It appears that we've gone from one extreme to another, we started the season far to gungho, and with next to no thought of the defensive side of our game ,
Now all of a sudden (and perhaps understandably so) our caution to the wind has disappeared to be replaced with just caution,
But now against Ipswich, Hull and Coventry we have to be more adventurous and more worried about not winning rather than not losing,
So what tweaks does Arbeloa need to make?
Who needs to drop out and who needs to come in ?
Kevin, Sess and Kenny stay at Motspur Park these next three weeks whilst others are away, do they come into consideration, if not them then who ?
Have we though? We had the same xG as United even though we had half the number of shots as them. And we had close enough xG to Liverpool with four fewer shots, which if we had equal number of shots we would probably have the same xG as them.
I think the last two league games have been a middle ground between the two (as in we're still being dangerous enough while having some form of defensive solidity, mind you I didn't watch the whole match). The other extreme would have been Parkerball.
I don't really understand how you could watch the game today and come to the conclusion that we play with extreme caution...
Quote from: Sting of the North on September 20, 2026, 09:22:28 PMI don't really understand how you could watch the game today and come to the conclusion that we play with extreme caution...
In the last two games no Fulham player has scored, in the next three that has to change and improve, so how does he tweak it to give us a better chance?
Quote from: demeant0r on September 20, 2026, 09:07:04 PMHave we though? We had the same xG as United even though we had half the number of shots as them. And we had close enough xG to Liverpool with four fewer shots, which if we had equal number of shots we would probably have the same xG as them.
I think the last two league games have been a middle ground between the two (as in we're still being dangerous enough while having some form of defensive solidity, mind you I didn't watch the whole match). The other extreme would have been Parkerball.
It felt like Parkerball when everyone was standing around like mannequins waiting for Leno to kick the ball!
There was also a lot of stale sideways and backwards stuff. A couple of times we had the chance to get away on the wings and it went inside and sideways.
García needs better service.
As for the corners today, complete dog poo.
I am happy with Arbeloa so far, obviously not with the results overall, but I think he is doing a decent job with what he had to play with.
I can see how he is trying things and making good adjustments, and comes across as intelligent in the interviews. i think he will get us up to mid table soon enough.
I hope Garcia steps up, or Muniz gets back in the starting XI, that Bobb improves too and our defence continues to improve (as it has the last few games), and we should be fine...
Big 3 games coming up for sure.
I would err on the side of caution for the next three games too. Ipswich, Hull and even Coventry are more than capable of hurting us, given the chance.
After all, you don't need to win a game 5-0. Sometimes a hard fought 1-0 is enough.
Berge sucks the air out of the room. Start there.
First of all . Arbeloa has realised that Anderson is dead wood and a big liability. Should of been sold. That has made a difference in dropping him. Tete is the best right back in the prem if he can stay fit. Play him and the results will come. Muniz will never ever be good enough end off. Borough sent him back !!
Quote from: C Block on September 20, 2026, 09:29:41 PMQuote from: Sting of the North on September 20, 2026, 09:22:28 PMI don't really understand how you could watch the game today and come to the conclusion that we play with extreme caution...
In the last two games no Fulham player has scored, in the next three that has to change and improve, so how does he tweak it to give us a better chance?
Finishing practice for our forwards.
Lots and lots of finishing practice from all over the park.
Some of these comments read like it's a sketch- are people deliberately trying to be dense? Borough sent him back... Christ almighty. Let's hope that these are twelve year olds posting.
And to analyze games solely on goals scored (or not) and ignoring all context and what is actually happening during a game...
When you get into the final 15 of a game and are on the back foot I prefer to make attacking changes rather than defensive ones. In that scenario I'm of the mind that attack is the best form of defence, I thought the manager didn't help us today with his changes but it could have easily gone the other way so I won't hold it against AA - plus a draw was a fair result.
We are now going into the international break and have two very winnable games ahead of us. If the club are going to bring in a replacement for AA then it's now or never. If we are still in the drop zone after ten games then it becomes very tricky to bring in a quality replacement. I think we could get Howe or Thomas Frank in now if we moved for one of them. My point is we either need to change the manager now or stick with him for the season, no parting ways in the final third of the season, that rarely works. So stick of twist. I think the club will stick. If I were making the decision I would probably twist but only if either Howe or Frank were to come in otherwise I would stick. I could easily be wrong - the last two games have been okay and two good points against two big clubs.
