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Saturday Fulham Stuff (06/10/18)...

Started by WhiteJC, October 06, 2018, 07:15:12 AM

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WhiteJC

 
Arsenal motivated for 'big challenge' at Craven Cottage on Sunday

Unai Emery insists that his rejuvenated Arsenal set-up are motivated for Sunday's Premier League encounter against Fulham at Craven Cottage, an intriguing London derby that the Spanish tactician also labelled a 'big challenge' due to the Cottagers' underlying proficiency.

The Gunners swatted Qarabag aside with an assured 3-0 victory in the Europa League on Thursday, and now that the north-Londoners' attention is fixed firmly upon their next domestic meeting on the banks of the Thames, Emery is wary of what Slavisa Jokanovic's stuttering fold is ultimately capable of.

Emery opted to rotate his starting XI in Baku with a number of eye-catching inclusions, although as the vast majority of his contingent are fit and ready to lock horns with the Whites, the former Paris Saint-Germain boss has called for his available personnel to exhibit their dominance and put Fulham to the sword.

    Speaking to the media – via Daily Star – Emery expressed: "Fulham is a very big challenge for us, first because it's away and second because each match in the Premier League is very, very difficult.

    "Fulham bought very good players like [Jean Michael] Seri, like [Andre-Frank Zambo] Anguissa, and they have [Aleksandar] Mitrovic and [Andre] Schurrle too. It's a very good team and I think their coach is a very good coach with experience in England.

    "We need to push against them on Sunday and also show our best performance. Our idea is to be focused on Sunday with all of our players."

Competing in Europe is exceedingly strenuous and fatigue can consequentially affect a player's exploits as the campaign progresses. Emery, however, is seemingly relishing the journey ahead of his triumphant outfit on the continent and is not fazed by the demanding fixture schedule.

    "For us it's not a problem to play on Thursday and then on Sunday because we want to play a lot of matches and a lot of competitions." He added.

    "We also want to give the players the chances and opportunities to play, to give them confidence, responsibility and rhythm like today for all our players.

    "Today, the players who sometimes don't play played, and for us it's very important on Sunday to produce the best performance. But then also, maybe, players who played today can play on Sunday too. We can do that with some players."



Read more: http://goonertalk.com/2018/10/05/arsenal-motivated-for-big-challenge-at-craven-cottage-on-sunday/#ixzz5T8FvdLUu
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WhiteJC

 
Fulham v Arsenal: Fulham duo out, Gunners stars could return

Fulham defenders Joe Bryan and Timothy Fosu-Mensah have been ruled out of Sunday's clash against Arsenal.

Bryan has a hamstring injury and Fosu-Mensah (pictured) has a dislocated shoulder, with the pair joining midfielder Neeskens Kebano (ankle) on the sidelines.

Defender Alfie Mawson is in contention to return following a back injury, while fit-again midfielder Tom Cairney is pushing to start.

Provisional squad: Bettinelli, Rico, Fabri, Christie, Odoi, Chambers, Mawson, Ream, Le Marchand, Ayite, Ryan Sessegnon, Seri, Cairney, McDonald, Johansen, De La Torre, Anguissa, Steven Sessegnon, Schurrle, Vietto, Mitrovic, Fonte, Kamara.

Arsenal head coach Unai Emery is likely to make wholesale changes.

The Gunners boss made nine alterations for the 3-0 Europa League win in Qarabag and will be hoping to have Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang back from illness – while Aaron Ramsey could feature as he waits for his wife to give birth.

Petr Cech (hamstring), Ainsley Maitland-Niles (leg), Laurent Koscielny (Achilles) and Konstantinos Mavropanos (groin) are missing but Henrikh Mkhitaryan is back in the squad after missing the trip to Azerbaijan.

