Wycombe 1–1 Fulham. Fulham through, just. Benjamin is the hero, Fulham got the job done, and got into the last eight of the League Cup quarter. That’s all that matters, right?
Well, it was a good night, it’s a massive win, but I’d suggest otherwise.
Flat In The Final Third, Out of Ideas, & Without An Identity Since March
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Put the result aside, the fact that Fulham never really looked a cut above a side three points above the league one relegation tells you all you need to know about where this Marco Silva system is.
Silva’s system is stale. The warning signs have been there since March. From February 26th onwards, Fulham are the second worst team that has continuously been in the Premier League — only West Ham are worse.
Recent form isn’t a blip either. Fulham are winless in five. If alarm bells weren’t ringing in the North-East, tonight’s devoid display has taken the bells off silent and onto full blast ringer. You can blame last five games on tough fixtures, and injuries if you like — what do you have to say for that post March form?
With the exceptions of Brentford (home and away) and Liverpool (at home), Fulham look the same week after week — flat in the final third, out of ideas, and without an identity.
There is a distinct lack of quality in this Fulham team. That’s not on Silva; that’s on Tony Khan. Last January, it was clear Fulham needed a centre midfielder. This summer, it was clear Fulham needed a centre midfielder. What did Fulham miss today? You guessed it — a centre midfielder. If only we had a director of football dedicated to \*solely\* Fulham to fix these issues…
Time For a Tactical Revamp
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Baring the shift from Championship to Premiership, Marco Silva’s Fulham have seen barely any tactical change.
Continuously poor displays for more than six months leave the proof in the pudding — Marco’s men need a tactical revamp.
Fulham need to get back to the football they played in those infamous first few months in the top flight: fast, direct, a transitional threat.
Perhaps Fulham need to gain a new perspective. We are side battling for our lives at the moment, humility of letting other sides take hold of possession may not be a bad thing at points — it allows the Whites to play to our transitional strengths.
Central Midfielder & a Striker a January Must
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Silva will struggle to implement let that structural change without a direct, driven central midfielder next to Sasa Lukic. Fulham look devoid of any purpose in transition and unable to unlock low blocks — even a side 17th in League One.
Raul Jimenez injury will just add to Fulham’s treatment table woes, but with or without the Mexican, Fulham lack of goal-getting presence compounds London’s Original’s lack of cutting edge.
A striker worth his weight in gold turns more of these half chances into goals. The fact that the Cottagers top scorer is still own goals 12 games into this seasonm should write ’striker’ onto our winter shopping list alone. Our only hope is a Rodrigo Muniz purple patch — even so, is that really sustainable at the wrong end of the league?
Iwobi & King Must Start
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Until Alex Iwobi came on, despite our heaps of possession, when Wycombe got the ball, they looked the more dangerous side. The Nigerian changed the game from the middle of the park, again. Iwobi is the bandage over the gaping wound that is our central creative crisis.
Today showed that our way through midfield monotony is via Iwobi and Josh King. Marco has to get them both in the same team. Josh King was uncle not to bag a winner, after his first Fulham senior goal just after the break. King’s sumptious swivel to beat Connor Taylor deserved a quarter final clinching strike. Josh has that dynamism we are crying out for, he’s now got the goal contribution he so deserves, Josh is set to run riot.
King and Iwobi have to get into this Fulham team. A midfield three of King, Iwobi, and Lukic is a must.
Lecomte The Hero: Fulham’s Best Signing to Date, That’s Worrying
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If Fulham, by some miracle, win the League Cup, Benjamin Lecomte’s name will go down into Fulham folklore. Some of the Frenchman’s saves? Right out the top draw. But the fact that It’s October 28th and Benjamin Lecomte is Fulham’s most successful summer signing to date says something about our summer business.
If Fulham beat Wolves, maybe you can take a breather, but these issues are long standing. Squeezing past Wycombe and ,bottom of the table, Wolves won’t put my worries to rest.
But hey — get the Lecomte statue at the ready, the cup dreams live on. If it means we win the cup, we can go winless in the league for the rest of the season in my book.
Que Sera, Sera…