Well, what a difference a week makes.
The vitriol towards Alvaro Arbeloa has subsided somewhat, and a more optimistic approach to the game against Coventry is prevailing. This game is the last of three against newly promoted sides, and Fulham must be looking to exit this string of fixtures with six points.
Coventry have had a mixed start to life back in the topflight, picking up impressive wins against Nottingham Forest and Newcastle, while being blown away by Arsenal and Brighton – which no slight against them considering the form of both teams. Their latest performance, away at Tottenham, will have slammed them back down to earth though as an unconvincing Spurs collected their first win of the season.
This is a chance for Fulham to collect their second win of the campaign, and should results go in our favour, could see the Whites climb as high as 11th. Breaking our duck last weekend was a weight off the boys’ shoulders and expectations will be higher as we visit the CBS Arena (RIP the Ricoh).
So, as we take on the Sky Blues, who are equally as indebted to Jimmy Hill as we are, here are five things to look out for.
1. Finishing chances
Far from getting mauled last weekend, the Tigers rolled over and showed Fulham their bellies. It was a puzzling approach from a side that typically counters well, and, for the most part, defend quite resolutely. We registered 18 shots across the 90 minutes, only producing the one goal. The scoreline could easily have been 3, 4 or 5-0 to the home side. There were golden opportunities for Gonzalo Garcia and Josh King, among others, and Fulham must be far more clinical.
Gonzalo needs a goal to boost his confidence; he is continuing to link up with those around him but is rushing chances. Against Ipswich he chose to go near post when an effort to the far post could have been a better opportunity, and anywhere but the crossbar would have been a goal against Hull. The chances are coming, which is always a good sign, but it’s time to put them away. Slow it down half a second and pick your spot. Perhaps Muniz starts this one - if he does Sammy James will be happy.
2. Beware the Coventry counters
Frank Lampard openly commented on Fulham’s ability to create chances through building slowly through phases or playing through the opposition at pace. This immediately points to the Sky Blues taking a more cautious approach and looking to hit Fulham on the counter. Although their goal against Spurs wasn’t indirectly on the counter, they showed plenty of threat moving through the phases quickly. The trend for newly promoted sides is to rely on being compact, and investing in quicker players in wide areas, something that Coventry have replicated.
Jack Rudoni is the star man; it’s not an understatement to say that Coventry primarily run through him. His is technically able, floats around the pitch and can link play nicely. Brandon Thomas-Asante is a name that Fulham fans will be familiar with, and he has come into his own over the last two seasons; adding goals to his game alongside assists. His pace and power will be a handful and will be the biggest threat alongside Rudoni. Fulham have to be careful when committing players forward, especially in the latter stages with these two around.
In contrast, though, the Whites have tightened up significantly from a defensive point of view. Only Nottingham Forest has conceded fewer goals than Fulham over the last few weeks of the season, excluding the top eight teams. This can be directly attributed to the reshaping of the midfield and providing clearer roles to players defending the counter. The balance of the two defensive pivots and an emerging David Affengruber has bought better stability to Fulham without taking away from attacking phases.
3. Playing through the opposition
This is an area of Fulham’s style that has developed over recent weeks and was particularly prominent against Hull. As we discussed last week, the key to getting the most out of that game was to hit the channels, play through the lines quicker and use short interchanges.
This style has led to further creation of high danger chances and bought players like Josh King to the forefront of everything we do well. Fulham are beginning to move in packs, finding pockets and creating overloads – particularly when linking midfield to wider areas. Alex Iwobi, who sometimes splits opinion, has been the biggest key to this success. His ability to act as a connector and find pockets has been a key reason for Fulham looking some comfortable in possession. His goal against Hull was just rewards.
Although Coventry have conceded 14 goals in seven matches, they do have an emerging star in Bobby Thomas. The centre-half is responsible for the majority of Coventry’s defensive output, and luring him out of position to strike gaps is going to be crucial to success.
While it’s often easy to focus on the attacking element of Fulham’s game, an element of the effectiveness has come from centre-half. The previously mentioned Affengruber has been an important part of moving the ball through the thirds effectively – he is also starting to develop a trademark pass into Charles/Berge as the sit in the natural “eight” position. This has had a good impact on Fulham turning the tables on their opposition.
4. The youth revolution
Fulham’s squad composition was discussed extensively over the summer, there was a need to balance youth and ageing players, an expressed desire for bigger roles for Josh King. The emergence of a player or two from the academy would also be well received, but instead the transfer market was used to quicken that cycle. I am personally on board with this, and welcome investing in youth that could return higher fees in the future. (Not you, Josh King - stay for life). But among this it’s important to note that a portion of Fulham’s “core” have less than 100 Premier League games between them. King, Bobb, Charles, Affengruber and Gonzalo are all relatively fresh. It’s important to stick by them.
We saw from the Hull performance that this defined style of play under Alvaro Arbeloa is beginning to take shape, notably the suffocation of the opposition through possession when holding on a lead. This is primarily based on heavily rehearsed patterns of play, and moving through the motions. It’s admirable that those core players are adapting so quickly, and it has been equally admirable to see other players such as Bassey, Robinson and Castagne transform into quiet leaders.
5. What Arbeloa will we see this weekend?
While last weekend’s article felt like an Arbeloa protest piece, and this week feels more measured. It’s going to be interesting to see which version of the Spaniard we get this weekend. It felt like he made a point by clapping the fans this weekend, which drew both ire and admiration in equal parts – it’s interesting that happened given his pre-match press conference and then securing three points.
He has stuck to his principles throughout this period of intense scrutiny, and the players do seem to be onside more than previous stages in the season. There certainly is some room for optimism, even if a good portion of fans don’t believe that he is the right man for the job long-term, myself included.
Either way, let’s hope for a second win of the season this weekend. COYW