One thing is for certain, at least in my mind, AA needs to start Muniz in our next game. I think that might actually be a good thing for Garcia, I think he is sort of player who would respond if he were dropped for a week.
Quote from: Sting of the North on September 20, 2026, 11:01:20 PMSome of these comments read like it's a sketch- are people deliberately trying to be dense? Borough sent him back... Christ almighty. Let's hope that these are twelve year olds posting.
And to analyze games solely on goals scored (or not) and ignoring all context and what is actually happening during a game...
Outside of last season (he was injured a lot of the time), he averaged 10 goals a season in all comps in the previous two seasons with the majority of the goals coming in the PL and a lot of that time he was back up to Raul. Muniz is definitely PL standard.
Quote from: Steeeeeeeeeed on September 20, 2026, 09:54:53 PMI am happy with Arbeloa so far, obviously not with the results overall, but I think he is doing a decent job with what he had to play with.
Really?
If we were offered two points from Liverpool and United - would have probably taken it. And defensively looked a lot more solid. So need to keep that perspective, and it's such early days. But no wins, three home games - all the three teams we played at home we played teams that were clearly fallible - one point. Can't say I'm satisfied.
All for trying to find green shoots, but this is a results business. I'm an Arbeloa sceptic, he doesn't convince me when he speaks, nor do the results at the moment. He might become a thoroughly decent manager, but this is not an easy task to be learning on the job for. So he needs results quickly.
Quote from: SimonDaviesEnjoyer on September 20, 2026, 10:44:32 PMQuote from: C Block on September 20, 2026, 09:29:41 PMQuote from: Sting of the North on September 20, 2026, 09:22:28 PMI don't really understand how you could watch the game today and come to the conclusion that we play with extreme caution...
In the last two games no Fulham player has scored, in the next three that has to change and improve, so how does he tweak it to give us a better chance?
Finishing practice for our forwards.
Lots and lots of finishing practice from all over the park.
Several of our players seem to regularly scuff their shots, rather than giving the ball a full blooded belt: Josh, Oscar, Alex, Sander, Gonzalo and of course Robbo.
Quote from: Snibbo on September 21, 2026, 12:01:01 AMQuote from: SimonDaviesEnjoyer on September 20, 2026, 10:44:32 PMQuote from: C Block on September 20, 2026, 09:29:41 PMQuote from: Sting of the North on September 20, 2026, 09:22:28 PMI don't really understand how you could watch the game today and come to the conclusion that we play with extreme caution...
In the last two games no Fulham player has scored, in the next three that has to change and improve, so how does he tweak it to give us a better chance?
Finishing practice for our forwards.
Lots and lots of finishing practice from all over the park.
Several of our players seem to regularly scuff their shots, rather than giving the ball a full blooded belt: Josh, Oscar, Alex, Sander, Gonzalo and of course Robbo.
Yes... meaning to tweak understanding with the new players.... gel them together now.
Quote from: FFC007 on September 20, 2026, 09:32:59 PMQuote from: demeant0r on September 20, 2026, 09:07:04 PMHave we though? We had the same xG as United even though we had half the number of shots as them. And we had close enough xG to Liverpool with four fewer shots, which if we had equal number of shots we would probably have the same xG as them.
I think the last two league games have been a middle ground between the two (as in we're still being dangerous enough while having some form of defensive solidity, mind you I didn't watch the whole match). The other extreme would have been Parkerball.
It felt like Parkerball when everyone was standing around like mannequins waiting for Leno to kick the ball!
There was also a lot of stale sideways and backwards stuff. A couple of times we had the chance to get away on the wings and it went inside and sideways.
García needs better service.
As for the corners today, complete dog poo.
When you see Leno just standing with the ball it means that nobody is giving him an option, if the outfield players were standing like "mannequins" what could he do. Movement is the key.
