It’s coming together but Fulham still need to focus on consistency
I was lucky enough to be in the stand at kick-off last Saturday afternoon. I was lucky because I had the pleasure of seeing our two first-half goals from a bird’s eye view. We looked every bit a top-half Premier League side for 45 minutes as the Putney End saw the Whites marauding forward constantly down both flanks. If the first half was a bit longer we could have been three or four up at the break.
Fulham looked like a side that know what they are doing; they have done so from the first game of the season. However, this time the Whites got the all-important goals that their performances have warranted and even more importantly, they got three points. This is now the joint-longest unbeaten run that Fulham have had under Marco Silva.
Since returning to the Premier League, Fulham have been accused of lacking consistency. We’ve been capable of putting a decent run of games together, only then to lose or draw when everyone thinks we’ve reached a higher level. As Fulham fans we know that the team is capable of winning games, but when their achievements gain recognition, they can wane.
The Newcastle win is crucial, purely because we have reached a decent position this early in the season. The win saw a lot of factors come together; it showed Fulham fans that we can win while adopting a different playing style. Fulham had less possession but pressed high and were more direct. This slight change in style showed they can adapt to the opponent. Perhaps that a new ruthless pragmatism is what will bring this Fulham team that ever-elusive consistency.
Fulham notably crossed the ball a lot less against Newcastle; Emile Smith Rowe and Adama Traore ran at the defence much more. When they did cross the ball, there were often two or three different runs being made in the box. It’s much harder to mark three runs than it is to mark three static players. This indicated much more purpose. It also showed that against a backline that lacked agility and was more aerially dominant, Fulham shifted the emphasis. Both first half goals were examples of Fulham crossing and attacking with a view to exposing the weaknesses of Newcastle as opposed to playing to their own strengths.
We’ll have to see what happens against Nottingham Forest. The team from Robin Hood country are predominantly a counter-attacking team, which could force Fulham to change to a different tactic once more; it depends on the way Fulham want to approach the game. If Fulham can identify Forest’s weaknesses, I hope the front four are well prepared and clinical enough to exploit them.
