Say What?

Sergio Aguero reassures his Fantasy owners by revealing he won’t take risks with his fitness from this point onwards. Matt Targett is relishing his new role for Southampton, Quique Sanchez Flores talks tactics and Jurgen Klopp hails Robert Firmino’s displays as Liverpool’s centre-forward.

Aguero keen to court caution with fitness in future

After a couple of false dawns, Sergio Aguero has finally marked his return to form and fitness with five goals and one assist in the last four Gameweeks. Having served up back-to-back double-figure hauls against Palace and West Ham, his unmatched explosive potential has convinced 100,000 Fantasy managers to recruit the City frontman ahead of a trip to Sunderland, who rank top for goals conceded (46) this term. Having previously cut corners on the fitness front, Aguero has now vowed to refrain from playing if he isn’t 100% healthy in order to avoid any further spells on the sidelines:

“With the last injury I picked up on international duty I carried on playing when I should have come off. That could have been avoided but you always want to play, especially for your country. Argentina really needed to win, so I said to myself ‘I’ve got to play’. I felt a twinge in my leg and with the slightest sprint I felt it again. After trying so hard to keep fit, the slightest niggle and this happened. Now I won’t risk myself – as happened for the game against Sunderland. I started the previous game at Arsenal when I felt a pain in my knee. I was told ‘that’s it, you’re coming off’. Now I feel like I’m getting up to full fitness for games and missing as few as possible, that’s the most important thing. The Premier League is so demanding that you can’t play at 80 per cent. I’ve tried to do that before and that’s when I’ve injured myself.”

Targett pleased by wing-back berth

Ronald Koeman’s decision to revert to a 3-5-2 set-up in Gameweek 21 paved the way for Matt Targett to rejoin the starting XI as a left wing-back. The 3.8-priced academy product has relished the attacking aspect of the role, notching two assists and the joint-third-most key passes (four) among defenders over the last three Gameweeks. Targett’s return to favour has proved crucial for those seeking an Aguero enabler in defence, with over 27,000 FPL managers drafting him in this week. Discussing his new position with the club’s website, the youngster admitted that he’s more suited to a system that allows him to explore his marauding tendencies:

“I’ve enjoyed it. Obviously, coming back into the team it’s brought like a new life into me, changing to left wing-back has given me the licence to get forward more and provide crosses and an attacking threat. Attacking-wise it’s a lot better for me. Defending-wise, I don’t think you do as much defending as what you would as a left-back, so I think it’s good. That assist against Watford gave me a boost of confidence and I’ve just taken each game as it comes and hopefully carry on with my form. I think paying with five at the back now gives a lot more defensive cover for each player. It’s hard for teams to break us down. I think it’s two shots on target [in the last three games], so I think we’re defending well as a team and we’ve got the attacking threat too. It’s good. Last season we kept so many clean sheets and that’s why we had such a successful season last season.”

Klopp hails Firmino’s impact up front

It’s fair to say that Roberto Firmino has flourished as a “false nine” for Liverpool in recent matches, notching two braces and one assist in the last three Gameweeks. Moreover, the former Hoffenheim recruit ranked joint-second for attempts (11), joint-top for shots inside the box (eight) and joint-second for shots on target (five) among midfielders over the last four Gameweeks, ensuring that he’s enjoyed the most transfers in (108,000) of any player this week. After witnessing Saturday’s 5-4 win over Norwich, where Firmino bagged a season-high 18 points, Jurgen Klopp spoke on the Brazilian’s rise to prominence and explained his reasoning not to favour a traditional centre forward like Christian Benteke:

“After Manchester United, everybody asked me ‘What about Firmino, [do] you need a real target striker?’ But he scored two against Arsenal and he scored two here. I think it’s a wide spectrum. Roberto is a striker. He’s a very offensive player. A lot of strikers are 1.60 metres or 1.70 metres-something. Leo Messi, what is he? Firmino can play and score goals and he is, for us, a good option to play with. He is flexible and in brilliant shape. Having the option with Christian [Benteke], that’s good. We have too many games where I can say ‘This or this is No.1’. We always have to make decisions.”

Garde cites Lescott as key to Villa’s plight

Aston Villa have made improvements on the defensive end of late, chalking up two clean sheets in their previous three match-ups; in fact, only Southampton (zero) conceded fewer goals than the Villains (one) across that stretch. Reaffirming their new-found knack for keeping it tight, the West Midlanders have allowed the second-fewest shots inside the box (13) and just four big chances since Gameweek 21. With his side now unbeaten in five matches across all competitions, Remi Garde believes the influence of Joleon Lescott (who has averaged 4.6 points per game under the new manager) has been instrumental to their recent results:

“Joleon is a very experienced player. I don’t think he is bothered or annoyed by the fans who booed him. He played a very good game. I know it was special for him because he played here before. He can be a leader – at the moment he is one. We discovered each other – and the way we wanted to work. To be fair we had discussions. I think he is enjoying the football we are playing and he is enjoying the way we are training also. I am very happy about that.”

McClaren pleased with Mitrovic improvement

Aleksandar Mitrovic has just one goal to his name in seven outings, despite posting some standout statistics over the past four Gameweeks: among forwards, the Serbian frontman charted third for attempts (17), second for shots inside the box (14) and joint-second for shots on target (eight). After trialing a 3-4-2-1 system away to Watford, Steve McClaren acknowledged Mitrovic’s underwhelming shot-conversion rate (8.9%) this term but insisted that he brings much more to the table besides the occasional goal:

“I thought outside the box he was excellent. He’s really improving – he’s a real fighter for us, a focal point and a target – and someone that we need in the team because he brings other players into play and then we’ve got runners going through. It’s not one man’s responsibility to put the ball in the back of the net – it’s other people’s as well. He’s young, he’s growing, he’s getting better – a lot better than he was at the start of the season – and again, strikers, their confidence comes from sticking the ball in the net.”

