There really is no better curtain-raiser than a match against your biggest rivals, and this season Fulham open their campaign against neighbours Chelsea.
The same Chelsea who’ve spent £1.5bn over the last two years to finish 10th and miss out on Champions League football (I had to get the dig in early!).
This summer has been interesting for both clubs; Fulham moved on from Marco Silva, appointing the relatively untested, but exciting Alvaro Arbeloa – bringing with him two Real Madrid starlets and a different brand of football.
Chelsea moved on from Liam Rosenior, once of this parish, to Xabi Alonso who Arbeloa replaced at Real Madrid. Once World Cup winning teammates, this is going to be an exceptionally exciting tactical battle, and here are five things to look out for on MD1.
1. A higher intensity from Fulham
Under Marco Silva, the Whites had cemented themselves as one of the Premier Leagues rare mid-block sides – but, now under Arbeloa expect Fulham to press high, try to win the ball further up and get quicker through the transitions.
We’ve seen the seeds of this through pre-season; particularly in the games against Crystal Palace and Stuttgart. And while the ingredients are there, the press has looked incohesive at times.
The last two windows have seen the arrival of younger, fresher legs and we could see players like Kevin, Oscar Bobb, Gonzalo Garcia and Palacios capitalise on mistakes in the Chelsea backline. Expect to see a Fulham that try to play on the front-foot for longer periods, a side that will build the ball from the back using their wide-players and look for Sander Berge to have a more impactful role from deep.
2. Chelsea’s new 3-4-3
The Alonso era is the latest under BlueCo, but they’ve bought-low on a coach that delivered an undefeated Bundesliga campaign with Bayer Leverkusen just two years ago.
Their nine summer signings have signalled the change in formation that Alonso will bring. Morgan Rogers, Maxence Lacroix and even Danny Welbeck bring all the ingredients for a possession-heavy 3-4-3 that the Spaniard favours. But, Chelsea have struggled to be effective in the defensive third of the pitch during preseason, conceding 11 goals in six games, keeping just one clean sheet.
Three of the goals against came at the hands of Johor Darul Ta’zim (Never heard of him? Me neither). Their wingbacks have struggled to settle; Joao Pedro has been doing a lot of the heavy lifting in the attacking third and Lacroix has been shaky. It feels as though Chelsea are there to be attacked, even with more than £300m of talent arriving through the door.
3. King x Palacios link-up
These two young bucks are going to be a fun watch this season, that’s for sure.
Throughout preseason, Arbeloa has been using King in a second-striker role, deploying him in a more advanced role and that’s seen him play closer to Palacios, who loves to drift inside.
Palacios’s arrival has bought an element of silkiness that only Spanish football can breed. His ability to flow with the ball, and ability to pick passes has been a real headline this summer. The delightful reverse-pass during the game against Stuttgart was a small taste of what we have to come across 38 games. This preseason has seen green shoots of a blossoming partnership between the two, and their contribution will play a huge role in Fulham’s new press and attacking identity.
4. A rejuvenated left
Antonee Robinson had an injury-plagued campaign last year, despite high-hopes going into the 2025-26 season after the American full-back had registered 10 assists previously. By all accounts, it was a barren outing last term; zero assists and solitary goal from 22 appearances under some strong competition from Ryan Sessegnon and Timothy Castagne.
A return to form for Robinson, and a developing Kevin could be a lethal tandem down the left-hand side. Kevin looked exciting last year, albeit certainly raw at times. His fantastic goal against Manchester United outlined his brilliance, but amazingly the Brazilian is yet to play a full 90. If not Kevin, then Sessegnon has certainly shown flashes in pre-season finding the net twice… maybe the Sess Scoring Touch is returning! Throw in Palacios and Bobb, who had a fun World Cup, and Fulham could be dangerous in wide areas again.
5. Refurbished Hammy End toilets
This might just be the biggest news of the summer, to be honest.
The days of your trainers getting soaked in God-knows-what might be over! The club confirmed that the Hammy End toilets had been renovated over the summer with upgraded cubicles, toilets, new floor and most importantly upgraded plumbing.
May you all enjoy an upgraded bio-break. COYW!
High pressing with a dodgy defence is worrying
Its going to be a long season