Saturday Fulham Stuff (26/05/18)...

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Drills, travels and tactics: the keys to Slavisa Jokanovic's Fulham success

'The Manchester City of the Championship' take on Villa in the play-off final with much to thank their Serbian manager for


Fulham's Slavisa Jokanovic has put together an excellent passing side with an emphasis on pressing the opposition. Photograph: Jed Leicester//BPI/Rex/Shutterstock

When Neil Warnock described Fulham as "the Manchester City of the Championship" he was not talking about the transfer fees. Fulham had a net spend of around £3m this season and their most expensive signing, the forward Rui Fonte, has been a conspicuous failure. No, the Cardiff manager was talking about the passing. Top in the division for completion (83.1%) and total passes (24,857), Fulham were also the side with the most accurate short passes, second most shots on target and the highest average possession.

Fulham have a style that, as Warnock said, is easy on the eye. So how does Slavisa Jokanovic go about instilling such a style in his players? He drills them on turnovers. "At training, everything is about winning the ball back," says the midfielder Kevin McDonald. "Press after loss, press after loss, all the time. We know we have to earn the right to play and the manager drills it in us every day. We will try and win the ball back as soon as we lose it and then keep the ball, make them run around and try and create chances, tire them out."

That the manager of the Championship's most attractive side, who contest the play-off final with Aston Villa on Saturday, concentrates first and foremost on work without the ball shows something important about Jokanovic. The 49-year-old Serb has been at Craven Cottage for two and a half years. It is his seventh club as a manager and the sixth country he has coached in. He has accumulated experience everywhere from Spain to Thailand and it is reflected in his skills. This is a manager rounded in his approach, one who can be flexible. Not that you would mess with him, as anyone who has been in his presence would confirm.

"I think Serbians are known to be voyagers," says Jordi Cruyff who, as director of football at Maccabi Tel Aviv, hired Jokanovic as manager in 2015. "They're really a country that exports a lot. Slavisa had an adventure in Thailand, he was in England, he was in Spain, then he was with us for a period of time. I think it enriches his football vision. It's based on different ways of seeing football. I think that's a benefit for any manager nowadays."

Jokanovic spent only six months in Israel before accepting an offer from Fulham. But he left on good terms having qualified the club for the group stages of the Champions League for the first time in 11 years. His versatility and ability to react to circumstances was clear. "He played various systems," Cruyff says. "He does like to play from behind but he also likes to adapt himself to moments that he might not have control of. I think his reading of the game was very good."
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By the time Fulham hired Jokanovic in December 2015, Tel Aviv had had several approaches. "He said no to everything," says Cruyff, "including to clubs in La Liga. But when Fulham came we all knew that he wanted to go back. He loves London, he likes the style, he loves the football and maybe deep inside there was some unfinished business."


Denis Odoi, Fulham's match-winner in the play-off semi-final against Derby, celebrates with fans after a place at Wembley was confirmed. Photograph: Charlotte Wilson/Offside/Getty Images

Watford fans remember fondly the match that earned them promotion, a game at Brighton in which Jokanovic hooked Ikechi Anya after 26 minutes, changed the shape and saw the opening goal in a 2-0 win arrive three minutes later. Within a month Jokanovic had left, saying the owners' reluctance to give him a new contract made it clear he was not wanted. This situation has not been replicated at Fulham; in December he signed a contract until 2019 and further negotiations are expected should the Cottagers achieve promotion.

Radomir Antic signed Jokanovic as a player for Real Oviedo in the 1990s and remains a close friend of his compatriot. Antic, the only person to have managed Real Madrid, Atlético and Barcelona, says he and Jokanovic still discuss tactical matters, such as the redeployment of Ryan Sessegnon from full-back to winger, a shift crucial to Fulham's rampant form in 2018.

"He was an important player for me in the mid-90s," says Antic, "When he took his first touch on the ball you could see he always had a solution for what to do next. I think he is like this as a manager. He will look for players who are ready to learn, and work with them to build a system that works to their strengths. This is the case, for example, with Aleksandar Mitrovic [who has 12 goals in 19 appearances since joining on loan from Newcastle]."

No one would describe the 6ft 2in Jokanovic as a pushover, however. His glare alone is enough to put fear into people, an indication of an intensity that has transformed Fulham from relegation candidates to being on the verge of the Premier League. "He can be a bit intimidating, I'm sure, for certain people," says McDonald. "I wouldn't say he's scary but I wouldn't cross him. He puts confidence in you and when you go out on the pitch you feel like you're going to win. That's what he wants. But if we're drifting away from that, he'll do whatever it takes to get back to it."



https://www.theguardian.com/football/2018/may/26/fulham-slavisa-jokanovic-aston-villa-championship-play-off-final

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Ex-Spurs and Bristol City defender 90 minutes away from the Premier League

Lawrence Taylor looks at the former Tottenham man named in Championship team of the year and why it didn't work out at Ashton Gate

Ryan Fredericks could find himself playing in the Premier League for the first time next seaso.

