Say What? – Gameweek 6

Say What? returns with tasty sound bites to recount the action from Gameweek 6. Diego Costa continued his goal-scoring exploits despite Jose Mourinho’s suggestion that his striker is not even training and we hear from both men on the matter. Alan Irvine pops in to talk of West Brom’s in-form defence, Sam Allardyce and Steve Bruce share concerns over their lack of defensive resolve, while Gus Poyet has problems at the other end of the pitch. Arsene Wenger discusses Calum Chambers’ versatility and Neil Warnock was a happy manager following some remarkably consistent form from a certain Jason Puncheon.

Over 64% of Fantasy Premier League (FPL) managers now own Diego da Silva Costa, so news of his condition makes for ready-made headlines. Thankfully, Jose Mourinho was happy to oblige with the latest on his irrepressible hit-man ahead of a crunch tie against Arsenal:

“I know for a striker scoring goals is always nice for his confidence, especially for a player like him, who is not training as he should because we are protecting him in certain situations. He’s doing almost nothing, just resting and recovering from the tight muscle he has every time he accumulates fatigue. If he doesn’t go to the national team and stays here for 15 days, just in treatment, recovering and making the muscle stronger, he has the perfect chance to be in top condition for Chelsea and the national team.

Mourinho went on to illustrate just how important Costa is to Chelsea’s current set up, but spared a sizeable thought for Loic Remy. The Blues manager going so far as to suggest the Remy was ready and able to deputise for the league’s top scorer, yet stopped short of indicating a start for the France international anytime soon:

“Diego is playing with us every match in the Premier League, the team has worked with him a lot of times. So the team at this moment is more made to play with Diego…Remy’s learning how to play with us. His movement is good, his pace is good, he can get behind defenders. He’s not bad in the air. I think he has some similarities with Diego and if he has to play, no problem.”

Costa, however, is keen to link up with the Spain squad – despite Mourinho’s wishes for a complete rest over the international fortnight. Speaking to the Spanish press after last night’s 1-0 win over Sporting Lisbon, the frontman played down suggestions that a call-up would trigger a “war” between Mourinho and Spain boss Vicente del Bosque:

“I do not believe that could happen. I have already had enough with the issue about Brazil. Now I must stay relaxed to be able to work and do things well, with the national team too. I hope I am okay to go with Spain. During the week I am working in an intensive way with the physios, because I have some issues from a while back. If I played 90 minutes it is clear that I am fine, I am feeling better all the time, and it is the boss’s [Vicente Del Bosque’s] decision.”

Just shy of 14% of the FPL managers have held on to Eden Hazard, despite avalanche sales approaching 200,000 since the Cesc Fábregas show opened in Gameweek 1. The Belgian winger now lies just outside the game’s top ten midfielders with 28 points after being hauled off on 67 minutes during the Blues’ 3-0 win over Aston Villa but while Mourinho admitted his star was off the pace, he remained upbeat about his overall contribution this season.

“I don’t know what he (Hazard) needs… He started the season well. Eden played good matches with us. I think it’s more an isolated not good performance than a period. No dramas and (I am) not too much worried about it, but (Saturday) was not his day, was not his performance.”

After recording a second consecutive clean sheet, West Brom boss Alan Irvine was quick to acknowledge the impact of former Manchester City and Everton star Joleon Lescott on his team’s defensive displays. Lescott made his injury-delayed debut in the Baggies’ 1-0 win at Spurs last week and his side followed up the result with an emphatic 4-0 home win over Burnley on Sunday. The Midlanders’ defence looks a viable place for investment for the bargain hunting FPL manager, with the likes of Andre Wisdom (4.1) and Craig Dawson (4.5) huge beneficiaries of Lescott’s return to action.

“His positional sense is very, very good and, as we know, if centre-backs stand in the right positions, they cut out a lot of the danger before it even comes. He has come in and has been a great influence on people around him. He has been a very, very important player to us, but he has been part of a great team performance in both the Tottenham and Burnley games.”

