Say What? returns from its winter break with a number of soundbites from a congested Fantasy schedule. This week we can taste the optimism on Merseyside courtesy of Brendan Rodgers and a couple of Toffees. Alan Pardew shares his excitement over Wilfried Zaha’s potential and Santi Cazorla romances a midfield role, while Gus Poyet calls for his squad to step up in support of his in-form wide man.
While Liverpool rolled up to the North East to face a battling Sunderland, Brendan Rodgers’ decision to allow Raheem Sterling a trip to Jamaica for some rest and recuperation received much attention – not least in the Fantasy arena, where over 30% of managers were banking on a performance from the youngster. But with three points secured, the Reds’ manager explained why he chose to rest Sterling and talked up the youngster’s prospects as Daniel Sturridge closes in on a return. Liverpool are now unbeaten in their last five Premier League outings and, after moving to a 3-4-3 formation, are just starting to showcase some of the form that earned them runners-up medals in last year’s campaign:
“Raheem was brilliant in the second half of last season. If we put him and (Daniel) Sturridge in that team now, with that way of working, it will be fantastic… After the World Cup I felt he needed a break but we had the Champions League and a lot of games. We had a plan that this was going to be the best time, after the Christmas period. He will come back now and mentally it will freshen him up. It is not just the physical fitness but the mental fitness that he needs. We have put so much on him since he came into the team as a 17-year-old. He has not had a break and has progressed through to being a full international player.”
Unfortunately for the man sat in the opposing dugout, Sunderland simply don’t have resources to afford such a luxurious solution to player fatigue. Gus Poyet called on the rest of his squad to alleviate some of the pressure to create goalscoring opportunities from the tiring Adam Johnson.
“Sometimes we are a bit unfair with him (Johnson) and give him all the responsibility. We need to share the responsibilities to go forward and create something. Someone needs to stand up, not always Adam Johnson. He was tired against Liverpool [in Saturday’s 1-0 defeat]. Adam had been a father and hadn’t trained for a couple of days. He wanted to play, but he had to track back too much. It was at the point where he couldn’t go past people because he was so tired.”
On the subject of player conditioning, Roberto Martinez now reckons record summer signing Romelu Lukaku is now fully fit – and it’s about time. In their last nine Premier League encounters, Everton have picked up just five points, with a solitary win coming against fellow strugglers QPR. The run has seen Lukaku register only a single Premier League strike (back in Gameweek 14 against Hull) but with West Brom arriving on Merseyside for Gameweek 22 and a subsequent trip to Crystal Palace, Martinez will be hoping the big Belgian can build on his recent performances ahead of another challenging run that pits his side against Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal in the following four.
“We are seeing the real Romelu now. With his pace and power, he is a player who needs to be at his very best physically. He can’t contribute properly when half fit. When came back from World Cup he wanted to be available but wasn’t quite fully fit. Now you are seeing him as a consistent performer. In the races with Mangala and Demichelis, he always looked in a strong position. His footwork was very good. And with the chance he had, Lukaku would have scored that nine times out of 10 but Joe Hart saved well.”
The man himself certainly seems up to the task should Martinez retain a more varied tactical approach going forward. After impressing against West Ham in the FA Cup, Lukaku suggested that Everton’s switch to a more direct style has helped him find the space in the final third to produce the goods…
“The players were asking about going more direct. I asked them, and we all said to the manager: ‘Can we play a bit more direct sometimes?’ We have a style of play where we keep the ball a lot, but knew we needed to take more responsibility, play to my strengths more, and they did it perfectly. We mixed up how we played a bit more, at times we were a bit more direct. For me that makes it easier, because when I am one v one, running on a defender, that gives me a better chance.”
Elsewhere, newly appointed Crystal Palace manager Alan Pardew reflected on Wilfried Zaha’s mercurial cameo in the win against Spurs. The 5.1-priced midfielder (in the Fantasy Premier League game) holds just 0.4% ownership, largely due to the irregularity of his pitch time, but with Yannick Bolasie featuring for Congo in the Africa Cup of Nations and a new manager keen to inspire confidence in the young forward, Zaha could blink on the Fantasy radar thanks to a favourable next four (bur, EVE, lei, NEW). Pardew has opted for a 4-3-3 in both his matches in charge, but with both last week’s wide men, Jason Puncheon and Dwight Gayle, getting amongst the goals, it remains to be seen whether Zaha can yet cement a starting berth.
“I felt that we needed a bit more maverick behaviour in the team and that was the reason for the sub at half time. That helped us and then Wilfried came on and gave me exactly the reaction I was looking for. I left him out because I wanted to see, if I’m honest, what his reaction would be like. This is a boy who I think confidence needs to be really rekindled and that will do him no harm from today. That 20 minutes was electrifying for us both… He needs to get that confidence back, so we need to build on that cameo. I really like him, I have always liked him, I enquired about him when I was Newcastle manager a couple of times and could not get him. But if he plays like that for 90 minutes he will get in every week. He has done himself no harm today.”
But for the colossal Alexis Sanchez-shaped shadow cast over him, Santi Cazorla may well have garnered significantly more attention from Fantasy managers. The Spaniard has demonstrated fine form reminiscent of his debut campaign in England since moving in from the wings, largely as a result of injuries to other high profile Gunners, and Cazorla went on to declare his love for playing in a central midfield role.
“I am a midfielder and I always want to help the team score, and I will try to make more before the end of the season. I have more space [in the middle], more possibilities to score and assist, and I like this position very much. I always can help the team and I love when I play in the middle. I want to continue to play at this level for the rest of the season.”
While Cazorla’s bond with a central midfield role grew ever stronger, manager Arsene Wenger faces a real dilemma between the posts. Wojciech Szczesny had been Arsenal’s number one for much of his young career but after Wenger handed David Ospina a start for Sunday’s 3-0 win Stoke, doubts are beginning to surface over the Gunners’ first-choice keeper, after the manager’s guarded comments.
“I don’t know, how can you take that decision? You know how [a player] would take that decision. Szczesny is the No 1, and then David [Ospina] and [Emiliano] Martinez are in competition with him. I do not want to talk too much about it, because the more I talk, the less I will inform you.”
Finally, Newcastle interim manager John Carver hailed Remy Cabella’s impact despite seeing his side suffer a 2-0 defeat at table-toppers Chelsea. The France international has failed to deliver on his potential since arriving on Tyneside, but with a change in leadership on Tyneside, Cabella may finally be afforded the opportunity to realise his potential.
“Remy’s been a little bit frustrating, but I think he showed what he’s worth. He was outstanding in possession and every time he tried to break, somebody was clipping him to stop the momentum. He added the other side of the game which is the hard work, but he has now set a standard, it is no good just doing it on a one-off. If he performs like that then he can get our fans on the edge of their seat because he had me on the edge of mine.”
