Penalty duties, new formations, Michail Antonio’s self-regard and the rise of Antonio Valencia – it’s been an eventful week in Premier League land despite the international break.
Here’s the return of our weekly pick of the quotes from both managers and players.
Ranieri has a spot of bother…
With the Premier League choosing to crack down on the defensive ‘dark arts’ (aka ‘cheating’) this season, having a decent penalty taker in your Fantasy side has never been so vital.
But the key word there is ‘decent’, so the 23.7% of Fantasy Premier League (FPL) managers currently backing Riyad Mahrez – a figure getting on for three times the population of Leicester – might want to take heed of Claudio Ranieri’s latest musings.
Reacting to Mahrez’ spot-kick miss against Swansea – his third failure in his last four league attempts – Ranieri dilly-dinged:
“I am very disappointed because he (Mahrez) is a very good lad. They are both our penalty scorer, him and Vards, and he wanted to shoot. It is okay with me. Now I speak with both the lads and then if Riyad feels he doesn’t shoot then Jamie.”
A Mahrez missing penalties is not exactly a steal at 9.5, whereas a 9.9 Vardy scoring them looks rather more pleasingly priced.
Over to you, ‘lads’. Meanwhile, over 114,000 have shown Mahrez the door, with Sergio Aguero the only player to suffer more sales in the last 24 hours.
…as does Pardew..
Palace boss Alan Pardew could have similar predicament involving spot-kick incumbent Yohan Cabaye and wannabe Christian Benteke.
The Frenchman saw his latest effort, against Bournemouth, saved, prompting Pardew to break out his best “management-speak”…
“I might have to look at that (the penalty issue) going forward. But I don’t usually mind seeing the players sort it out between them.”
Seeing as Benteke has now said the following..
“I asked Yohan if I could take it and he said no. But the next one I will take it,”
… it would seem the Belgian has sorted it out between himself and…himself.
Priced at 7.4 and with a solid debut behind him – 10 penalty area touches, three attempts and two chances created – interest in Benteke is picking up. Nearly 120,000 FPL managers now own him, and if he’s on penalties for Palace, that figure is sure to rise further.
Cabaye’s appeal, meanwhile, would surely take a turn for the worse if he relinquishes spot-kick duties – three of the Frenchman’s five goals in 2015/16 arrived via the spot.
Moyes considers shape shifting..
Class might be permanent, but formations are decidedly more faddish, with 3-5-2 looking like being this season’s must-have tactical accessory.
Sunderland boss David Moyes is the latest to be considering freshening up his wardrobe, so to speak, with new man Jason Denayer at the heart of his thinking.
“With the possibility of injuries and suspensions, you really need four centre-backs. I also wanted him [Denayer} because he gives me the flexibility to play three at the back alongside Kone and Djilobodji, which I will do at times.”
3-5-2 = wing-backs = the tempting possibility of Patrick van Aanholt as an even more advanced Fantasy asset.
Certainly, the Dutchman has form as an attacking force. He’s scored once already this season and served up six goals, with a side order of four assists, last season.
Sunderland’s next four fixtures aren’t so bad either, with a tricky trip to Spurs but three home matches against Everton, Palace and West Brom.
Chelsea graft is key for Conte…
Another possibly pondering a switch to 3-5-2 is Chelsea’s Antonio Conte.
Having splurged deadline day cash on David Luiz and Marcos Alonso (both confirmed at 6.0 in FPL), the Italian has now reverted to his national stereotype by pondering his defensive approach.
“When you keep a clean sheet, the whole team works very well, not only the defenders. When we concede a goal, all of the team concedes a goal…If I am able to choose our way to defend it is to go forward and not behind.”
The arrival of Luiz and Alonso places question marks over the make-up of Conte’s preferred set-up and personnel at the back. Luiz is also always good for a goal or two. In his last Premier League season at Chelsea, in 2013/14, he ranked in the top five for attempts by defenders, despite only making 19 appearances.