Provisional squad: Leno, Martinez, Bellerin, Lichtsteiner, Holding, Mustafi, Papastathopoulos, Monreal, Kolasinac, Xhaka, Elneny, Torreira, Guendouzi, Ramsey, Smith Rowe, Iwobi, Mkhitaryan, Ozil, Welbeck, Lacazette, Aubameyang.



http://londonfootballnews.co.uk/arsenal/fulham-v-arsenal-fulham-duo-out-gunners-stars-could-return/

WhiteJC


Three Players to Watch: Matchday 8 vs. Arsenal
Another week, another matchday against a big six club

The good news is that Fulham have one more Premier League fixture to go against a tough opponent before the International Break and before the next round of matches gets easier. The bad news is that this is against a white hot Arsenal side that has won all of its fixtures after losing Chelsea and Manchester City to start their Premier League campaign. Along with that, Fulham will have to pull the impossible without fullbacks Joe Bryan and Timothy Fosu-Mensah due to a hamstring and shoulder injury, respectively. These two are expected to only be gone for a few weeks, but already the club are showing a true lack of Premier League caliber talent in those positions, so any injury is a major cause for concern.

Calls have been made for Slavisa Jokanovic to implement a 3-5-2 or a 3-4-3 as they did in their League Cup victory over Millwall. But as has been the case all season, it is another sign that the boys from Southwest London still don't know what their best XI or system is with almost a quarter of the season past. And with six-pointers against Cardiff and Huddersfield coming up soon, Jokanovic better figure all of that out fast or Fulham might be doomed for relegation before they know it.

As has been the case against previous "big six" teams, the club don't need to come away with three points. But they do need to come away with a good enough performance and scoreline that will be encouraging for the matchdays ahead. Somebody not named Aleksander Mitrovic has to contribute in the goal scoring and the defense has to be settled enough that it can hang with the best the Premier League has to offer. Maybe that is too much to ask in 2018/19, regardless of how much was spent this transfer window. But somewhere along the line, questions have to become answers.

In a strange way, Arsenal could provide a good opportunity to see if Fulham can push them around. Unai Emery has had a bit of a test in pinning down his playing style and culture after the two decades tenure of Arsene Wenger. In spite of the Gunners being on a good run of form, their underlying numbers paint a different picture. Expected goals only has them scoring 9.27 instead of the 14 actual tallies they have put up. Along with that, Arsenal have given up over 14 shots per contest. That is downright horrendous for a club demanding to return to the Champions League and opportunities will be present for Fulham at Craven Cottage as a result.

The question will be if they can take complete advantage of that. This match could either go as 4-2, 3-3 type of contest or a dull 0-0 or 1-1 draw depending on how committed and efficient both attacks are. But either way, both sides know they will need to put in a great result in order to feel good about themselves with plenty of rest ahead.

And with that, let's take a look at the players to watch for on Sunday.

Alexandre Lacazette

First up is Arsenal's £40 million man that is finally looking to turn good. This past season, Alexandre Lacazette joined North London from Olympique Lyonnais and went from being a consistent 20-goal scorer to only racking up 14 in 2017/18. Plenty of that had to do with his shot output (2.77 per 90 minutes) being the lowest in four seasons. If it weren't for his 51.5% shots-on-target ratio, who knows how little Lacazette would score.

This season, his two goals in 435 league minutes only has him at 0.39 per 90 minutes: his worst rate since 2012/13. However, Lacazette's shot rate is back to 3.35 per 90 minutes and if he can get back to hitting his career norms of going more on target (just 35.3%), the Frenchman will be back in business. Here's to hoping he doesn't find his groove on Sunday.

Matteo Guendouzi

I could go for Granit Xhaka and Aaron Ramsey as my midfielder to profile, but along with mostly the rest of their teammates, their radars have looked worst this season than last. Among the exceptions is of their 19-year old wonderkid Matteo Guendouzi. The French Under-20 International has really caught the eye of Emery over the summer and has never left his place as the midfield destroyer next to Xhaka in the double pivot. With 26 tackles and interceptions, no other Arsenal player has contributed more defensively and Guendouzi has already been a smooth passer of the ball in his early career at the Emirates Stadium. Eventually, Lucas Torreira will get himself more acquainted and take over in that role. But for now, the position is looking more like Guendouzi's to lose.

