We scour the press conferences over the last few days to snap up some pertinent sound bites for your perusal. Aaron Ramsey discusses his role on the Arsenal right, Mauricio Pochettino is looking for a better balance for Spurs, whilst Ronald Koeman and Alan Pardew discuss Sadio Mane and Yannick Bolasie’s weekend performances:
Ramsey looking for central role again
Since Arsenal’s Gameweek 31 match-up against Liverpool, Aaron Ramsey has been deployed on the right flank in Arsene Wenger’s favoured 4-2-3-1 formation. In his six starts at that position, Ramsey tallied two goals and three assists, yet the Welsh midfielder would prefer to be more involved in the build-up play from a central position. Speaking on Wednesday last week, Ramsey revealed that he’s not too thrilled with his current position in the Gunners’ first-team set-up:
“It [playing on the right] is not my preferred position. I am a central midfielder and that’s where I like to be. I like to be involved a lot more in the game. But the manager’s asked me to do a job out there, and I do have the licence to drift in and get involved. When we are defending, I have to stay in position but when we get the ball I can drift. I am not a winger, I can’t knock the ball beyond my man like Theo [Walcott] does. I prefer to get in the little pockets of space, get involved and play the combinations but it is important to do a job for the team.”
Pochettino targets defensive balance
Despite boasting the fifth most potent attack (57 goals) in the league this term, Tottenham Hotspur have struggled at the other end of the pitch, conceding the second- most number of big chances (72) and shots inside the box (334). Furthermore, Spurs rank fourth worst with regards to shut-outs (eight), following their second clean sheet in 14 outings on Saturday. Prior to their 2-0 win over Hull, manager Mauricio Pochettino conceded he is well aware that the North London club need to adjust tactically to improve the defensive aspect of their game:
“This is a little bit of a shame because we are fifth [in the scoring standings] because we score a lot of goals but we are fifth from bottom in the goals we concede. We need to find this balance, we need to be more consistent because in the way that we played, we are offensive, we score a lot of goals. We have three players with more than 10 goals. I think we are the only team [to do that] as we have Harry Kane, Nacer Chadli and Christian Eriksen. Not Chelsea, not Arsenal, not another team have three players [in double figures]. But we need to find this balance better offensively and defensively, and we need to improve a lot in our defensive situation.”
Martinez hails Lukaku’s mental diligence
Romelu Lukaku netted his first goal from open play since Gameweek 23 in a 2-1 victory over West Ham United on Saturday. The Belgian frontman’s sixth goal in as many starts against the Hammers provided him with a much-needed boost, following an 11-match spell that harvested just two goals. Lukaku fired nine attempts on goal last weekend and also picked up the assist for Leon Osman’s opener, which helped to contribute to his highest points tally (12) this season. Talking on Lukaku’s impact in his post-match press conference, Toffees boss Roberto Martinez praised his striker for remaining vigilant right till the last whistle:
“Rom loves playing against West Ham. Today he was very well defended throughout the whole game but what I was pleased about was how he never lost his concentration. He assisted the first goal and scored the winning goal but he had a few other opportunities and he was always in the game. That’s important for a young man like him – he’s only 22 – he has that big game mentality in that he’s always switched on and waiting for the moment to give us three points and he was focused from inside.”
Koeman looking to harness Mane’s strengths
Sadio Mane surpassed the 10-goal mark in spectacular fashion this Gameweek, recording the fastest ever Premier League hat-trick (two minutes, 56 seconds). The Senegalese winger also bagged an assist en route to the highest points tally (23) of any player so far this Gameweek. Mane’s constant harrying of Aston Villa’s defence forced them into mistakes – most notably when Ron Vlaar played an ill-advised square ball across the back line – which is something Saints boss Ronald Koeman attributes to his searing pace. The Dutchman is keen for Mane to continue utilising this trait to exploit space in the channels and in behind opposing rearguards:
“I speak a lot to Sadio because first of all an important thing for the player is he has to know what his best quality is and the rest of the players have to know what the best qualities of Sadio (are). Sometimes I have a discussion and say ‘you sometimes go down too much when backing in. You need to make movements in the space and then you are so dangerous because nobody is so fast as you’. He is a scorer. If you go down or to the midfield you are a long way from the goal of the opponent and you have to use your qualities. Today he demonstrated what we expect from Sadio. He’s a great player, a great run player in front. We know for some players it’s the first season in the Premier League but you have to learn and still he’s a young player and he can do much better than he did. I believe that.”
