Your Fulham season preview is right here: can the great occasions proceed on from final season at Craven Cottage?
FourFourTwo’s Fulham season preview
FFT’s view
The Plan
Fulham posted a club-record 54 Premier League factors final season, and nonetheless they should push on. Huge-money purchase Emile Smith Rowe displayed glimpses (six objectives, three assists), however expectations are for the Arsenal academy graduate to run video games and dictate the tempo.
LAST SEASON
PREMIER LEAGUE eleventh
FA CUP Quarter-final
LEAGUE CUP Third Spherical
TOP SCORER (ALL COMPS) Raul Jimenez (14)
Watching Crystal Palace, Newcastle and Spurs finish their trophy droughts has Fulham followers dreaming of the identical, in addition to a top-half league end. Whereas solely Liverpool took extra factors off the highest 10 than Fulham (30), the west Londoners are too predictable dealing with bottom-half groups and had the league’s fourth-worst document in opposition to them. New blood is crucial for an ageing squad.
The Coach
Silva by identify, gold by nature: Marco Silva is Fulham’s most profitable supervisor in over a decade, turning a yo-yo staff into a longtime Premier League aspect. Because the 48-year-old enters the ultimate 12 months of his contract, the membership should guarantee their ambition matches his.
Key Participant
Silva loves versatility and Alex Iwobi embodies that standards, as a scorer and assister of objectives (a mixed 15 final time period) and equally efficient on the left, proper or by the centre. Now a senior star at 29, the Nigerian additionally must step up and turn out to be a frontrunner.
Lesson From Final 12 months
Take the lead, preserve the lead. The Cottagers gave up 28 factors from successful positions – solely Spurs misplaced extra – whereas an inclination to drop off after Christmas has just lately crept in. Final season, they misplaced 4 league video games earlier than the flip of the 12 months, then 10 afterwards.
FFT’S SEASON PREVIEW
This preview initially appeared in FourFourTwo’s Season Preview situation which went on sale in July, accessible right here with free supply
Energy in depth is crucial at full-back, particularly the place Silva calls for an overlap. When right-back Kenny Tete pulled up in December, it left Timothy Castagne to play by damage each week. Antonee Robinson, the perennially in-demand left-back, posted 10 assists – greater than some other defender – however then light and wanted summer season surgical procedure. His verve is all the time very important.
The Temper
A sense of ‘what may need been’ lingers. For the third season in a row, Fulham have been one recreation from Wembley but did not get there, whereas watching a top-half end – and even Europe – slip away.
The One To Watch
Josh King, 18. The midfielder made his Premier League debut final time period and confirmed loads of potential in cameo outings. Huw Jennings’ newest Motspur Park gem has captained England U18s.
Most Doubtless To…
Say one thing that exhibits how out of contact he’s with the followers: Alistair Waterproof coat, Fulham’s chief government. His feedback on the brand new Riverside Stand left many supporters irked. “At different golf equipment you hear the c-word – right here the c-words are ‘champagne’ and ‘caviar’,” he quipped.
Least Doubtless To…
Ever have to purchase a jar of honey: Harry ‘the Beekeeper’ Wilson. Scorer of home-and-away winners in opposition to Brentford, the Welsh schemer haunts followers in TW8 however will ceaselessly be serenaded in SW6: “Who put the ball within the Brentford internet? Harry f**king Wilson.”
FFT Verdict
12TH Silva wants assurances from above and extra from Smith Rowe, plus a brand new striker, for Fulham to rise.
The Quantity Cruncher
The Fan View
After lots to cheer final season and with lots to enhance this season, FourFourTwo will get the view from the stands from Jack Stroudley…
Final season was a combined bag. We broke our document factors tally and spent loads of the season flirting with the European locations, solely to fall away. Our end-of-season type wants work, as does our big-game mentality.
I received’t be glad until we enhance squad depth. Shahid Khan: get the chequebook out.
Our key participant can be Rodrigo Muniz. After 18 months, and with Raul Jimenez getting on, there may be extra onus on him to progress and contribute.
The pantomime villain can be Fabio Carvalho. He successfully begged to depart, and ended up at our noisy neighbours.
The opposition participant I’d love right here is Leon Bailey. It’s life like: we want extensive choices and Aston Villa need to promote. Get it achieved.
I’m least trying ahead to taking part in Manchester Metropolis. They all the time beat us, no matter type, and often get a comfortable penalty.
A social media account to comply with is @jackellyffc, a unbelievable unbiased Fulham journalist.
Our most underrated participant is Sasa Lukic, filling a Joao Palhinha-shaped gap subsequent to Rolls-Royce midfielder Sander Berge. Palhinha’s already out of favour at Bayern Munich – can we now have him again…?
I’m most trying ahead to visiting the Stadium of Mild. I’ve by no means been.
Followers suppose our gaffer has reworked the membership.
If he left, he ought to be changed by Fulham fan Liam Rosenior, spectacular at Hull and Strasbourg.
We’ll end eleventh, once more questioning, ‘What if…?’
This preview initially appeared in FourFourTwo’s Season Preview situation which went on sale in July, accessible right here with free supply