Shkrodan Mustafi
All data from whoscored.com

Lastly, we talk about a defender who is always struggling to replace someone like Laurent Koscielny, let alone a Sol Campbell or a Tony Adams. Their closest bet is the 26-year old German with a keen passer, but little in the way of defensive effort. Worst case scenario, he is Arsenal's answer to Tomas Kalas, who seems a bit too cultured of a defender to everyone's liking. Hector Bellerin, Saed Kolasinac and Sokratis could have been better options to profile, but all three are either not in their best form or coming back from injury.

On the whole, Arsenal's defense is solid and in line with their nine goals given up. However, their press is the third best in the Premier League at 8.67 passes allowed per defensive action. But their 45 passes along in the final 20 yards from goal is just 11th in the league. The emphasis of Emery-ball has been to commit as many players as far forward as possible and hope the remaining five center backs and center midfielders can cover ground and play solid defense.

That system can work when you have world class talent. But it would not work once that defense begins to break down more often than not with fast counter-attacks. Either way, Mustafi will have a major part to play in determining if his defense doesn't break down in front of them.



https://cottagersconfidential.sbnation.com/2018/10/5/17939194/three-players-to-watch-matchday-8-vs-arsenal


WhiteJC

 
Fulham vs Arsenal Preview: Arsenal look for their ninth straight win

A London derby! A return to Craven Cottage! A chance for nine wins on the spin and six league victories in a row! A chance to get above Spurs with a big win!

There is a lot at stake for Arsenal as they visit London neighbours Fulham on Sunday in the lunchtime match. Arsenal are the heavy favourite in this tie but after a punishing travel schedule to Azerbaijan on Thursday in the Europa League with a surprisingly strong squad this could still end up a tricky match for the Gunners.

Fulham, a pretty good attacking team, a bad defensive team

Fulham in the league have continued their attractive attacking style that got them promoted from the Championship. They are averaging nearly 13 shots per match, which is good for seventh best in the league. They are taking most of those shots from outside of the box, with over seven per match coming from long range which makes their expected goals (xG) per match in the bottom half of the league.

The standout offensive player for Fulham is Aleksandar Mitrovic.

He has compiled the second most total points for Fulham in the Twelve rankings. He currently leads the Premier League in my xG model this season which is very impressive in a league with such amazing attacking talent. I really enjoy watching Mitrovic play and while I am an Arsenal fan, I think that he could really terrorize Arsenal's defenders in this match.

On defense, well the short answer is that it isn't pretty.

No team has given up more xG than Fulham. No team has a higher xG per shot allowed than Fulham. No team allows more big chances than Fulham. No team allows more shots in the danger zone than Fulham. Essentially take a bad statistic and odds are that Fulham are at the top of that list.

Looking at the shot chart they have allowed it becomes clear just how easy teams have carved them open this season.

Fulham, much like Arsenal, are a team that likes to attack but struggles to defend. The biggest issue for Fulham is that they don't have the talent on either side of the ball to be able to make that trade-off pay dividends.

Arsenal are winning, but the results are flattering

Look at the above expected points and expected goals table. Find Arsenal, take a moment to be sad that with that much attacking talent they have been mediocre and then wonder how in the world they have 15 points this season.

Arsenal are currently over-performing their expected points by over five points. Their performances peg them in mid-table instead of challenging for a top four spot. They currently have a negative xG differential and have the second biggest difference between their expected goals for and against compared to actual goals for and against.

They started the season with tough matches against Manchester City and Chelsea but since then they have played teams that are expected to be in mid-table or worse. They have gotten wins against teams they are supposed to beat but they haven't done it convincingly according to the statistics. This is a red flag that the Gunners could see a down turn in results unless they start to up their performances.