The Man Utd keeper made more saves than any other keeper in the PL this game week so I wouldn't say we weren't attacking enough at all
Quote from: Deeping_white on September 21, 2026, 02:08:07 PMThe Man Utd keeper made more saves than any other keeper in the PL this game week so I wouldn't say we weren't attacking enough at all
No he didn't, the Sunderland keeper did. The Spurs keeper also made more saves.
Quote from: demeant0r on September 21, 2026, 02:21:13 PMQuote from: Deeping_white on September 21, 2026, 02:08:07 PMThe Man Utd keeper made more saves than any other keeper in the PL this game week so I wouldn't say we weren't attacking enough at all
No he didn't, the Sunderland keeper did. The Spurs keeper also made more saves.
Wrong on both counts - apology accepted in advance: https://x.com/Squawka/status/2102017500271567122?s=20
I was an Arbeloa sceptic after 3 games but for me the most important thing he has shown in the last 2 games is he is capable of adapting and not married to a failed system.
Someone said Berge sucks the air out of the room but personally I think him and Shea as a double pivot is vital to us shoring up a bit, along with not having both FBs bombing on at the same time every time.
Also Key is it seems the players - at least the ones playing - are not downing tools and the rumours of a dissatisfied dressing room seem to have stopped. Maybe because he's adapted and reigned in the public slagging of our players.
If he's capable of adapting, learning and having enough humility to acknowledge mistakes and grow then he has every chance of getting us up the table.
Quote from: Deeping_white on September 21, 2026, 02:43:37 PMQuote from: demeant0r on September 21, 2026, 02:21:13 PMQuote from: Deeping_white on September 21, 2026, 02:08:07 PMThe Man Utd keeper made more saves than any other keeper in the PL this game week so I wouldn't say we weren't attacking enough at all
No he didn't, the Sunderland keeper did. The Spurs keeper also made more saves.
Wrong on both counts - apology accepted in advance: https://x.com/Squawka/status/2102017500271567122?s=20
Oh, right, sorry. I saw shots on target and for some reason didn't calculate some of those went in. ::wine::
Would like to see Garcia on the wing and Muniz up front.
Not the start any of us wanted but we have picked up 2 points and have gone into this break with 3 winnable games.
The last 15 minutes made me think Parker was back!
Bring on another defender and invite the opposition on. Outcome was inevitable.
Get the bloody ball into their half and keep it.
Quote from: bigalffc on September 22, 2026, 02:23:28 PMThe last 15 minutes made me think Parker was back!
Bring on another defender and invite the opposition on. Outcome was inevitable.
Get the bloody ball into their half and keep it.
Silva did this plenty of times too.
Quote from: bigalffc on September 22, 2026, 02:23:28 PMThe last 15 minutes made me think Parker was back!
Bring on another defender and invite the opposition on. Outcome was inevitable.
Get the bloody ball into their half and keep it.
Eh, MU was all over us well before JA came on and the three subs he made before that one had unfortunately done absolutely nothing in aiding us to "get the bloody ball into their half and keep it (to use your words)"...I'd contend they probably made things even worse. So to be fair to AA, bringing JA on in that instance was probably the right move.
Quote from: bigalffc on September 22, 2026, 02:23:28 PMThe last 15 minutes made me think Parker was back!
Bring on another defender and invite the opposition on. Outcome was inevitable.
Get the bloody ball into their half and keep it.
Yep, good point, and one I have posted about recently as well. Sitting on one goal leads can lead to heartache. A well played game for the most part and three points nearly there, and, poof, gone. Inviting pressure from the opposition is never a good idea, whether playing a top club or a bottom half team, it doesn't matter. Every game in this league is tough, and there will be disappointments in this scenario. Very frustrating, AA needs a better strategy when in the lead. Three leads given up in the last two home games. Brutal.
I was one of Arbeloa's harshest critics but the last 3 matches (including WHU) have been so much better. Don't change a thing.
Quote from: WindyCity on September 22, 2026, 03:33:21 PMQuote from: bigalffc on September 22, 2026, 02:23:28 PMThe last 15 minutes made me think Parker was back!
Bring on another defender and invite the opposition on. Outcome was inevitable.