Neil lauds Naismith versatility

Operating in “the hole” behind lone striker Dieumerci Mbokani, Steven Naismith had an effective debut for Norwich City, scooping a goal and an assist in the 5-4 home defeat to Liverpool. The Scotsman’s debut saw Alex Neil move to 4-2-3-1 against the Merseysiders, with Wes Hoolahan shifted to the left flank and Nathan Redmond fielded on the opposite wing, though according to Canaries boss Alex Neil, Naismith arrival now offers him plenty of options to chop and change his tactical set-up:

“He is an intelligent player, he can play a number of roles, and if he can drop into those holes he can cause problems for the opposition and make life difficult. He gives us a good link between the frontline and the midfield. Wes has been operating in there, but Wes always wants to come towards the ball and get the ball at his feet, whereas Steven will run off him and will make runs into the box which are really difficult to pick up, like his goal. He’s got a real good finish with both feet and he picks it up dangerous areas for the opposition. The one thing about him and what attracted him to us is he can play in a number of positions, a number nine, number 11, number seven or even a 10 he can occupy. Like every player he will have his own preference but more often than not he has been used at Everton as a 10 or on the left-hand side.”

Austin talks up Saints creators

Emerging from the bench on 79 minutes at Old Trafford last weekend, Charlie Austin took little time to showcase his natural scoring instincts. The Southampton winter signing headed home the winner just eight minutes later as Southampton racked up a third straight league victory, serving a reminder of the talents that netted18 times in the top-flight for relegated QPR in 2014/15. Potentially primed for a start at the Emirates next Gameweek, the 7.0-priced frontman represents a tantalising route into a Saints side that places fifth with regards to chances created (246) this season and has tallied six goals in their last three match-ups. Discussing his move to St Mary’s, Austin reckons he’ll continue to plunder the goals, given the ease with which Ronald Koeman’s side fashion chances for their frontmen:

“With Southampton, we are going into games favourites and wanting to be in that top 10. That is what drew me to go to Southampton – they are a club on the up. A top-10 finish is a minimum for them really and I wanted to be involved in that. For me, look how many chances they create, it’s certainly what me and centre forwards thrive on. Watching on Saturday and seeing the superb work Shane Long put in and the amount of chances they create – look, I am going to eat it up really. I need to lay the ball off, get it to the creative players and wide men, then when the ball comes into the box, my movement takes me in there.”

Pardew delighted with Hennessey response

Having committed two costly mishaps in as many starts against Villa and Man City, Wayne Hennessey’s starting berth was under pressure as Palace welcomed Spurs to Selhurst Park last weekend. Afforded a chance to make amends, the Welshman produced an eye-catching eight saves in the 3-1 home loss – at least twice the number of stops as he’d managed in any previous league match this season. Post-match, Eagles boss Alan Pardew took time to acknowledge Hennessey’s showing, squashing any suggestion of a change between the sticks:

“I was pleased with Wayne Hennessey. There was a lot of pressure on him and I thought he was terrific. He had no chance for the two finishes at the end. You need to see your keeper respond when he’s under pressure and he did. His kicking and everything was on the money.”

Williams hails Guidolin’s tactics

Francesco Guidolin steered Swansea to a 2-1 away win over Everton in his first match at the helm, marking the first time this season that the Welsh outfit have secured back-to-back victories. Their triumph at Goodison Park was notable for the high-pressure tactics they employed, with Wayne Routledge and a resurgent Andre Ayew (two goals and as many assists in three) leading by example from the front. After the much-needed victory, Ashley Williams suggested that Guidolin’s new pressing tactics will be key as the Welsh club bid to beat the drop:

“He’s come in and he’s been brilliant. He’s given the place a bit of a lift and he’s very animated. He’s got through what he wants during training sessions, and hopefully he was happy with what he saw but can still identify ways to improve too. The pressing game is something that the gaffer wanted to instill quickly in the first few days – trying to win the ball back higher, being on the front foot. You can see in the clips there that the midfield put a real shift in, with boys on the front foot, not letting them have any time and trying to win the ball high. And, especially in the first half, I thought we did that really well. Everyone has tried to impress him and I’m pleased for him that he got a win on his first day.”

Flores explains change of formation

In response to Watford’s string of four straight defeats, Quique Sanchez Flores opted to switch from a 4-4-2 to a 4-3-2-1 set-up, which helped his side produce a vital 2-1 home victory over Newcastle. Only two teams racked up more attempts (10) than the Hornets last Gameweek, while the Hertfordshire outfit ranked top for big chances (five), illustrating the success of the formation change. Flores suggested that the 4-3-2-1 system suits Jurado in particular, given that he’s afforded a greater license to exert his influence on the attacking front:

“We needed to do something different after four losses. So for us it was important to change the shape to 4-3-2-1. Playing with Jurado and Deeney behind Ighalo is working well. We created problems for Newcastle. The cover for Jurado is (Valon) Behrami. It’s different. When you are a winger you have to run in this position and when we lose the ball you need to return as quickly as possible. In this position he (Jurado) is a bit freer, he can go in attack with (Etienne) Capoue or the strikers. If we lose the ball passing the ball we have Behrami who is very quick to cover this position. I think the players enjoyed it in the first half and the fans enjoyed the match a lot”