Say What – Gameweek 25

Next up this Wednesday, we take time out to scour the post-Gameweek press conferences for any worthy soundbites. Claudio Ranieri admits he may manage Riyad Mahrez’ minutes late on in matches, Christian Fuchs hails Leicester’s set-piece abilities, Big Sam praises Sunderland’s improved fitness, whilst Romelu Lukaku reveals he played through the pain barrier in Everton’s win at the Britannia.

Ranieri won’t be resting Mahrez

Riyad Mahrez netted for the first time in eight outings during Leicester’s 3-1 triumph at Manchester City while also producing an assist for the third successive Gameweek. Considering that the Algerian is the only player so far this campaign that’s reached double figures for goals (14) and assists (10), Claudio Ranieri is well aware of how pivotal he is to the Foxes’ title charge. As such, the Italian boss admits that he’s loath to rest Mahrez, despite the fact he takes longer than most to recharge his batteries between fixtures:

“The first half we didn’t give him the good balls, but he worked so hard. In the second half he produced a fantastic performance because every time he got the ball something special could happen. He scored a fantastic goal. He is the kind of player who needs some time to recover but for me it is impossible to give him some rest. He is too important to us. He is the type of player who can invent something from nothing and I also ask him to go back and defend and be concentrated without the ball. It is not easy for a player who has his qualities. I took him off because his job was done.”

Lingard keen to improve eye for goal

Jesse Lingard’s opener against Chelsea represented his third goal in five starts, underlining his credentials as a budget fifth midfielder. Priced at 4.3 in FPL, the winger – who has now started each of the last five Gameweeks since recovering from injury, has revealed that his upturn in output is down to extra hours on the training ground, as he looks to improve his finishing technique in light of a vital miss in the Gameweek 21 draw against Newcastle:

“I work on it [finishing] in training and obviously after training. Especially after the Newcastle miss, I’ve worked hard on the training pitch and it came off today. He [Van Gaal] just said show more composure and control, control the ball before you shoot. I was very happy with the finish [at Chelsea] and it was just instinctive to turn and hit it. The boss has said that I’m getting back to my form now from what I had before my injury and I need to keep kicking on.”

Martinez explains Baines’ recent absence

Since picking up a knock and missing Everton’s FA Cup win over Carlisle United, Leighton Baines has been consigned to bench duty in the league, with Bryan Oviedo retaining a starting berth by virtue of his impressive displays at left-back. In the two matches that the Toffees have fielded their new-look defence – with the likes of Ramiro Funes Mori and goalkeeper Joel Robles also getting a look in – they’ve recorded back-to-back clean sheets. Roberto Martinez stressed the importance of rewarding players that stand-in effectively, which suggests that Baines, John Stones and Tim Howard will have to wait their turn:

“For Leighton it is the first time he has had a long time away from playing and sometimes that takes a bit of time to get the rhythm back. Leighton did well enough when he played and then he picked up a knock and missed the Carlisle game. At that point, as we always do, we allowed competition for places to ensure our levels were kept up from game to game. Bryan Oviedo did really, really well, the whole back four did, as did Joel Robles and they all kept their place. That continuity has given us a very good platform and that’s what you want as a squad. You want players who work hard to get an opportunity, they wait patiently for an opportunity and when they get that opportunity they need to be given the chance to keep that place.”

Dann looking for more goals

Scott Dann popped up with his second goal in as many starts to level things up against Swansea City last Gameweek, ensuring that he now ranks joint-top among defenders for goals (five). Moreover, the Eagles centre-back places third for attempts (seven), top for shots inside the box (seven) and top for shots on target (three) among his counterparts since Gameweek 22, illustrating his offensive threat. Dann said that he continues to drill that facet of his game in his quest for further success on the attacking front:

“I work hard on the training pitch to try and get myself on the end of things. It’s something I’ve always tried to do, because we haven’t scored many goals this season, especially the lads at the top of the pitch. So, whoever puts the ball in the back of the net, especially lately, it’s nice. It was nice I was able to help out and hopefully I can get a few more between now and the end of the season and get more points from.”

