Say What? returns to thaw the winter chatter as we recap Gameweek 23 in soundbite form. This week we hear from a dogged Diego Costa on his much-publicised suspension, while Graziano Pelle and Adnan Januzaj take opposing stances on self sacrifice. Arsene Wenger, Brendan Rodgers and Roberto Martinez discuss team progression and discuss their main strikers, whilst Louis van Gaal makes an appearance to talk team selection strategy.
Diego Costa’s suspension for Chelsea’s Gameweek 23 tie against Manchester City on Saturday ranked high on the fantasy agenda – the Fantasy Premier League’s top scorer was subject to over 500,000 sales after the FA confirmed a three-match ban for a ‘stamp’ on Liverpool’s Emre Can during their Capital One Cup clash at Stamford Bridge. The controversial forward has accepted his punishment, but went on to sound a philosophy to the Fantasy community over his future conduct.
“I’m a different guy off the pitch, as you can see, but on the pitch I will not change. I know when I get home I can sleep in peace because I know I didn’t mean to do it. I want to be competitive, I want to run all over – I want to win. I love playing games and so during those 90 minutes, it’s always 100 per cent. You have to see how many times have I injured someone. Never… Yes, I’ve had loads of incidents maybe even more (when I played) in Spain. But that’s the way I play. I’m not going to change the way I play because I got banned for a few games now. Whatever happens on the pitch stays on the pitch. After the game I shake hands with the defender. Job done, I go home, he goes home. We’re all mates. It’s all good. That’s how I see football. That’s how I play football.”
With Costa’s ownership plummeting, Daniel Sturridge made a timely return to the Fantasy scene. The England striker notched his first Premier League goal since the opening day of the season as Brendan Rogers eased him back into first team action with a 23-minute run out against West Ham. Rodgers revealed that while his star forward is a little way of a place in his first XI, he plans to capitalise on Sturridge’s threat from the bench.
“He’s still a bit of time off starting. You saw in the period when he came on, he was still getting used to the surroundings again in the 25 minutes or so he had on the pitch, so it’s just about bedding him back in. But to know that he’s there over the next two to three weeks, when it will be about regaining his football fitness and until he’s ready to start, he’s going to be a great asset for us off the bench. We need to assess it over the next week again but obviously we’ve got games and he’ll be getting his football fitness in those games. It takes a bit of time and he’s been out for a long spell so we just want to make sure that he’s ready and fit to start.”
Arsenal’s Olivier Giroud has also made a solid case for investment with a goal and an assist as the Gunners continued to build momentum with a comfortable 5-0 win over Aston Villa. Giroud opened the scoring from a delightful through ball from Mesut Özil before providing the German with a goal of his own, and Arsene Wenger was quick to highlight the Frenchman’s improvement since returning to the first team.
“He’s much more focused, technically he has improved, his feet have improved, his movement has improved and he has a big presence in the game. It’s no coincidence that when he comes back, you feel strong.”
The Gunners’ five goals certainly drew the plaudits but the result did little to shadow the growing appeal of their defence right now. Wenger’s decision to hand David Ospina a run in the XI has coincided with three consecutive clean sheets, following notable wins against an in-form Stoke City and reigning champions Manchester City, but Fantasy managers looking for a green light to sign the in-form Columbian will be made to sweat after Wenger’s diplomatic encouragement of all three of his recognised goalkeepers.
“David Ospina has had some time to settle because he was injured when he arrived here. During that time we could see his dedication, his focus and his quality. He’s in a fight with Wojciech Szczesny to start at the moment. Wojciech is the No.1 but David has played recently. Can he retain the shirt in the coming games? We’ll decide that. I don’t forget Emiliano Martinez either, who I rate highly. We have three top goalkeepers and the fight for who starts is going on. You have to be consistent if you want to retain the shirt. It is a big test for a goalkeeper because you need to be committed, brave and not fazed by the challenges you get. The first signs that David has shown are positive but it is not done. Every game is now important for him.”
Up in Manchester, Louis Van Gaal was busy reflecting on United starlet Adnan Januzaj’s chances of nailing down a run in the first team as he wrestles competition from some of the squad’s higher profile names.
“He [Januzaj] has a lot of talent, but you have to perform that talent in the matches, and also in the training sessions, because I am not making the line-up – the players themselves are making the line-up. I watch the players every day, I observe and I communicate with them what I want. At the moment, I think: ‘OK, he is now ready to play. I have to compare him with [Juan] Mata, but in the next press conference, you shall ask why Mata is not playing. I have to choose and now I choose Januzaj. Every day, the players have to show it – I’ve said it to [Radamel] Falcao, I’ve said to Mata and I’ve said to Januzaj.”
While Januzaj fired off an ill-judged response to being asked to perform roles outside of his comfort zone…
“The system really can make it more difficult for me to play there but I have to keep working. That is what I am doing in training every day, as I want to get more games this season. My favourite position is as a No 10 or a winger. There are lots of players here and I can play in different roles – it’s just a case of taking my opportunities. I’m not really a wing-back. It’s harder for me because there is more defending involved and I’m not really a defender.”
No such concerns, though, for Southampton’s Graziano Pelle’s. The Saints striker’s scintillating early season form has somewhat dwindled, registering just two goals and an assist in his last 12 appearances. That may be in stark contrast to the six goals and four assists produced in his opening 11 matches but the Italian remains unfazed – citing results as the overriding focus.
“In the last period especially, when we change a bit away how to play, I know that I had to do a bit more sacrifices in the way to work for the team and for me it is a pleasure. I’m happy to run, because more and more fitter in the match – it is not a problem to do that. As I said before, we are a bit changed [from] the way we were starting the season. In the last period we had some games like with a 4-4-2 or I was the only striker with the other second striker behind me. I had to work more for the team instead and, at the end, be the main striker than waiting for a right ball to score. I got some few posts, but it is a part of the game. For me, I’m happy when the result at the end is fine. I say if I scored I would be two times more happy, but I’m still really enjoying the game. I’m still enjoying it and I’m happy because of that.”
Always a player with underlying statistics to ignite Fantasy dreams, Philippe Coutinho is finally looking capable of delivering consistently on his potential. The Brazilian has proved a wonderful example of a player flourishing thanks to change of tactics, according to Brendan Rodgers.
“He’s come into his own over the past couple of months. That’s purely because of the movement in front. He’s a creator. He looks for the last pass. For that type of player, you need that movement in front of the ball and people to penetrate in behind. At the beginning of the season we didn’t quite have that in the team. Phil was maybe on the ball that bit longer and getting caught more than he usually would. But you see him now and he’s in a real good moment. The rhythm of his game is good. I’m trying to just manage him because he’s played a lot of games.”
Over in the blue corner of Merseyside, Roberto Martinez touted a refreshed Romelu Lukaku and co. after the Toffees recent break away.
“I’ve seen the players mentally refreshed now, we had a little bit of a break and I thought today we looked really strong. It seemed an opportunity rather than a chore, to get the three points. So it was one where we had to focus, and now we can really enjoy it and look forward to the Merseyside derby. I was pleased with Romelu’s performance with the infectious way he was working in that forward line. I thought he looked powerful, I thought he looked really fresh and that was pleasing when you’ve got a striker like Romelu at that sort of level. I think we’ve all had a tough time as a team because we had such a high expectation of ourselves and when you don’t reach those expectations it’s going to be difficult. But I don’t think Romelu has any reason to feel down about it, he’s been an incredible footballer, he’s a responsible young man. And now he’s fully fit, he’s ready, he loves taking responsibility.