Pardew challenges Bolasie to improve final product
Yannick Bolasie turned out a man-of-the-match performance in Steven Gerrard’s Anfield farewell, registering two assists as the Eagles ran out 3-1 victors over Liverpool. Yet for all the DR Congo international’s wing wizardry, he’s only netted in two matches this campaign, something that Palace boss Alan Pardew is keen to address. Pardew believes Bolasie terrifies defences with his sinuous dribbling but needs to start sticking the ball in the net in order to justify the praise:
“He showed where he is in his world. This is a man with fantastic power, pace and he’s a real dangerous threat. And yet, the final moment didn’t arrive for him until the second goal really. He had chances, he should have scored for us – that’s where he needs to go. He’s just scary, he’s got that scare-factor. It was nice of the Liverpool fans to clap him off when he got subbed. He was on show, everybody could see what he was about, but he’s not the finished product by any stretch of the imagination. He’s a guy that the top clubs could well be looking at but he needs to get that end product sorted out. If he can get that sorted out then the world of football will look at him.”
Pellegrini insists Bony remains key to City’s future
Since making the switch from Swansea City to Manchester City in the January transfer window, Wilfried Bony has earned just two starts, scoring twice in nine appearances. Bony’s involvement in the African cup of Nations and a couple of leg injuries initially rendered him unavailable for selection; yet in the last four Gameweeks, the Ivorian marksman has had to settle for bench duty, with Sergio Aguero thriving in a lone striker role. Questioned on Bony’s standing within the squad, manager Manuel Pellegrini revealed he didn’t want to make changes while the Sky Blues were in the midst of winning streak, before insisting that Bony will be a key figure at the Etihad next season.
“He was very unlucky maybe this year when we bought him because he started by going to the Africa Cup of Nations and he came back with a lot of games in his body. After that he had an important injury in his ankle and his knee in the same leg, so he stopped for about three or four weeks. After that we won five games in a row and I didn’t want to make changes during this moment, but I’m absolutely sure we bought the player that we need. I am absolutely sure that he will be an important player in our future.”
Hughes praises Butland heroics
Stoke City’s Jack Butland displaced the then-injured Asmir Begovic from the goalkeeping berth in a Gameweek 35 clash against Swansea and has started every fixture since. Despite chalking up back-to-back clean sheets – and making nine saves in the process – Potters boss Mark Hughes is poised to reinstate Begovic for their final league clash at home to Liverpool, reaffirming the Bosnian’s status as the club’s number one shot-stopper. Nonetheless, with rumours concerning Begovic’s possible summer departure gathering pace, Hughes took time out to praise Butland’s recent performances between the sticks:
“In the last three games he’s arguably got better in each game. There were a couple of outstanding saves first half (v Burnley) that kept us in the game and you know you’ve got a good goalkeeper when you’re not playing well and he stands up for you.”
Van Gaal questions Di Maria’s commitment
Whilst Ashley Young has racked up two goals and five assists in ten appearances, Angel Di Maria has been consigned to a bit-part role in the final quarter of the season and has failed to start a match since the Red Devils’ 1-0 win over Newcastle United in Gameweek 28. Expanding on the Argentina international’s continued omission, Van Gaal conceded that Di Maria’s inability to adapt means he will continue to struggle with United’s tactical approach :
“The players have had to adapt to the philosophy and Di Maria has to do that. He can still do that, of course, because every player can but it’s important that he wants to do that in his head. When you are open to coaching, then you can change but a change of behaviour is very difficult. Always, the old errors are coming back so a change of behaviour is not so easy so we have to wait and see. It’s not that Di Maria doesn’t have the quality. He has to perform in a way that we want. Not in the way I want but in the way we want as a club.”
