The pre-match press conferences for Gameweek 9 began earlier than usual on Wednesday, with the managers of the two clubs in action on Friday, Leeds United and West Ham United, facing the media.
All the key quotes are in the article below.
The managers of the other 18 Premier League clubs will fulfil their media commitments on Thursday and Friday.
KEY GAMEWEEK 9 INJURY UPDATES FROM WEDNESDAY
- Leeds United: Struijk + Ampadu hit by illness, Farke still unsure on Gnonto + Okafor
- West Ham United: Mavropanos joins Fullkrug on the sidelines
LEEDS UNITED
Wilfried Gnonto (hernia) and Noah Okafor (adductor) remain question marks for the Gameweek 9 curtain-raiser, with the pair not yet fully in training.
“Noah Okafor and Willy Gnonto are making some good progress in their rehab but they were not able to complete the whole team training during this week so far. We will definitely take some late decisions.
“Noah was not out as long as Willy, perhaps for him it is a bit more realistic to be involved, but we will see.” – Daniel Farke
Harry Gray (hip) returned to team training on Tuesday, at least.
It’s not just injuries that Farke has to contend with but illness, too, with regulars Pascal Struijk and Ethan Ampadu affected.
“A few players are struggling with illnesses at the moment. Ethan Ampadu and Pascal Struijk missed team training today, so also question marks about their availability. So, there will be some late calls.” – Daniel Farke
When asked about Anton Stach‘s dip in form, Farke revealed that the midfielder had been playing through a broken finger and a rib injury of late.
“I think overall he has delivered, over the course of the first games, really, really good performaces. Top signing for us, crucial. A key player for us.
“Yes, I would agree the last two games were perhaps not at the top, top level that he has shown before. He’s also he’s a big dude, he has played with a broken finger and a problem with his body. If you have then two or three problems as a player, sometimes you’re more concentrated on yourself than to play with freedom and to enjoy yourself. I think you could tell this about him in the last two games – they were not poor peformances but perhaps not at the top level like he was before. It will be important for him right now to get rid of these physical problems with his fingers, with his ribs. As soon as he’s back to top physical fitness, I think he will keep going and deliver top performances.
“This week, having a bit time to recover was beneficial for him, I hope that he can step up a little bit.” – Daniel Farke on Anton Stach
The Leeds boss declared himself happy with recent displays, even in defeat, but grilled on whether he would consider changing his defence or goalkeeper after successive losses, he wouldn’t rule out the prospect.
“Sometimes when you have two or three results that don’t go your way, perhaps also change in the line-up can bring the momentum back. I wouldn’t rule this out but it’s not a question anyhow of who plays, it’s more like whoever will be in the starting line-up brings this attitude to be switched on to the small details.” – Daniel Farke
WEST HAM UNITED
Konstantinos Mavropanos looks set to miss Gameweek 9 after suffering a muscular injury in Monday night’s home defeat to Brentford.
The Greek defender faces a scan to determine the extent of the damage.
“Yeah, he is injured, he came off. Now he’s doing a scan to see the real injury that he has.
“I cannot answer exactly how long he’s going to be out. For sure, this game is not an option for us, unfortunately.” – Nuno Espirito Santo on Konstantinos Mavropanos
Niclas Fullkrug (thigh) and George Earthy (hamstring) remain out, too.
Nuno was asked about his half-time substitutions in Gameweek 8, when he brought on the three defenders he had dropped.
“It was three [changes], could be five. You know what I mean? We’ve been able to compete well and play really good during first 20 minutes and after that the team was not solid, was not compact. The reason behind was not individual performance, it was to try and find a better solution so we can go for the second half, stay in the game and we didn’t achieve it, unfortunately, to go and draw and get the win. That was the reason behind that.” – Nuno Espirito Santo
The West Ham boss was also asked about not using Callum Wilson yet but would only say that the striker is “working well”.