Conte’s other wide men are also on his mind.
“During the game I ask a lot of my wingers and usually after 70 or 80 minutes they are very tired so it’s the right moment to change and put on fresh players to increase the intensity of the game.”
Would an Eden Hazard only playing 70 minutes per match suddenly become a less attractive proposition? Hard to tell. So far, Conte has subbed him twice, after 80 and 84 minutes, but by then he’d already scored in both matches, racking up maximum bonus points for good measure.
We’d rather have Hazard on the pitch running at tired legs and converting late penalties but, right now, we’ll take that on the chin in order to benefit from his current form.
Rooney’s no untouchable…
Nearly 60% of FPL managers are now aboard the Zlatan bandwagon – ten times the ownership figures for Wayne Rooney.
A goal and two assists for Rooney represents a decent return for a forward priced a chunky 2.8 less than the Swede.
But Zlatan himself would tell you that the world revolves around Zlatan, and Jose Mourinho certainly knows who of the two must take it for the team.
“I can take him (Rooney) out. It’s no problem for me to take him out, no problem for him to be out.”
Against Hull, ‘out’ meant ‘on the flank with Marcus Rashford taking your place alongside Ibrahimovic in the middle’.
Mourinho has never baulked when it comes to infamous decisions – be it dropping Spanish goalkeeping legends or London-based club doctors – so Rooney’s potential to be a United differential continues to waver.
If Rooney the striker might be surplus to requirements under Mourinho, so are wingers, as the Portuguese explained post-Hull.
“I didn’t need wingers because at this moment the wingers were [Antonio] Valencia and Luke Shaw.”
Shaw is proving the more popular among FPL managers thus far – his 25.7% ownership figures more than double those of Valencia – but it is the Ecuadorian who is bossing the attacking stats: first for crosses (18); successful crosses (5); chances created (4) and minutes per chance created (70) among regular defensive starters.
Valencia also leads the way for touches in the final third (100 and counting), inspiring teammate Ander Herrera to an eye-opening claim that he immediately qualified – all in the same breath.
“I know he’s not a normal right-back because he used to play as a winger, but I think that, right now, he is the best right-back in the world, maybe with Dani Alves, because I like Dani Alves a lot. I think Antonio is one of the best right-backs in the world.”
Man City beware…particularly as Valencia knows exactly what his role is these days – feeding Zlatan.
“Now we have someone in the box who we can aim for. In addition, we know exactly who he is and that he’s made a great impression at whatever club he’s played at. Now he’s started off on the right foot here at United and we’re all here to help him when we can.”
Antonio is a big fan of ..Antonio..
Sam Allardyce might not have the power to tell Wayne Rooney where to play, but West Ham coach Slaven Bilic has no such problem with winger Michail Antonio.
The new England player has often been deployed – against his wishes – at right-back for the Hammers this season, but he’s in such good nick that he’s still outscoring his team-mates, with 18 FPL points to date.
Priced at 7.0, he’s becoming an increasingly tempting alternative to 9.4-valued Dmitri Payet.
The Frenchman is still shaking off his Euro 2016 hangover and has managed just 28 minutes of action to date. Antonio has been busy in his absence, with two goals from five attempts and 14 penalty box touches.
And even during last season – Payet’s eye-opening Premier League debut campaign – the performances from the duo were strikingly similar, with Antonio scoring just one fewer goal (eight) from four less appearances.
Small wonder then that Antonio is not exactly short of confidence at the moment.
“I don’t feel that any full-back can handle me if I do it constantly because I know I’ve got the ability to beat them. This is because if I don’t beat them for pace then I can beat them for strength, if I can’t beat them for strength then I’ll beat them for pace.”
With that kind of self-assurance, Antonio doesn’t even need Ander Herrera to proclaim him the best winger in the world. Sorry, one of the best wingers in the world.
And the Hammers’ next four fixtures – home to Watford, Southampton and Middlesbrough and away at West Brom – look like giving him ample chances to back that up.