Get the bloody ball into their half and keep it.
Yep, good point, and one I have posted about recently as well. Sitting on one goal leads can lead to heartache. A well played game for the most part and three points nearly there, and, poof, gone. Inviting pressure from the opposition is never a good idea, whether playing a top club or a bottom half team, it doesn't matter.
Question for both you and others who have said something similar. How exactly did we invite pressure from Man U on Sunday? We took the lead in the 63rd minute and very shortly after that Man U began to put us under considerable pressure. I don't think it was because of anything we did tactically (and it certainly wasn't because of subs as we didn't make any until the 71st minute), the fact of the matter is that Man U is a talented team who understandably upped the intensity and turned up the pressure once they were desperately chasing a goal.
In response to that, AA made two subs in the 71st minute, neither of which I'd characterize as being defensive and therefore "inviting pressure". I admit I didn't like one of those subs (but that's neither here nor there for the purposes of this discussion) but things didn't really get any better after they came on so he made another that I wouldn't characterize as defensive (Larsson for Berge, a substitution I also really didn't love) and again, things didn't get better...we were still under a ton of pressure and could not hold on to the ball. Finally in the 80th minute he understandably came to the realization that there was no change he could make that was going to lead to us maintaining more possession/limiting Man U's chances so he made the correct decision (in my opinion) to throw on a defender who might at least make it tougher for Man U to score from all the pressure/possession they had.
Look, I agree that going too defensive and NEEDLESSLY inviting more pressure is not a good idea (and I'd contend there were times Marco did that in past seasons) but this wasn't one of those instances. Sometimes when you're playing teams with more talent they're just going to put you under a ton of pressure no matter what you do, so in those instances, you should make your defense as tough to break down as possible.
Berge and Bobb hardly give the ball away, Garcia is no centre-forward so play Muniz there. And stop keeping the ball at the back just for the sake of it!
Quote from: Nick Bateman on September 22, 2026, 06:42:38 PMBerge and Bobb hardly give the ball away, Garcia is no centre-forward so play Muniz there. And stop keeping the ball at the back just for the sake of it!
This seems to be a bit of a recurring theme now with a lot of people saying that Garcia isn't an out and out striker and should be played out wide or perhaps needs to be played a bit deeper behind the striker,the thing is, nobody knows him better as a footballer than Arbeloa, and he was prepared to pay a lot of money this summer to bring him to Craven Cottage as a striker,
What will be very interesting over the next couple of weeks is to see exactly where the Spanish U21 manager plays him,if it's not as a striker then we've got a problem.
Garcia looks anything but a winger or wide player what I've seen so far? Where's the evidence he is best suited wide?
There might be an argument he could be better in a two up top partnership but who plays that system nowadays? Lot of today's coaches don't know what a partnership up top looks like? Days of Warboys & Bannister distant memory?
I do think from all attacking aspects of this squad forwards wingers midfielders there does not look like there are a lot of goals in them. It might settle down but this was the gamble or the road the management decided to go down when employing Arbeloa and sanctioning certain transfers?
Let's be fair Garcia Muniz Asare it does not smack lots of goals does it? Think Garcia will be alright it's just how quick he can adapt and not lose confidence. Who will be a Harry Wilson this season least we forget if it weren't for him last season we would have been involved towards the foot of the table. Warning signs were there but no one seems to have taken heed at FFC.
Quote from: C Block on September 22, 2026, 07:08:52 PMQuote from: Nick Bateman on September 22, 2026, 06:42:38 PMBerge and Bobb hardly give the ball away, Garcia is no centre-forward so play Muniz there. And stop keeping the ball at the back just for the sake of it!
This seems to be a bit of a recurring theme now with a lot of people saying that Garcia isn't an out and out striker and should be played out wide or perhaps needs to be played a bit deeper behind the striker,the thing is, nobody knows him better as a footballer than Arbeloa, and he was prepared to pay a lot of money this summer to bring him to Craven Cottage as a striker,
What will be very interesting over the next couple of weeks is to see exactly where the Spanish U21 manager plays him,if it's not as a striker then we've got a problem.
