Ball Watching: Sticking with Di Maria

Ball Watching: Sticking with Di Maria

This article is part of our Ball Watching series.

Cisse > Kane

Papiss Cisse's numbers are more impressive than Harry Kane's. The Senegalese forward's 11 goals are less than Kane's 14, but they have come in far fewer minutes. Cisse leads the Premier League in goals per 90 minutes at 0.98 (almost a goal per full game), and new manager John Carver is not nearly as worried about Cisse's knee problem as former manager Alan Pardew was. Consistent playing time was the only knock against Cisse and that appears to have been resolved.

Is it time to bench Alexis Sanchez?

The Chilean has been invisible since Mesut Ozil's return (no goals or assists in the past four games) and, conversely, the German has tallied two goals and five assists and has linked up phenomenally with French striker Olivier Giroud. Ozil's return has also suffocated Santi Cazorla's value, with the Spaniard relying mostly on penalties for his offensive output.

Crystal Palace's Midfield is Legit

Saturday marked the first time the entirety of Palace's fantasy-relevant midfield started together. The result was Jason Puncheon assisting on all three goals due to the open spaces created by wide-men Yannick Bolasie and Wilfried Zaha. Furthermore, Mile Jedinak sparkled as the boss of the midfield, distributing the ball and taking offensive free kicks. Depending on the scoring, there is a case to start all four of those Palace midfield options.

Confidence in Di Maria

Angel Di Maria's pricemay be dropping, but confidence in the Argentine shouldn't. Yes, he was substituted after 45 minutes in favor of Adnan Januzaj and yes, he hasn't scored in 14 games, but manager Louis van Gaal is not going to abandon Di Maria. Should the midfielder's price drop, feel free to pick him up with confidence. Di Maria's talents and opportunity are too great to ignore with the likes of Wayne Rooney and Falcao playing alongside.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Mike Gottlieb
Mike Gottlieb was a podcast host and contributing writer at Rotowire.com. He is a supporter of the Colorado Avalanche, San Diego Chargers, and Chelsea FC. He also understands how random that is.
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