Prediction: Fulham 2-3 Arsenal (with a lot of dodgy defending).



http://blog.twelve.football/2018/10/05/fulham-vs-arsenal-preview/

WhiteJC

 
Slavisa Jokanovic reveals job his mum wants him to take if he gets sacked by Fulham

EXCLUSIVE: The Serbian is not under pressure at Craven Cottage but Radmila Jokanovic is keen on her son to find a safer vocation

Slavisa Jokanovic is too long in the tooth to start worrying about his job.

Former Chelsea and Deportivo La Coruna midfielder Jokanovic joked his mum Radmila used to say he could get a job in a hotel if his team kept losing.

It has not been an easy start for Fulham since their return to the Premier League but Jokanovic is not thinking about a career change just yet.

"My mother was always so worried about my job," said the Fulham boss. "OK, if it all ends, she said, 'don't be worried.' Many years ago when I played, and we couldn't win the game, she said: 'don't be worried, you speak many languages you can work in reception at some hotel.'

"I mean, it is part of the job, if you are a manager, some big managers say there exists two kinds of manager, the sacked, and the ones who are about to be sacked. I don't interpret anything that happens around me as a tragic situation.

"She still watches all the games. The Premier League is around the world, and she says: 'OK, it is complicated.' But I say: 'I will find a solution. Don't be so worried.'

"I am more experienced in this than people really close to me! I need to manage them, need to manage my players and manage myself. I have never panicked."

It is no time for panic stations either despite Jokanovic being under no illusions that Fulham's summer spending spree - they spent in excess of £100m - ratcheted up the pressure on their Serbian manager.

Fellow Serbian Aleksandar Mitrovic, whose goals on loan last season took them up before a £22m permanent deal in the summer, has been the biggest success with five goals already.

Others are taking time to adjust to the top flight and it has been a tough baptism for Fulham who find themselves just above the drop zone with just one win from their opening seven games. Now they face Unai Emery's in-form Arsenal.

Support has, however, come from unlikely quarters with text messages from under-pressure Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho playing the unlikely role of the Godfather of managers just like Sir Alex Ferguson used to.

"Nobody supports us like him," said Jokanovic of Mourinho. "This is for personal reasons, but when we play against them, I will do everything to win the game. That's the challenge.

"I respect the guy who has won everything. In short distance, he's a fantastic man and I wish him all of the best. When all the people are against him, I'm in favour.

"There is respect among the managers here. I like that. I don't know Unai Emery personally, I follow his work, he is a really successful manager and I believe he will be successful with Arsenal.

"He has had great years and has a big experience. I know him over the last ten years more or less. He probably knows me for 30 years from my playing career. I won the title with La Coruna. I am more famous than him in Spain!

"It's a big challenge here. You want to live life in a positive way and you ask me about how difficult it is to be a manager, about pressure and how it affects people around me. In the end I try to interpret everything that happens around me in a positive way."

Jokanovic also does not shy away from the issue of Fulham's transfer policy which means he does not have the final say on signings. "Welcome to modern football," he said. "I am here as the head coach and I have some kind of power but my word is not the last word."

Jokanovic helped Deportivo La Coruna win their only La Liga title during his playing days in Spain and now he takes pride from being the first Serbian manager of a Premier League club.

He is always quick to praise Serbian tennis champion Novak Djokovic on his social media account and the pride in what he has achieved is obvious.

"He is the most famous Serbian guy and he has made history, his family have made important investments to make him successful. He has paid back his family and his country," said Jokanovic.

"I must be proud of where I'm coming from, I must be proud of my parents, of my friends, I'm Serbian man, I was born like a Serbian man and will die like a Serbian man.

"People talk so much and you need to balance who is more patriotic and I am proud, I must be proud of my friends, my parents and my family. You must be proud of where you come from."



https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/slavisa-jokanovic-reveals-job-mum-13369721

WhiteJC

 
Fulham EXCLUSIVE: Kevin McDonald certain Cottagers can achieve Premier League survival
KEVIN McDONALD is determined that Fulham do not become a one season Premier League wonder.

As we chat at their training ground Motspur Park, sat in the wooden pavilion of what used to be Kingston upon Thames's borough sports ground, the Scotland midfielder exudes an easy-going chirpiness.