The defender has been a key part of the Fulham side that booked a place in today's Championship play-off final against Aston Villa and he is now 90 minutes away from the top-flight.

Would Fredericks still have been in the same position today had his 26-day spell at Bristol City been for the proposed three years?

Born in Potters Bar in Hertfordshire, the 25-year-old started off his career in the Tottenham Hotspur academy before signing his first professional contract with the Premier League side in July 2010 aged only 17.

Fredericks made his Spurs debut alongside Harry Kane and Tom Carroll in 2011 during a Europe League Qualifying second leg match at White Hart Lane against Hearts.

With Spurs already holding a convincing lead over their Scottish counterparts thanks to a 5-0 first leg win, manager Harry Redknapp was more than happy to give the youngsters some first-team experience.

First-team opportunities were hard to come by over Fredericks' four years with the North London club, with the defender only making one more start for Spurs against Anzhi Makhachkala in the 2013 Europa League.

Fredericks contributed by winning a penalty for his side allowing for Spanish forward Roberto Soldado to complete his hat-trick in an emphatic 4-1 win over the Russian side

Fredericks enjoyed loan spells at three different clubs while on the books at Tottenham.

He joined League One side Brentford on an initial season-long loan deal, but that was cut short as Fredericks was called back to his parent club after two months having made only five first team appearances for the Bees.

Fredericks first taste of Championship football came at Millwall where Ian Holloway signed the youngster in January 2014 on an initial emergency 93-day loan deal, before extending the loan until the end of the season.

He scored the winner on his debut as Millwall beat Ipswich 1-0 at the Den and was a crucial part in the late season run of form that saw Millwall survive the drop down to League One.

The attacking full-back's final loan spell away from Spurs saw him venture outside of London and arrive at Middlesbrough on a season-long loan. Fredericks made 17 appearances for Boro as they finished 4th in the Championship that season.

Fredericks finally left Tottenham for good in the summer of 2015.

The defender signed a three-year contract with Bristol City and was an exciting addition for manager Steve Cotterill.

The then Bristol City boss told the club's website: "I'm delighted Ryan has decided to join us. There was certainly a fair bit of competition for his signature from a number of other Championship clubs."

However, Fredericks spell in the West Country was short lived. After starting four of City's five opening games it was confirmed that the youngster would be returning to London.

The announcement was made just before City's game against Burnley, with Cotterill saying: "He's leaving us for personal reasons and will be joining another London club. He's having a medical today and will join the club for the same fee that we paid for him.

"We wish him good luck with that. We understand, sometimes things happen. We're one light on the bench today, but you can only use three substitutes anyway."

The London-based club was later confirmed to be Fulham. Fredericks heard of the attention and a return to London was too big of a temptation for the then 22-year-old.

Fredericks said: "When I heard of the interest from Fulham I jumped at the chance.

"I'm delighted that we got it done so quickly. It's a massive club that belongs back in the Premier League. Fulham's a great area with big fans - it's a good club."

Since arriving back in London the Englishman has gone from strength to strength.

Fredericks made 32 appearances in all competitions in his debut season at the club making him one of the first names on the team sheet.

He has continued to play regularly across his three years at Craven Cottage and made his 100th appearance for the Whites when they faced Derby earlier this season.

Many see Fredericks as the underrated star in the Fulham side this season with the plaudits and headlines going to fellow full-back Ryan Sessegnon, midfield maestro Tom Cairney and as of late the fine goal-scoring form of Alexsandar Mitrovic.

However, Fredericks fine form at the back hasn't gone unnoticed with the defender being named in the EFL Championship Team of the Season, alongside club team mates Sessegnon and Cairney.

His pace and delivery down the right flank causes plenty of trouble for Championship defences the full-back has seven assists to his name this season, the highest of any Fulham player.

He could easily have a goal to his name as well had it not been for the dubious goals panel ruling his long-range effort against QPR as a Jack Robinson own goal.

The defender was also named in the PFA team of the year, voted for his peers and it's no surprise that the former England under-19 international is attracting interest from Premier League suitors.

West Ham United, Swansea City and Southampton have all been rumoured to be after the 25-year-old.

The defender is out of contract at the end of the season and would be available on a free transfer but the Cottagers are confident he will stay if they win promotion today.

A Premier League return for Fredericks will leave Robins fans wondering what could have been.



https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/sport/football/transfer-news/ryan-fredericks-spurs-bristol-city-1426579