No one will get relegated from the Premier League due to unhealthy karma nevertheless it was straightforward to see why, across the partitions of Craven Cottage, there have been rumblings of a curse.
In 2014, after certainly one of Fulham’s quite a few failed makes an attempt to remain up, their former proprietor Mohamed Al-Fayed believed he knew what had gone incorrect: he blamed Shahid Khan, his successor, for interfering with their kismet by eradicating the unseemly statue of Michael Jackson from outdoors the bottom.
The one sculpture standing there now’s certainly one of George Cohen, England’s World Cup profitable hero, who we misplaced on 23 December – and Fulham’s latest kind has been a becoming tribute to the membership’s most revered right-back.
The dynamics have certainly modified in west London, although it has nothing to do with icons forged in marble, and all the things to do with the Whites’ revamped strategy to top-flight soccer.
Fulham have roughly adopted the blueprint for newly promoted groups. Signal a handful of Huge Six exiles, depend on the goalscorer who fired them to promotion, and lean into the expertise of a supervisor who has, frankly, been across the block a good few occasions on the backside of the Premier League.
The distinction this time is that Fulham head into the ultimate recreation of 2022 one place behind neighbours Chelsea and simply three factors off Liverpool, with a nine-point buffer zone already established between them and the drop zone.
Outdoors the normal elite, West Ham and third-placed Newcastle are the one groups to have overwhelmed them, not least as a result of Marco Silva has tweaked his line of assault week by week.
“If you come up towards sure groups and so they play alternative ways, your type of play has to alter,” Jim Stannard, who made practically 400 appearances in aim for the membership, tells i.
“Groups that cross, cross, cross, you’ve obtained to go and press. Each staff’s completely different within the Premier League, they play alternative ways, completely different formations, your techniques are going to be completely different. If you’re enjoying the large boys it’s completely different.
“Marco Silva has carried out a incredible job. He’s obtained superb expertise, he did properly at Watford and Hull and then you definitely transfer on, you don’t accomplish that properly at your subsequent membership [Everton]. Individuals will all the time have their doubts and say ‘he didn’t do it right here, didn’t do it there’. It’s loopy. He’s come to Fulham taken them up, pushed on, and purchased gamers in.”
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How, although, do you clarify a aspect, robust favourites to go down behind solely Bournemouth and Nottingham Forest in August, as one of many shock outfits of the season? You would possibly begin with Aleksandar Mitrovic, who with 10 objectives already is only one aim shy of his finest ever top-flight season.
The acquainted sample for Mitrovic has been a season of profligacy within the second tier, adopted by battle after promotion. The Serbian scored a daft 43 objectives to assist them to the Championship title in 2021-22, whereas Fulham netted over 100.
This time round, Erling Haaland might have rendered the race for the Golden Boot a useless rubber, however the Norwegian, Harry Kane and Ivan Toney are the one gamers who’ve scored greater than Fulham’s talisman – and that’s regardless of an harm within the build-up to the World Cup. Haaland (1.59) and Leeds’ Rodrigo Moreno (0.84) are the one gamers to raised him for objectives per 90 minutes (0.82), with a aim each 110 minutes, the identical as Kane.
“Earlier than, when he’s labored within the Championship he’s scored a great deal of objectives, he’s gone to the Premier League and it hasn’t actually labored out for him,” Stannard says. “However then he’s obtained again to the Premier League once more, he’s a few years older he’s in all probability stronger, fitter.
“I had my doubts about Mitrovic, I assumed ‘will he do it at this stage once more?’ and he’s proved everybody incorrect. Each time he steps on that pitch in his personal thoughts he thinks he’s going to attain and that’s what you want at this stage.”
Aleksandar Mitrovic’s objectives
Newcastle United:
- 2015-16 (Premier League): 9
- 2016-17 (Championship): 4
- 2017-18 (Premier League) 1
Fulham:
- 2017-18 (Championship, on mortgage): 12
- 2018-19 (Premier League): 11
- 2019-20 (Championship): 26
- 2020-21 (Premier League): 3
- 2021-22 (Championship): 43
- 2022-23 (Premier League): 10
Andreas Pereira’s playmaking has contributed to Mitrovic’s elevated output. The Brazilian worldwide struggled to make an impression at Manchester United, incomes 45 appearances over eight years and being loaned out 4 occasions. That made him an attainable long-term goal for Silva, who tried to persuade him to affix whereas Fulham have been nonetheless within the Championship.
Since promotion, Pereira has registered 4 assists (as many as Mo Salah, Martin Odegaard and James Maddison), has turn into the membership’s second highest contributor for aim contributions behind Mitrovic, and their third-highest deliverer by way of anticipated objectives (xG) behind Mitrovic and Bobby Reid.
The lack of Fabio Carvalho to Liverpool has not stopped Fulham’s entrance line thriving. Once they have been relegated in 2021 with 28 factors, they conceded 53 objectives. Crucially, they solely scored 27. We aren’t but on the midway level of 2022-23 however they’ve already accrued 22 factors, are on target to conceded eight objectives extra, however they’ve already matched their scoring tally of 27.
Of their 16 seasons of Premier League soccer, they’ve solely completed within the high half thrice; as soon as it was the Fulham of Van der Sar, Boa Morte, McBride and Malbranque. In later years it was Mark Schwarzer, Clint Dempsey, Brede Hangeland. Chris Coleman, Roy Hodgson (who oversaw their best-ever league end of seventh), Mark Hughes and Martin Jol have been the one managers to attain that.
In Silva’s try and match them, there have been query marks towards his signings and Fulham left a lot of their enterprise late. Bernd Leno arrived from Arsenal in early August after being demoted to back-up goalkeeper by Aaron Ramsdale’s arrival. “He’s a world,” Stannard factors out.
“I used to be stunned Arsenal let him go. He’s come into the staff and he’s breathed new life into the gamers round him. I do really feel sorry for [Marek] Rodak, he’s an excellent goalkeeper and did rather well within the Championship. There’s loads of distinction between the Championship and the Premier League however you simply hope you get the chance to go and show your self.”
One addition which was accomplished in good time was that of Joao Palhinha, who has accomplished essentially the most tackles (69) of any Premier League participant this time period. Maybe the best testomony to his affect in defensive midfield got here in a recreation when he was suspended: a 4-1 defeat to Newcastle.
There are prone to be extra setbacks forward, too. January’s fixture checklist is especially unkind: Leicester, Chelsea, Newcastle once more, and Tottenham. On present kind, that will properly not faze them. “They play superb soccer, you’ve obtained a possibility to complete within the high 10,” says Stannard. “If Fulham are on their recreation, I don’t suppose they need to be terrified of anybody.”
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