But there is an unmistakable inner steel.

Fulham have fought long and hard to return to the Premier League and they are not going to give this moment up easily.

All too clear in McDonald's mind is the agonising play-off failure against Reading two years ago.

And then last season they had a late stumble before the Wembley glory in the play-off final win over Aston Villa at Wembley which hauled the Cottagers back into the big time after a four year absence.

"We don't want to be a one-season team and go straight back down," says McDonald, 29. "That's not what anyone wants, we have worked far too hard as a whole club.

"It is going to pick up, but we have to work hard on the training pitch and cut out the mistakes we are making. We are letting in two to three goals a game. Last year we were solid. But in this League you can't afford to do that. We have been taught some harsh lessons.

"We should have gone up that first year. But oddly, Reading were the one team that had worked us out. There could have been a hangover but in the end we went up the best way.

"There was that amazing 23 game unbeaten run but then we faltered and people thought we had blown up, the wheels had fallen off. We were great in the semi-final against Derby and then at Wembley it was my best moment as a professional.

"It was a great feeling to get promoted to the Premier League."

Despite a summer spend of some £100 million and 13 new players walking in, reality hit.

An opening day defeat by Crystal Palace, despite a good performance, rammed home the message.

This was a different level.

The Cottagers, who will face another tough test in a rapidly recovering Arsenal tomorrow, have now let in 16 goals in their first seven games, which have brought just one win.

Such was the level of spending and the quality of the squad already there, that most observers felt that a stylish Fulham, under the astute Slavisa Jokanovic, would not be one of the teams to struggle

That, McDonald says, is dangerous thinking.

"The manager is not going to change the way we play. That is not going to happen," he says.

"But we have leaked some easy goals and the clinical side of things has been much more evident in the Premier League. These teams take their chances. That has killed us.

"We can't afford to be scoring three goals to win every game. That's impossible. People thought that by spending £100m, Fulham were going to have a right go.

"But it's harder than people think, bringing in quality players and thinking everything is going to work perfectly straight away."

The one shining star for Fulham this season has been Aleksandar Mitrovic, the tough as teak Serbian striker who made such an impression in the Championship on loan last season.

Acquiring the 24-year-old on a permanent deal was a crucial signing for Jokanovic.

Already, the charismatic Serb has five goals.

But he cannot do it all on his own.

"Mitro is clinical when he gets his chance, but we can't rely on him every week," says McDonald. "We need more players to chip, in whether it's coming from midfield, set pieces, anything.

"There will be times when he has a bad game. He needs help, he can't do it all on his own. The boss has says he wants more from the rest of us. There has to be."

McDonald squares his shoulders, "There is too much at stake," he adds.



https://www.express.co.uk/sport/football/1027574/Fulham-news-Kevin-McDonald-Premier-League-survival


WhiteJC

 
Slavisa Jokanovic issues warning to Fulham's Marcus Bettinelli despite England call-up

The current Fulham number one has been called up to Gareth Southgate's squad for games with Croatia and Spain

Slavisa Jokanovic has called on Marcus Bettinelli to improve on his performances for Fulham this season - despite another England call-up.

The 26-year-old was called-up to the England squad for the first time last month and has kept his place in Gareth Southgate's squad for the games with Croatia and Spain in the Nations League later this month.

That's despite Fulham conceding 16 goals this season, with Bettinelli letting in 11 of those since being recalled to Jokanovic's side for the 4-2 victory over Burnley at the end of August, with the side yet to keep a clean sheet so far this season.

Bettinelli will be part of a unit of four goalkeepers called up to the England squad, with Jordan Pickford, Jack Butland and Alex McCarthy also getting a place in the latest squad.

But ahead of the Arsenal game and the international break, Jokanovic insists that Bettinelli 'must be hurt' over the amount of goals conceded this season in the Premier League.

"He needs to improve," Jokanovic said.

"He needs to make the step forward like other parts of the team and it's simple, he can be satisfied with the call-up.

