Fulham's miserable Saturday needs to be forgotten quickly
Negative tactics and a negative result rears old problems to the fore.
Well, the unbeaten run was fun while it lasted. Saturday’s last-gasp defeat at Leeds United felt like a bit of ‘normal service resumed’ after the euphoria of the past month.
Lukas Nmecha’s stoppage-time winner for Leeds was fully deserved and it re-raised some of the problems around the club which had been swept under the carpet over the positive Christmas period.
There’s not one saving grace from Saturday. You can’t even point to a missed chance that might have changed the game or even an individual performance that deserved credit. We were flat, stagnant rabbits in headlights - seemingly unable to deal with both Daniel Farke’s system and the intense Elland Road atmosphere.
The only thing that saves Marco Silva in my opinion is the credit in the bank he’s built up over the last month. Since the start of the AFCON, Marco has produced miracle after miracle, picking up points from games that none of us expected. Saturday’s performance and result was what I expected from the last month without our three key Nigerians; it’s a bit weird that it only surfaced right at the very end of that period.
Naturally there is frustration whenever you lose a game to a newly-promoted club. Any team wanting to push up the table shouldn’t be losing to teams that were in the Championship last season. However, Leeds have proved that they’re a force to be reckoned with at Elland Road and I don’t think this result will blot the copy book too much when the season is done.
Of course, I think the biggest frustration was the fact that Marco Silva clearly was playing for a point. Much has been made of the Issa Diop for Harry Wilson substitution, which was the tactical equivalent of waving a white flag from the touchline. Fair enough if we were leading, but to protect a 0-0 draw? I thought Marco was a bit braver than that.
Of course, he would argue that all draws away from home in the Premier League are good draws, and sometimes you just need to cash your chips when the cards are against you. The attacking depth is so limited, and I’m sure if he had Chukwueze and Iwobi available, he’d have made different choices.
As fans though, I think we’d have all understood if we lost 1-0 trying to win the game. We’re not in danger of going down, so why not go for all three points? If we were scrapping for our lives, I’d have understood the decision more, but it was a bit out of character for Marco to be so reserved in the heat of the battle.
However, I do think we can put Saturday behind us pretty quickly. One defeat shouldn’t be allowed to spiral out of control, we will have the AFCON boys back for Saturday’s home match against Brighton, and I reckon it’ll feel like a very different occasion. Three points and I don’t see why Saturday can’t just be regarded as a small bump in the road.
If you’re in the market for more analysis on Saturday’s defeat, then Fulhamish has you covered - although I’d understand if you would like to bury your head in the sand about it all. Owen McDonald’s regular column paints a similar picture to mine, whereby Fulham have an opportunity to consign the grimness of Saturday to the record books if we can use the return of the AFCON players as a springboard.
George Rossiter was pretty scathing of the team in his player ratings, in particular Antonee Robinson and Ryan Sessegnon who had particularly poor games. There was a bit of positivity however, with Jorge Cuenca picking up (limited) praise for what was another assured performance at centre-back. Surely Calvin Bassey will have to spend some time on the bench given how the Spaniard has been performing.
Finally, there’s the Quick Take with Elizabeth and Yasmin who were both at the game in Leeds. As you can imagine, the comments are awash with smug Leeds fans who were very happy at getting a big result against the mighty Fulham.
More reaction on the podcast later today and then hopefully we can put this one to bed. A nice Saturday 3pm fixture at the Cottage and three points is the antidote we need next weekend. You Whites.
There are several premier league managers that can organize a club to avoid relegation (eg. Alan Pardue, Sean Dyche, Steve Bruce et al ) but only a handful that can challenge for the title. What we saw on Saturday was void of ambition because the successes of the previous few matches dictated the starting lineup - namely Cairney & Kevin.
The actual lineup didn't work. ESR on the left wing, which we know from last year is poor. Wilson centrally may work with a lively midfield or right winger - he got neither. Leave him on the right where it has worked marvellously all year - especially lacking the bench strength of missing Afcon players.
Personally I'd wait to see if another collapse - 3rd year in a row - is halted. We have the players. Stop the wild experiments. Yes, tinker with our shape depending on the opposition but please always keep winning as paramount. Flushing may remove some of the odour because we want to return to the enjoyment of 'Festive Fixtures'. Then we can impart on the club that reaching up is a state of mind. COYW
As an outsider looking in, Marco Silva has done a fantastic job at Fulham building a team that plays good football whilst improving players. The AFCON was always going to hit Fulham hard given the squad so recent results were to be expected.
What I would think will be of greater concern is that there are so many other clubs looking for managers. You'd think that there will be plenty eyeing Silva at the end of the season which, indirectly, will have an impact on him as well.