While Fantasy managers were busy lining up moves for West Ham’s attacking options, manager Sam Allardyce sounded a word of caution following his side’s 2-1 defeat at Old Trafford. Allardyce had made himself quite a reputation among the FPL faithful for producing reliable and affordable defensive options, but with the Hammers yet to record a single clean since initiating this season’s attacking philosophy, a change in emphasis could be on the cards.

“Our team seriously has to start thinking about not conceding too many goals. At the moment we have to score a minimum of two goals a game and I don’t think we’re quite there at the moment where we can score two or more goals every game to get where we want to.”

Callum Chambers is quickly emerging as one of pre-season’s better bargain punts. The former Southampton protégé initially afforded us a cheap, short-term route into one of the league’s most consistent defences but with Mathieu Debuchy sidelined through injury, the young Englishman has been handed an extended run in the side. Arsene Wenger has clearly been impressed with Chambers’ versatility and, given the Gunners’ excellent fixtures from Gameweek 8, the suggestion that Chambers could be groomed for a midfield role later in the season will come as welcome news to Fantasy owners and prospective buyers alike.

“He has been remarkable in every position. He has an unbelievable engine. He goes and goes. It’s not often that you see that quality…I’d consider playing him in midfield but I don’t know about Wednesday [against Galatasaray] because I only have four defenders at the moment.”

Crystal Palace kept up their attacking exploits in a solid 2-0 win at home to Leicester City, with £5.9m (FPL) winger Jason Puncheon picking up his third assist of the season. Much had been made of his relationship with Neil Warnock following the Eagles’ new managerial appointment at the start of the campaign, but with an assist or more in all but one of his appearances this season there is no doubt in Warnock’s mind that Puncheon is producing his best form for the club. With ownership as low as 3.5% after a dismissal in the season opener saw him miss Gameweek 2 (while Gylfi Sigurdsson was busy getting his bandwagon up and running), Puncheon has played a peripheral role on the Fantasy radar, making him an intriguing prospect for managers looking for a differential midfielder at the lower end of the price spectrum.

“We had an evening meal together and talked about it. I think he is enjoying it here, you have bust-ups and say things. He got told the wrong side of the tale at the time but the last couple of years he has been phenomenal and we are very pleased to have him. He probably isn’t getting as much limelight as Yannick (Bolasie), but I have told him he is a marked man this year. When they mark Jason tight they leave Yannick space, so it is six of one and half a dozen of the other at the moment. With his contribution he is a manager’s dream at the moment.”

Hull City manager Steve Bruce admits he may need to in his approach, following another valiant display in the 4-2 home defeat to Manchester City. The Tigers are yet to record a clean sheet since the 1-0 season opener at QPR, where Allan McGregor’s penalty save heroics resulted in their only win of the campaign. Alarmingly they’ve now conceded two or more in each of their last four matches but Bruce can take heart from the fact are yet to blank in front of goal, scoring six in their last three, though with trips to Arsenal and Liverpool in Gameweeks 8 and 9 respectively – followed by a return to the KC Stadium to host in-form Southampton – Bruce faces an uphill task in convincing Fantasy managers to invest in his faltering squad.

“You would fear the worst after the first 11 minutes, but they showed what they’re worth and showed a bit of character. We had a mountain to climb and we very nearly did it. We keep playing well and we’re in every game. We caused Manchester City huge problems, but it’s up to me to find the right balance for the side. We can’t keep expecting to score two or three goals every week.”

Gus Poyet was left to bemoan Sunderland’s lack of attacking potency following Fabio Borini’s summer departure. The Black Cats have now blanked in three of their last four Premier League fixtures served up back-to-back goalless draws Burnley and Swansea in the last couple of Gameweeks.

“I think in the last year, that’s why we’ve played with a 4-3-3. One winger and the other two were the strikers, because Fabio was doing a terrific job on the left, but he was playing as a striker. We haven’t found that formula yet. We tried in the beginning (of the season) with Connor (Wickham) and Fletch (Steven Fletcher). Now we’ve got more wingers than before. We’re trying to look for the formula that’s going to work and then you need to get a break.