Lukaku willing to play through pain barrier

Following a blow to his back in the first half of Everton’s win over Newcastle United, Romelu Lukaku revealed that he was still contending with the after-effects at Stoke City last Gameweek. Nonetheless, the Belgian international went on to snap a five-match goalless streak, irking nearly 400,000 Fantasy managers that shipped him out prior to that match-up. Lukaku was pleased with how he fared in the circumstances but is now striving for 100% fitness ahead of the Merseysiders’ home tie against West Bromwich Albion:

“I was a bit hesitant in training [on Friday] but I just went out there and went through the pain. I’ve done it several times in my Everton career – it’s not the first time – but even at 80 per cent I was able to help my teammates; not the way I wanted to, but I did my fair share of the hard work, like everybody does in this team, and I’m happy to have scored as well. I want to get back to 100 per cent now so I can give even more to the team.”

Fuchs hails Foxes set-pieces

Robert Huth proved an unlikely hero for Leicester at the Etihad, scoring in both halves while turning out an assured performance in central defence. That being said, the German centre-back ranks fifth among defenders for shots inside the box (15) this term, so it’s not surprising to see him grace the scoresheet. Huth’s second strike came through a corner from Christian Fuchs, who notched his second assist in five starts. The Austrian full-back reckons his team-mate’s recent flourish – which also harvested a recent match-winner at Spurs – is the result of the Foxes focus on dead-ball situations:

“I was very happy for Huthy (Robert Huth) because the corner kick worked out again. I think the coach said it already that it’s not only important that [Jamie] Vardy and [Riyad] Mahrez are scoring goals, but that other people are scoring the goals. This time Huthy did a great job, once with the foot – that was unbelievable after the free kick at home, and then with the header, which he’s known for. It was copy and paste from the Tottenham goal.”

Wenger talks up Oxlade-Chamberlain

Picked ahead of Theo Walcott and Joel Campbell on the right wing at Bournemouth, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain rewarded the faith invested in him by Arsene Wenger, doubling Arsenal’s advantage just 88 seconds after Mesut Ozil’s opener. The jet-heeled wide man arguably did enough to justify more regular minutes in the short term, yet Wenger elected to sub him off at the 67-minute mark on the grounds of fatigue. Prior to the weekend clash with Leicester, the Gunners boss is now looking for more goals from the former Southampton man if he’s to retain his starting berth:

“He has huge talent. He works very hard now and is focused. I felt he was a bit tired in the second half and could not sustain the level he had in the first half completely, but with his power and technique I expect him to score goals.”

Martinez praise for Cleverley

A recent switch to the Everton left flank looks to have improved Tom Cleverley’s Fantasy prospects. The former United man has served up three assists in his previous two starts, helping the Toffees secure consecutive 3-0 wins over Newcastle and Stoke as Roberto Martinez’ men start to develop some consistency. Cleverley now lays claim to one goal and four assists in six outings and, according to Roberto Martinez, has the potential to become a key figure for the Merseysiders in the final third:

“Clearly for whatever reason he didn’t fit in another football club, but in our football club you can really see the value that he has, the effect he has on other player. I want to see him go from strength to strength because I know there is so much more to come from him. You saw the delivery, the work rate. I think we have ten goals a season to get into his game very quickly. And I think he can go even further. Technically as good as you are going to get. Probably his football understanding as good as you are going to get and that showed today. The way he executes, the way that he reads the game, the way he gives you a platform for the ball. His run for the penalty is something we have been working on.”

Allardyce on improved Sunderland fitness

Sunderland headed into the final 10 minutes at Anfield with a two-goal deficit but fought to the last and restored parity by way of late strikes from Adam Johnson and Jermain Defoe. Over the last five Gameweeks, the Black Cats have come from behind to beat Swansea and also earn a point against Bournemouth and, according to Sam Allardyce, his men are finally benefitting from his high-intensity training exercises:

“We’ve increased their level of fitness by 15-20 per cent since I’ve been here. We’ve now given them the opportunity physically to produce a performance which they weren’t capable of when I first arrived. Now it’s down to the technique and quality. We’ve had to get the players to a different level of fitness, so they’ve got more physical capability of achieving a result. I remember when I first got here, upping the level of training and thinking ‘Oh my God, are we doing the right thing? Three players got injured in the Newcastle game – John O’Shea and Ola (Toivonen) and then Younes Kaboul at the end with a groin. I wondered if we were making the changes too quickly. But we were brave enough to continue and through the Christmas period, while the results haven’t gone as well as we’d wanted, we’ve had players available.”