Fulham (H) 13/8 Build-Up & Match Thread

[PuntsWolf]

I'd say you could make a case for us deserving a draw on Saturday. I would not say we played well (I know his resources were extremely stretched which is not his fault). And that's against a team that I doubt anyone would say will finish above say, 14th, and they had injury issues of their own.

It's one of the very few games under Lage where on the negative side, we haven't got what we deserved, I'll accept that. There are quite a lot where we've got points we didn't merit, and a load more where we were awful and got nothing.

Their first goal is awful and the second should have been easily stopped (Kilman wasn’t even trying to get round on the cover, basic CB play to cut out the pass along the corridor and RAN had plenty of time to get himself in a better position to deal with the cross). Did they have any other chances? They aren’t even half chances compared to the positions we got in and didn’t score.

Leeds are shit but a tough away ground on the opening day. They had injuries but bar a few defenders out (which they have cover for), they weren’t missing much.

As for the last point, it’s the new leaf. We won’t keep losing if we’re playing OK/well and new singings and injury returns can only help.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

Their first goal is awful and the second should have been easily stopped (Kilman wasn’t even trying to get round on the cover, basic CB play to cut out the pass along the corridor and RAN had plenty of time to get himself in a better position to deal with the cross). Did they have any other chances? They aren’t even half chances compared to the positions we got in and didn’t score.

Leeds are shit but a tough away ground on the opening day. They had injuries but bar a few defenders out (which they have cover for), they weren’t missing much.

As for the last point, it’s the new leaf. We won’t keep losing if we’re playing OK/well and new singings and injury returns can only help.

They had an absolutely nailed on penalty not given!

I think we're more vulnerable than you think. Our goalkeeper has regressed to the mean and we don't score many.

 

[Tony Towner]

They had an absolutely nailed on penalty not given!

I think we're more vulnerable than you think. Our goalkeeper has regressed to the mean and we don't score many.

No two ways about it, if the penalty wasn't given at the other end we'd still be talking about it now. It'll be forgotten when the conspiracy theories come out on here when we get done over.

 

[PuntsWolf]

They had an absolutely nailed on penalty not given!

I think we're more vulnerable than you think. Our goalkeeper has regressed to the mean and we don't score many.

Forgot about that! But again that is just total self combustion rather than a chance. Bad players/teams do stupid things but hopefully he/we have learnt to not come charging miles off your line for no reason, don’t cryuff turn in your own box get away with it and then still lose it a second time,

The goalscoring thing will hopefully (has to) improve.

 

[NicholasG1973]

You can't have been watching if you think this season is comparable with the last.

I’d say the first game was fairly comparable, yeah - we played ok and lost again.

That was my (sort of) point.

 

[Johnny75]

I’d say the first game was fairly comparable, yeah - we played ok and lost again.

That was my (sort of) point.

Apart from a different formation and plenty of chances created.

Genuine question, did you watch last season and watch the first game of this season?

If you did, how can you not see it was completely different?

 

[Newbridge Wolf]

I've gone for a home win on the prediction thread but I'm far from confident, its more a we have to win these games

We have problems scoring and I'm not seeing that as being solved, switching to a back four also leaves us open at the back, which our defence has been our strong point and kept us up in the table. It has also given protection to Sa, who I like but has got some right fruitloop moments in him.

I'm not confident on this season, we could be sleepwalking into a nightmare. It would seem that we are starting to back a manager in his second season, but its too little too late. Should have cut our losses at the end of last season.

 

[Johnny75]

I've gone for a home win on the prediction thread but I'm far from confident, its more a we have to win these games

We have problems scoring and I'm not seeing that as being solved, switching to a back four also leaves us open at the back, which our defence has been our strong point and kept us up in the table. It has also given protection to Sa, who I like but has got some right fruitloop moments in him.

I'm not confident on this season, we could be sleepwalking into a nightmare. It would seem that we are starting to back a manager in his second season, but its too little too late. Should have cut our losses at the end of last season.

Why are people equating last season's goal scoring to this?

I mean it's almost like they didn't watch the game against Leeds.

 

[Tony Towner]

I posted something similar in the prediction thread, but I really worry our bench is going to kill us tomorrow. We can't play 90 mins in 33 degree weather with the same 11 players.

 

[Jinky]

Why are people equating last season's goal scoring to this?

I mean it's almost like they didn't watch the game against Leeds.

Equally I've seen a lot of people (not on here) predicting a Fulham win because of how they played last weekend against Liverpool; which will have absolutely zero bearing on tomorrow's game.

Premier League predictions: Chris Sutton takes on Kasabian frontman Serge Pizzorno to pick scores for this weekend's games

Chris Sutton takes on Kasabian frontman Serge Pizzorno to pick his winners and losers for this weekend's Premier League games.

www.bbc.co.uk

Premier League predictions: Jones Knows thinks Liverpool will win without conceding vs Crystal Palace

Match highlights of every Premier League game this season to be shown on the Sky Sports website and app; watch Liverpool vs Crystal Palace live on Sky Sports

www.skysports.com

Mitrovic is going to be a handful for lots of defenders this season, but I reckon Collins/Kilman will enjoy the physical challenge. I'd be more worried about someone like Pereira breaking through the lines - he was very advanced against Liverpool.