Whether the Spanish U21 manager plays him as striker or not means basically nothing for us, and does not mean we have more or less problems than we already do. You're just finding irrelevant things that you can then get upset about.
In my opinion.
Very good comment above Chi_FFC. It seems like people decide what to complain about without needing to have any basis in reality. As you state, Andersen was seemingly introduced because we had already completely lost the initiative, and that was in no way what invited pressure. The pressure was already there, and we needed to deal with it. I am often not a fan of trying to go overly defensive to protect a lead, but on Sunday it was very welcome and in my opinion the right call with Andersen.
Quote from: Sting of the North on September 22, 2026, 08:11:20 PMQuote from: C Block on September 22, 2026, 07:08:52 PMQuote from: Nick Bateman on September 22, 2026, 06:42:38 PMBerge and Bobb hardly give the ball away, Garcia is no centre-forward so play Muniz there. And stop keeping the ball at the back just for the sake of it!
This seems to be a bit of a recurring theme now with a lot of people saying that Garcia isn't an out and out striker and should be played out wide or perhaps needs to be played a bit deeper behind the striker,the thing is, nobody knows him better as a footballer than Arbeloa, and he was prepared to pay a lot of money this summer to bring him to Craven Cottage as a striker,
What will be very interesting over the next couple of weeks is to see exactly where the Spanish U21 manager plays him,if it's not as a striker then we've got a problem.
Whether the Spanish U21 manager plays him as striker or not means basically nothing for us, and does not mean we have more or less problems than we already do. You're just finding irrelevant things that you can then get upset about.
In my opinion.
Are you trying to imply that the Spanish U21 manager would play him out of position? Ridiculous if you are.
Quote from: C Block on September 22, 2026, 08:21:00 PMQuote from: Sting of the North on September 22, 2026, 08:11:20 PMQuote from: C Block on September 22, 2026, 07:08:52 PMThis seems to be a bit of a recurring theme now with a lot of people saying that Garcia isn't an out and out striker and should be played out wide or perhaps needs to be played a bit deeper behind the striker,the thing is, nobody knows him better as a footballer than Arbeloa, and he was prepared to pay a lot of money this summer to bring him to Craven Cottage as a striker,
What will be very interesting over the next couple of weeks is to see exactly where the Spanish U21 manager plays him,if it's not as a striker then we've got a problem.
Whether the Spanish U21 manager plays him as striker or not means basically nothing for us, and does not mean we have more or less problems than we already do. You're just finding irrelevant things that you can then get upset about.
In my opinion.
Are you trying to imply that the Spanish U21 manager would play him out of position? Ridiculous if you are.
It takes some doing for someone to manage to argue against himself but you are achieving this dubious distinction, seemingly with ease.
If, as you say, no one knows Garcia better than Arbeloa and he regards him as a striker, then
you are implying that to not play him as a striker is to play him out of position.
Quote from: C Block on September 22, 2026, 08:21:00 PMQuote from: Sting of the North on September 22, 2026, 08:11:20 PMQuote from: C Block on September 22, 2026, 07:08:52 PMQuote from: Nick Bateman on September 22, 2026, 06:42:38 PMBerge and Bobb hardly give the ball away, Garcia is no centre-forward so play Muniz there. And stop keeping the ball at the back just for the sake of it!
This seems to be a bit of a recurring theme now with a lot of people saying that Garcia isn't an out and out striker and should be played out wide or perhaps needs to be played a bit deeper behind the striker,the thing is, nobody knows him better as a footballer than Arbeloa, and he was prepared to pay a lot of money this summer to bring him to Craven Cottage as a striker,
What will be very interesting over the next couple of weeks is to see exactly where the Spanish U21 manager plays him,if it's not as a striker then we've got a problem.
Whether the Spanish U21 manager plays him as striker or not means basically nothing for us, and does not mean we have more or less problems than we already do. You're just finding irrelevant things that you can then get upset about.
In my opinion.
Are you trying to imply that the Spanish U21 manager would play him out of position? Ridiculous if you are.
I guess your reading comprehension could use quite some work, if that is your understanding.
