Where is it all going wrong for Fulham?
Jack Stroudley looks at some of the reasons why Fulham sit just above the relegation zone.
The November international break is usually the point in the season where the table starts to “shake out” - and Fulham are sitting precariously outside the relegation zone by just one point. The three promoted sides are putting up a fight, West Ham are looking better under Nuno, Forest are picking up points under Dyche, and Fulham have some serious work to do. But how have we got to this point?
A tough fixture list
When the fixtures came out there was a collective groan looking at our opening run of games . Trips to Brighton, Chelsea, Aston Villa, Bournemouth, and Newcastle alongside home games against Manchester United and Arsenal in the first 11 fixtures isn’t ideal.
That being said, that’s the nature of the Premier League and you simply have to be at your best at all times. Yes, Fulham should’ve picked up an extra point here and there (Newcastle, Chelsea, etc), but that’s just the way the cookie crumbles. And while our home form has been relatively good, on the road we’ve been nothing short of atrocious. It’s something that Silva needs to address.
Injury woes
There hasn’t been a time under Silva when our squad has been as under siege from injury as it has during these opening 11 games. A crucial part of how we play is with our full-backs - particularly Antonee Robinson who’s yet to play a game. Kenny Tete’s had some time out, Sasa Lukic and Emile Smith Rowe in midfield have been sidelined, and both Raul Jimenez and Rodrigo Muniz have both faced time on the treatment table. That’s six first-teamers out injured for varying lengths, and yes we have been poor (which we will get onto), but’s certainly a mitigating factor to consider.
Transfer business again?
Here’s the one I’m sure everyone is waiting for. Has Marco Silva (once again) been failed by the board? There’s certainly an argument to be made. I’ll start by playing devil’s advocate with Fulham bringing in two creative players that we’d targeted for a while, the Whites have certainly improved personnel in the wide areas.
That being said, I still think it was yet another stagnant window. Fulham took far too long to get major business done, we failed to bring in an additional midfielder or replace Andreas Pereira, and the squad still houses players who just aren’t good enough anymore. then there’s the signing of Jonah Kusi-Asare in the final hours, which appears to be the epitome of a panic buy (or loan). The squad in my eyes looks a bit stale (I’ll get into that shortly), and that’s down to another poor window.
Are we just not good enough?
Is it just this? Am I wasting my time looking for answers when the answer is staring us square in the face? Honestly, I think there’s a case for it.
Everton made things look so easy on Saturday. And the reason? Dynamic, attacking and bold options all recruited over the course of the last few summers compared to Fulham who looked flat.
The squad hasn’t had a major reboot in years and while those inside the club want to talk about European aspirations, is a club with players past their expiry date really going to do that? I don’t think so. Yes, we broke our record points tally last season, but the reality is we’ve been poor since around March and it’s looking like we need a bit of a reset. It’s time to trim the fat and bring in some real quality. (If only there was a set period of time when you could buy and sell players to truly progress!)
Silva’s farewell?
Finally, does the brunt of this fall on Silva? He’s in the final year of his contract, he’s arguably been once again failed by the board, and having rejected big money offers to stay, does he feel a bit deflated and just wants to see this season out?
It’s a theory that I’ve seen a few times online and while I don’t believe in the notion that Silva has lost the motivation, there’s no denying that tactically he hasn’t been as proactive as many would like. The continual use of both Berge and Lukic clearly isn’t working, in wide areas we look flat and just generally look quite poor.
Is this on Silva, or is the overall squad just not good enough? I’d say it’s six of one and half a dozen of the other.
Where do we go now?
There have plenty of mitigating factors as to why Fulham have been as poor as we have, with some more crucial than others.
The squad now has two weeks to really get get a grip on proceedings. Bring players back from injury, try out new things on the training pitch and turn this around. A tricky home game against an in-form Sunderland awaits with Spurs and Manchester City afterwards.
Take a deep breath, Fulham fans: it could get worse before it gets better.