That said, Guedes is a big addition for us and I reckon he'll play through the middle with Podence, Neto & MGW which gives us plenty of threat going forward. There's a lot being made of our defence and vulnerability at the back - so I'd love nothing more than a clean sheet and three points to get the season up and running.

 

[Johnny75]

Equally I've seen a lot of people (not on here) predicting a Fulham win because of how they played last weekend against Liverpool; which will have absolutely zero bearing on tomorrow's game.

Premier League predictions: Chris Sutton takes on Kasabian frontman Serge Pizzorno to pick scores for this weekend's games

Chris Sutton takes on Kasabian frontman Serge Pizzorno to pick his winners and losers for this weekend's Premier League games.

www.bbc.co.uk

Premier League predictions: Jones Knows thinks Liverpool will win without conceding vs Crystal Palace

Match highlights of every Premier League game this season to be shown on the Sky Sports website and app; watch Liverpool vs Crystal Palace live on Sky Sports

www.skysports.com

Mitrovic is going to be a handful for lots of defenders this season, but I reckon Collins/Kilman will enjoy the physical challenge. I'd be more worried about someone like Pereira breaking through the lines - he was very advanced against Liverpool.

That said, Guedes is a big addition for us and I reckon he'll play through the middle with Podence, Neto & MGW which gives us plenty of threat going forward. There's a lot being made of our defence and vulnerability at the back - so I'd love nothing more than a clean sheet and three points to get the season up and running.

My frustration with Lage is him playing 2 of these 4 in the wrong places. MGW is a 10/ second striker and Podence is better out wide cutting in.

Aside from that I'm looking forward to these 4 being fluid and attacking and I'd take them against Fulham's back 4 everyday of the week.

I'm hoping MGW and Guedes break the back line as I think that's what we miss most of all when not playing a natural striker. Even Hwang does it quite well.

 

[The Bear]

Interestingly in that article it said we were outrun by Leeds by 8.6km last weekend. The third highest difference of the weekend.

 

[Tony Towner]

Equally I've seen a lot of people (not on here) predicting a Fulham win because of how they played last weekend against Liverpool; which will have absolutely zero bearing on tomorrow's game.

Premier League predictions: Chris Sutton takes on Kasabian frontman Serge Pizzorno to pick scores for this weekend's games

Chris Sutton takes on Kasabian frontman Serge Pizzorno to pick his winners and losers for this weekend's Premier League games.

www.bbc.co.uk

Premier League predictions: Jones Knows thinks Liverpool will win without conceding vs Crystal Palace

Match highlights of every Premier League game this season to be shown on the Sky Sports website and app; watch Liverpool vs Crystal Palace live on Sky Sports

www.skysports.com

Mitrovic is going to be a handful for lots of defenders this season, but I reckon Collins/Kilman will enjoy the physical challenge.

His first goal he pulled onto TAA, him doing that to our full backs would worry me more than the centre halves, particularly as neither defended particularly well last week. Most of us wanted the security blanket of the extra defender removed they need to prove it was the correct decision.

 

[The Bear]

Jonny and RAN aren't exactly the tallest to deal with any back post aerial challenges with Mitrovic either.

 

[Tony Towner]

Jonny and RAN aren't exactly the tallest to deal with any back post aerial challenges with Mitrovic either.

It's something the Nuno version of Doherty did very well

 

[Alan]

Apart from a different formation and plenty of chances created.

Genuine question, did you watch last season and watch the first game of this season?

If you did, how can you not see it was completely different?

I'd disagree with this at least by virtue of the fact that one thing definitely hasn't changed: the second we go down by a single goal, we just look completely fucked.

 

[Johnny75]

I'd disagree with this at least by virtue of the fact that one thing definitely hasn't changed: the second we go down by a single goal, we just look completely fucked.

The two things aren't connected though.

Last season Lage looked incapable of change.

At Leeds he couldn't change because we didn't have the players available. That's not his fault, that's on Sellars and Shi.

 

[WsWolf]

Jonny and RAN aren't exactly the tallest to deal with any back post aerial challenges with Mitrovic either.

Jonny I'd be fine with, doesn't need to beat him in the air just be strong enough to not let him get a free header like he did against Trent. Ait Nouri would be a worry in that regard though.

 

[Alan]

The two things aren't connected though.

Last season Lage looked incapable of change.

At Leeds he couldn't change because we didn't have the players available. That's not his fault, that's on Sellars and Shi.

I guess I would say we’re being slightly generous to Bruno by assuming his subs or tweaks would have been effective.

Then again, I seem to have come out of Leeds with a more negative opinion of how we played than most here. Grain of salt, etc.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

Moutinho and Raul still out

Semedo and Adama available