A player (any player, except maybe a goalie) can play in multiple positions. The positions themselves are also not fixed. How the Spanish u21 manager opts to use Garcia does not dictate whether or not he can be used in another or the same way by another manager in another context. If you really think it does, I don't really know what to say...
Quote from: Sting of the North on September 23, 2026, 12:13:59 AMQuote from: C Block on September 22, 2026, 08:21:00 PMQuote from: Sting of the North on September 22, 2026, 08:11:20 PMQuote from: C Block on September 22, 2026, 07:08:52 PMQuote from: Nick Bateman on September 22, 2026, 06:42:38 PMBerge and Bobb hardly give the ball away, Garcia is no centre-forward so play Muniz there. And stop keeping the ball at the back just for the sake of it!
This seems to be a bit of a recurring theme now with a lot of people saying that Garcia isn't an out and out striker and should be played out wide or perhaps needs to be played a bit deeper behind the striker,the thing is, nobody knows him better as a footballer than Arbeloa, and he was prepared to pay a lot of money this summer to bring him to Craven Cottage as a striker,
What will be very interesting over the next couple of weeks is to see exactly where the Spanish U21 manager plays him,if it's not as a striker then we've got a problem.
Whether the Spanish U21 manager plays him as striker or not means basically nothing for us, and does not mean we have more or less problems than we already do. You're just finding irrelevant things that you can then get upset about.
In my opinion.
Are you trying to imply that the Spanish U21 manager would play him out of position? Ridiculous if you are.
I guess your reading comprehension could use quite some work, if that is your understanding.
A player (any player, except maybe a goalie) can play in multiple positions. The positions themselves are also not fixed. How the Spanish u21 manager opts to use Garcia does not dictate whether or not he can be used in another or the same way by another manager in another context. If you really think it does, I don't really know what to say...
OK let's try for one last time to make this really easy for you, so that even you can understand, then when you are ready we can all move on, ready ?
A lot of fans on both here and on X have suggested that Garcia is not really a striker, but more of a wide player (I've not suggested that myself)
If the Spanish U21 Manager, over these next 3 or 4 games chooses to play him out wide, or play him deep, rather than as a striker, then it would indicate that the man that knows more about football than you do, doesn't see him as a striker,
If this were to happen, then it would appear that Fulham Football Club have got a bit of a problem,
Hopefully he plays as a striker, and hopefully he scores 3 or 4 , and returns to Fulham with his confidence at an all time high.
COYSW
Quote from: C Block on September 23, 2026, 08:36:39 AMQuote from: Sting of the North on September 23, 2026, 12:13:59 AMQuote from: C Block on September 22, 2026, 08:21:00 PMQuote from: Sting of the North on September 22, 2026, 08:11:20 PMQuote from: C Block on September 22, 2026, 07:08:52 PMQuote from: Nick Bateman on September 22, 2026, 06:42:38 PMBerge and Bobb hardly give the ball away, Garcia is no centre-forward so play Muniz there. And stop keeping the ball at the back just for the sake of it!
This seems to be a bit of a recurring theme now with a lot of people saying that Garcia isn't an out and out striker and should be played out wide or perhaps needs to be played a bit deeper behind the striker,the thing is, nobody knows him better as a footballer than Arbeloa, and he was prepared to pay a lot of money this summer to bring him to Craven Cottage as a striker,
What will be very interesting over the next couple of weeks is to see exactly where the Spanish U21 manager plays him,if it's not as a striker then we've got a problem.
Whether the Spanish U21 manager plays him as striker or not means basically nothing for us, and does not mean we have more or less problems than we already do. You're just finding irrelevant things that you can then get upset about.
In my opinion.
Are you trying to imply that the Spanish U21 manager would play him out of position? Ridiculous if you are.
I guess your reading comprehension could use quite some work, if that is your understanding.
A player (any player, except maybe a goalie) can play in multiple positions. The positions themselves are also not fixed. How the Spanish u21 manager opts to use Garcia does not dictate whether or not he can be used in another or the same way by another manager in another context. If you really think it does, I don't really know what to say...
OK let's try for one last time to make this really easy for you, so that even you can understand, then when you are ready we can all move on, ready ?
