The filth. The Scum. SW6’S imitators. The other team in Fulham. 12:30 Saturday, Fulham kick off the biggest game of our league season. One win in Walham Green since 1979 would suggest Fulham will feel defeat for the first time this campaign, but you know what they say about Stamford Bridge wins? They’re like London buses. Or I hope so… Here’s how Fulham conquer SW6 once more:
### Tactical Breakdown Down Chelsea’s Setup
First off, let’s look how the filth will look to play, and how Fulham can stifle the Blues. Enzo Maresca loves to invert his full backs. CFC’s right back, pushes inside to help form a box midfield. Gusto inverts to form a pivot, alongside Caicedo. Cucerella slides across into a back three, whilst Enzo pushes forward to partner Pedro to form an attacking midfield double act, creating that infamous box midfield shape. This helps give the necessary space for Chelsea’s wingers to push high and wide, in theory stretching a defence, allowing Maresca’s men to create and exploit a litany of half spaces with individual brilliance of fast interchanges of play.
How do Fulham counteract Maresca’s box midfield, and touchline hugging wingers? Well, simply, be compact, pack numbers. Start in a back five. Sit deep, deploy a low block. Fulham mastered this last season. In our famous last cross Fulham Bridge visit, Marco Silva mastered this. We pushed SW6’s unwanted child wide by staying compact in a back five. FFC utilised our sheer defensive numbers to not allow Sancho or Neto to isolate Kenny Tete or Antonee Robinson, forcing the Blues into ‘empty’ crosses into a defensive box with no aerial threat – like you can see below:
The player that will either make or break this game is Liam Delap. Delap comes into a Chelsea team that aquired the former Ipswich Town man’s services to be the kryptonite to the very system Fulham invoked against the filth on Boxing Day. The 22 year old’s presents Fulham Broadway a target to aim crosses at far more threatening than Nicolas Jackson. At 6’4, Delap is no doubt a massive threat. As you’ll later see in my lineup, Fulham should start three physical imposing centre halves to. combat Liam’s aerial ability, but the son of Rory Delap didn’t score a single header last season. This season, it will be be different, he will be posed with many more chances to head it home than he did at Portman Road last term, but I see no reason why any one of Fulham’s vast array of illustrious centre backs can’t keep a still developing Delap at bay. If we do, Fulham may be back in business at the Bridge.
### How Fulham Should Attack The Filth
That’s enough on how Fulham defend our SW6 territory. How do we beat these tossers? Don’t worry fellas and felletes, I’m about to tell you. As I said, Chelsea deploy a box midfield, inverting their full backs, Gusto into the middle of the park, as Cucuerlla tucks inside to form a back three. If Fulham can break at speed, Maresca’s merry bunch of mugs can be exposed out wide. Keep a rigid midfield base, and play the outlet wide ball. Exploit the space left by Gusto’s central inroads, and Cucurella’s tendency to tuck into a back three. Play into the channels, off Muniz, or emulate our first half passages of play we flashed against Bristol City, with quick, concise passages of play unleashing Hammersmith and Fulham’s real side’s wide talent.
Speaking of wide talent, in game like this, where Marco Silva’s game plan will be structured on threat from out wide, Marco could really use some more direct, dynamic, get to the byline type wingers. If only Fulham were about to bring in a couple of wingers of that profile… Oh wait, they are. But due to Fulham’s slow transfer dealings, they won’t be available for selection in our biggest game of the season. Cheers, Tony.
### How Fulham Should Lineup: Explaining My XI
Leno, Tete, Diop, Andersen, Cuenca, Bassey, Lukic, Berge, Sessegnon, King, Muniz.
Fulham have to start in a back five, so, of course, it’s the same as our last visit to the Bridge, 5–4–1. Kenny Tete loses his spot in a back three, instead slotting into his right wing back, to make way for the added need of physical presence to deal with Liam Delap in defence.
Issa Diop comes in to add six feet, and four inches of physical prowess, alongside, my midweek man of the match, Jorge Cuenca, and defensive commander and chief, Joachim Andersen. We saw last Boxing Day how Calvin Bassey can maraud forward, since then his attacking ability has just gained acclaim. In a game where Fulham need wing consolidation to compete with a duet of high flying wide wingers, Bassey is the best option Silva has at his disposal to shut down the Blues’ right wing, all the whole still adding yet more aerial stature to drown out Liam Delap’s aerial threat. With that said, Bassey still holds an ability to get up and down the pitch to take part in fast moving counter attacks.
Whilst Berge and Lukic make up an unsurprising midfield pivot, I wouldn’t be adverse to the inclusion of Harrison Reed. Reed impressed me last Wednesday. I’ve been banging on about Fulham’s need for a number six for months. At the moment, Reed is the closest Marco Silva has to a defensive breaker. He should at the very least get off the bench, tomorrow afternoon. Fulham may well need some added midfield grit. Harrison’s your man, Marco.
Out wide, Ryan Sessegnon starts on the left, gives the byline pushing, direct winger Fulham need to exploit the filth on the break. Sess’ partners that attacking ability with the defensive repertoire that lends just more help in a low block to the Cottagers’ back five.
Josh King starts on the right wing. A surprise perhaps? Maybe, but don’t forget that Josh has played on the wing at points throughout his youth career. King came on against the Hammers from the left wing, and excelled, tying AWB in knots, remember? Not only can JK provide support in a packed central midfield outside of possession, but King can quickly turn defence into attack at one diminutive turn, possessing the speed to offer real threat, on his stronger foot, down the Fulham right.
Short disclaimer, if Wilson is fit, he does start over King, as much as I want Josh in the team, Fulham need to be compact centrally, and Wilson’s electric start to the season, and his previous West London derby heroics cannot be ignored. If fit, Wilson starts. If not, King can more than deputise for our Welsh, West London hating, wizard.
Who starts up front? Who do you think? Rodrigo, ‘Bloody’, Muniz. Not even going to dignify the question with much of an answer. Raul, you were superb on Wednesday night, but even you’ll understand this one, mate! Muniz could be 109 years old, after last year, I’d still back him to start on Fulham Broadway!
### A Message To The Players
Fulham players, not that you are reading this, but didn’t the celebrations last time round show you enough? A winner against this lot, your eternalised in Fulham folklore. No matter what Chelsea fans say, there’s bad blood in this fixture. I hate this lot either every fibre of my being. Even if you don’t come away with anything, at least end Tosin’s career. That’s good enough for me. Get into them Fulham. See you at the Durrell Arms. There’s only one team in Fulham!