force [him] to shoot like this. In this moment it was the perfect finish, the absolutely perfect finish for the situation.”
Milner, his counterpart on the right, Nathaniel Clyne (5.5) and even Alberto Moreno (4.7), who’s started just one league match all season, also felt the love.
“We can now talk about Millie if you want because he was not a left full-back last season. Or we could say the same about Clyney – did anybody see Clyney that often in and around the opponents’ box? It’s a very important position for us, a very, very important position for us. To be honest, one of the best players in training in the last few weeks has been Alberto Moreno.”
Klopp is spot on about Clyne. His stats for touches, and passes received and given, in and around opponents’ penalty areas are all up on last season, as are average goal attempts, chances and minutes per chance created.
He’s the most popular Liverpool defender, with 10.1% ownership figures and, a home match against Man United aside, has a run of very attractive fixtures all the way through to New Year’s Eve.
‘Millie’, meanwhile, has singled out Adam Lallana (7.2 and with 40 points already) for praise.
“He’s great around the dressing room; he’s a big character and an experienced player as well. He’s great for us as a team on and off the field and I can only see him getting better and better. I think it’s going to be a big season for him.”
Get In There, My Son
Another midfielder making like a striker is Tottenham’s Heung-Min Son (7.5), who has quickly moved to fill the Harry Kane-shaped hole in the Spurs attack.
A double in the 2-1 win at Middlesbrough was great news for the nearly 25,000 extra FPL managers who took a punt on him, not Vincent Janssen (7.8), being the team’s most likely source of goals while Kane is crocked.
Mauricio Pochettino certainly thinks it’s time for Son to shine.
“After one year and the summer he is a different person – he’s more mature and he knows the league and he’s settled in fantastically now. When a front player scores goals it is easy for him to settle.”
The man himself agrees.
“I feel very good now – I felt very good last season as well but I got injured. Last season was my first in the Premier League and now I want to do better. It’s not finished – I look forward and will work hard every day for Tottenham.”
Son hit four goals and an assist last term. He’s managed the exact same in just three starts this season. Time to invest? It would be a brave move with Man City up next, but with trips to West Brom and Bournemouth and a home fixture against Leicester to follow, it’s a tempting proposition.
United They’re Becoming
The only downside for Liverpool fans this week was the renaissance of Man United, 4-1 victors over a listless Leicester.
The Foxes’ failure to defend Daley Blind (5.6) corners was at the heart of their downfall, which particularly pleased Juan Mata (7.4) as he linked with the Dutchman to set up a goal for Marcus Rashford (6.9).
“We as takers, we just try to put it in the box the best way we can, aiming for someone to put it in the back of the net. Today we showed that we are very strong on that and as well a nice goal between Daley, me and Marcus. We tried a few times last season and it never worked but today finally it worked.”
Mata’s relationship with Jose Mourinho at Chelsea was, let’s just say, problematic. But those days are gone now that the pair are at Old Trafford, according to Mourinho.
“My idea of football with the squad I had at Chelsea and the objectives we had at Chelsea is one thing, but the football I want to play at Man United, the profile of my squad and what I want to try to do in this club is a completely different situation. So I think Juan in my project at Chelsea was a good player and in my project at Man United he is a very good player. We are in the beginning of that process, but the football we want to play here is different and I think it is very adapted to his qualities. We need players with his qualities, so I think he found a very good natural habitat for his football to play with us.”
So Jose has changed his mind over Mata, while the jury is now out on Wayne Rooney (8.8).
Pictures of Rooney avoiding splinters on the United bench as Rashford made hay were legion and the young striker, whose 8.2% ownership figures nearly doubled in the week leading up to Saturday’s match, is keen to build on a fine start to his second senior season at Old Trafford.
“A lot of things happened last season and it is now behind me. It was last season. I have to try and recreate those moments this year and to get the goal early in the season was quite important for me to get back on a roll. I am just looking to build momentum now.”
Rooney, who’s lost more than 45,000 FPL managers in a week, continues to take it for the team, even when discussing the biggest threat to his starting berth.
“I think his attitude is fantastic. He wants to work, he wants to learn and some of the younger players nowadays in football haven’t really got that attitude. It’s great to see and he’s getting his rewards for it. He is some talent and, if he keeps going, he’ll be a real star for this club and for England.”
And for England, Wayne? Be careful what you wish for…
Walcott Finding His Way…Again
Talking of England prospects, what price Theo Walcott (7.6) getting into Gareth Southgate’s next squad?
A strike against Chelsea took him to three goals and two assists from six starts – a very tidy return for a mid-priced midfielder – and he built on this further with two Champions League goals yesterday.
He’s still a way off 2012/13’s best of 14 goals and 13 assists, but Arsene Wenger reckons Walcott is a changed man these days:
“I think he used to be 90 per cent forward and 10 per cent defending. Today he is 50-50. He does the job both ways and he does it both ways with commitment. And I always felt there is character and intelligence in this boy. He is a guy with a good assessment of his performances and qualities.”
With Burnley, Swansea, Middlesbrough and Sunderland up next for the Gunners, maybe we should be enthused.
Walcott seems to be, too, after suggesting a heart-to-heart with Wenger forced him to reassess his previous levels of commitment:
“Me and the manager sat down and I’ve just looked at myself. I know what I can do and I don’t mind what people say because I do know that as long as I work hard, I know what I’m going to be. The manager has shown tremendous faith in me and I just want to repay that. You can see that in my desire and the way that I’m playing at the moment. I want it more than anyone else, but that’s just me and the way that I work now. It’s a shame that it only hit me a few years ago because there’s been a slight change in my attitude ahead of big games.”
Bubbles Blown Away
There’s not much fun to be had as a West Ham fan at the moment. Their current manager is under fire while their old one has just talked himself out of his dream job, taking his 100% win record with him.
And a striker they could have had, but turned down, came back to haunt them on Sunday.
Charlie Austin (6.3) was infamously rejected by the Hammers, with co-owner David Sullivan claiming the striker had no ligaments in his right knee.
I’m not a doctor, but I’m pretty sure that would have meant Austin not having a leg to stand on – a bit of a hindrance for a pro footballer.
Fair play to him then for scoring and providing an assist as Southampton humbled the Hammers 3-0
Five goals and an assist in his last four matches in all competitions is keeping boss Claude Puel happy.
“Charlie’s goals are important because it’s important to score when you get the chances in a game. Charlie and all the players are improving. It’s still the beginning of the season, so we are still building for the future.”
But Puel is not keeping FPL managers happy regarding the vexed question of who is the Saints penalty-taker after Austin and Dusan Tadic almost came to blows over the issue in the Europa League.
“Before every game now they know the first player for the penalty. But perhaps Charlie, perhaps Tadic or a different player, like Davis, can shoot also. Many players can take the ball and score the penalties but Charlie scores this (against Sparta Prague) penalty perhaps it gave him some confidence for the future.”
So Charlie’s confident – good for him. But we’re still none the wiser as to who the next Southampton penalty taker might be.