A lot of fans on both here and on X have suggested that Garcia is not really a striker, but more of a wide player (I've not suggested that myself)
If the Spanish U21 Manager, over these next 3 or 4 games chooses to play him out wide, or play him deep, rather than as a striker, then it would indicate that the man that knows more about football than you do, doesn't see him as a striker,
If this were to happen, then it would appear that Fulham Football Club have got a bit of a problem,
Hopefully he plays as a striker, and hopefully he scores 3 or 4 , and returns to Fulham with his confidence at an all time high.
COYSW
There can be other reasons, if it does happen. Scholes, Gerrard and Heskey were all put on the left wing for England but no one thinks they are left wingers. Are Nico O'Reilly or Lewis-Skelly left backs or centre mids? Different coaches have played them in both positions, depending on various needs at the time.
Quote from: C Block on September 23, 2026, 08:36:39 AMQuote from: Sting of the North on September 23, 2026, 12:13:59 AMQuote from: C Block on September 22, 2026, 08:21:00 PMQuote from: Sting of the North on September 22, 2026, 08:11:20 PMQuote from: C Block on September 22, 2026, 07:08:52 PMQuote from: Nick Bateman on September 22, 2026, 06:42:38 PMBerge and Bobb hardly give the ball away, Garcia is no centre-forward so play Muniz there. And stop keeping the ball at the back just for the sake of it!
This seems to be a bit of a recurring theme now with a lot of people saying that Garcia isn't an out and out striker and should be played out wide or perhaps needs to be played a bit deeper behind the striker,the thing is, nobody knows him better as a footballer than Arbeloa, and he was prepared to pay a lot of money this summer to bring him to Craven Cottage as a striker,
What will be very interesting over the next couple of weeks is to see exactly where the Spanish U21 manager plays him,if it's not as a striker then we've got a problem.
Whether the Spanish U21 manager plays him as striker or not means basically nothing for us, and does not mean we have more or less problems than we already do. You're just finding irrelevant things that you can then get upset about.
In my opinion.
Are you trying to imply that the Spanish U21 manager would play him out of position? Ridiculous if you are.
I guess your reading comprehension could use quite some work, if that is your understanding.
A player (any player, except maybe a goalie) can play in multiple positions. The positions themselves are also not fixed. How the Spanish u21 manager opts to use Garcia does not dictate whether or not he can be used in another or the same way by another manager in another context. If you really think it does, I don't really know what to say...
OK let's try for one last time to make this really easy for you, so that even you can understand, then when you are ready we can all move on, ready ?
A lot of fans on both here and on X have suggested that Garcia is not really a striker, but more of a wide player (I've not suggested that myself)
If the Spanish U21 Manager, over these next 3 or 4 games chooses to play him out wide, or play him deep, rather than as a striker, then it would indicate that the man that knows more about football than you do, doesn't see him as a striker,
If this were to happen, then it would appear that Fulham Football Club have got a bit of a problem,
Hopefully he plays as a striker, and hopefully he scores 3 or 4 , and returns to Fulham with his confidence at an all time high.
COYSW
I guess you decided to double down on not reading my comments, but instead (ironically) is trying to belittle me.
It was not that your comments were hard to understand, and it didn't need repeating. I simply disagreed, because I found it hard to understand how you could actually believe what you are writing, because in my opinion it is nonsense (I am not trying to be rude here, I actually don't understand your logic at all).
Ignoring for the moment whether Garcia is up to the task of leading the line in the Premier League, since that would of course be subjective, I have a few other comments to give it another try to pierce through your monologue.
Positions are not binary, a winger or striker in one system can play completely different than in another system. Likewise, players are humans and don't have an inherited "position" that is the only thing that they can play.
Furthermore, whether different managers opts to play a player in different position or with different tactical directives doesn't mean that one is more right than the other. This is not some binary system, but organic and the circumstances and context differs from game to game and of course even more so when talking about completely different teams and managers.
Another point is that Garcia is the player he is, and even if he can and will evolve, these coming three weeks is just a tiny little part of that journey. Even if the Spanish u21 manager opts to bench him or play him at left back it doesn't change what player he is currently and what qualities he possesses. If, for arguments sake, Garcia is not suited to play striker for Fulham at this point, that is already a problem. How the Spanish u21 manager uses him the next few games have at most a minimal impact and would not be part of creating that problem.
Also, as others have pointed out, you yourself stated that Arbeloa knows Garcia better than anyone else. Wouldn't then his preference of playing Garcia as a striker be quite the strong clue that Garcia currently should be regarded as such (even if random fans such as yourself would disagree).
Lastly, I haven't expressed an opinion on where, or if, Garcia should play, so you don't have to try to compare my qualifications with that of the Spanish u21 manager (who you, in your contradictory manner, seem to have decided is more qualified than Arbeloa).
In my view FFC did invite pressure late in the ManU game, with the introduction of Andersen and going 5 in the back. I don't buy that it (pressure) was naturally occurring since ManU is such a talented team. Just looking back to the Palace game, I wouldn't consider them talented as such, certainly not level with ManU, and they came back from one goal deficits twice, once rather late. It just seems there is a propensity to sit on one goal leads (and we saw same under MS as well at times). Good teams move forward, and try to get that two goal cushion. Sometimes a good defense is a good offense. If ManU is such a talented squad, well, we did quite well against them in first half of that game and came up with several excellent scoring chances and should have done better, and was on the front foot for periods of time and controlling the game. Sure, they had good chances too, including woodwork, but we were not getting bossed for periods of this game. Three leads given up in last two home games. Maybe AA needs to have better strategies/subs. I questioned Larsson coming on for Berge, and Berge was having a good game. To me Larsson looked lost out there, confused and physically awkward, unsure of himself. It just looked like FFC gave up on trying to get that next goal. It almost worked, sadly a deflected shot did us in. I never liked sitting on one goal leads.
Quote from: WindyCity on September 23, 2026, 03:25:52 PMFFC did invite pressure late in the ManU game with the introduction of Andersen and going 5 in the back
We were already under huge pressure before we went to a back 5. Arbeloa had tried to regain some attacking impetus with fresh legs prior to that sub, but we remained under pressure, hence I guess he thought that if we're under pressure lets bring someone on who can add to the defensive solidity.
Trying to say that he invited pressure by going to a back 5 simply isn't right, we were already under the cosh.
Quote from: WindyCity on September 23, 2026, 03:25:52 PMJust looking back to the Palace game, I wouldn't consider them talented as such, certainly not level with ManU, and they came back from one goal deficits twice, once rather late.
You're right, Palace aren't nearly as talented as United. And after we took the lead against them, unlike what happened against United, they didn't really turn it up a gear and put us under much pressure. We still had the majority of possession and we didn't sit back/go to a back 5 to try to hang on to a one goal victory. In hindsight we absolutely should have gone more conservative because the issue in that match is that we were too aggressive and wide open which allowed Palace to capitalize on a couple mistakes and win a game they absolutely had no business winning.
Quote from: Jim© on September 23, 2026, 04:00:29 PMQuote from: WindyCity on September 23, 2026, 03:25:52 PMFFC did invite pressure late in the ManU game with the introduction of Andersen and going 5 in the back
We were already under huge pressure before we went to a back 5. Arbeloa had tried to regain some attacking impetus with fresh legs prior to that sub, but we remained under pressure, hence I guess he thought that if we're under pressure lets bring someone on who can add to the defensive solidity.
Trying to say that he invited pressure by going to a back 5 simply isn't right, we were already under the cosh.
Yeah, the comment you're replying to is absolute nonsense. Things actually improved
a bit after JA came on. In the ~15 minutes after we scored and before JA came on MU dominated possession and we allowed 7 shots. In the ~10 minutes after he came on Man U still dominated possession but we allowed only two low quality shots. Unfortunately, one of those took a wicked deflection and went in, but the fact remains that was not a high quality chance and one you're normally happy to see the opposition take in a situation like that. As a matter of fact, I actually let out a sigh of relief when I saw that shot come off his foot as I was sure it would be a relatively easy save for Leno and would allow us to kill a few more seconds off the clock.