"I had a question before about the numbers of the goals conceded at Fulham, he must be hurt, I can't give you another answer.


(Image: Michael Regan/Getty Images)

"Congratulations for this call, I believe he can make a better job than what he's made now, it's not just Marcus, I am talking about all the players.

"Marcus Bettinelli for England and another ten players for different national teams, it's not so special or big news for myself.

"As head coach, I am going to lose ten players plus, Marcus for the next international game and that's it.

"I want him and other players who play for the international team to be successful and play a good game, but my job is here.

"I am only interested about what Marcus and all the players make here, this is my job to observe the situation, the encourage them to work hard and to make this famous step forward.

"[He can improve with England] if he's in the goal, if he's on the bench then a little bit less.

"It's positive to have a player to have the opportunity to defend the country and positive for Marcus too, but there's huge years behind him to make this job and I believe he deserves the opportunity.

"It's good for experience and himself to feel important, but this job never stops and after the break, or before they go to play for national team, it's a really important game for us and he must be focused for the job here and when he goes there he needs to do a job for the national team."

Bettinelli is one of three goal keepers at Craven Cottage this season, with the club signing Fabri from Besiktas and Sergio Rico from Sevilla in the summer transfer window.

Fabri started the season in goal but lost his place after two games, while Rico has started both Carabao Cup games and looked decent as the side beat Exeter City and Millwall.

Jokanovic has admitted that the number one spot is a complex position, with all three keepers pushing for the opportunity to be the starting keeper for Fulham this season.

He believes that experience is similar to what Bettinelli experiences with the national set-up and insists that every player that steps out at Motspur Park has a chance to 'earn a ticket' into his starting XI.

He added: "The benefit is more or less similar.

"They are good players and a similar level like good players for the national team.

"English national team and Southgate made his choice, I will make mine and what I try for my side is to encourage all the people to push forward, like Marcus too.

"Thee famous question is what is my best starting XI, here it's not so loud and all the people can earn and not buy the tickets on the training ground.

"The situation is similar for the keepers, defenders and the strikers.

"It's my job - I observe the situation. This position is a complex, complicated position.

"They take part of the responsibility; they decide to be goalkeepers. I know this position doesn't change daily.

"My job is to keep going, working with them, push them to compete, and at the end to take a decision.

"At the moment my decision is Marcus Bettinelli; this is good news for him. I expect this choice encourages him to keep working hard.

"I have two (other) very good, very professional goalkeepers with great experience. They understand the situation and push for the opportunity. In my position I must take the best option for the team."



https://www.football.london/fulham-fc/slavisa-jokanovic-issues-warning-fulhams-15241063

WhiteJC

 
Arsenal FC – our record against the Cottagers

Our first game against Fulham was on February 6th, 1904 when Fulham, then in the First Division of the Southern League, passed through all seven Preliminary Qualifying Rounds to make their debut in the First Round of the FA Cup. The eighth game was one too many as Woolwich Arsenal won 1-0. This was the one and only time the two clubs have met in any Cup competition.

Fulham gained professional status on 12 December 1898, the same year that they were admitted into the Southern League's Second Division. They were the second club from London to turn professional, following Arsenal in 1891- then named Royal Arsenal.

While Fulham have never beaten Arsenal in away games (they have lost 22 tied 5 and been outscored 67 to 23), their home record is a tad better having won 8 tied 5 and lost 14 and were outscored 13 to 38. Their last away win was on Jan 2nd 2012 when they won 2-1.








London Club Trivia

Chelsea beat Clapton Orient in the first Football League derby between two London clubs – in November 1905.

The first derby in the top flight, between Chelsea and Arsenal at Stamford Bridge (November 1907), was watched by an estimated 55,000.

As Highbury Stadium was built in 1913 on land owned by the Church Commissioners, Arsenal agreed not to play on Christmas Day or Good Friday, until they bought the freehold in 1925. The last Christmas Day game there was against Chelsea in 1954.

When Spurs were relegated in 1934-35, a year after finishing third, they lost both games to League Champions Arsenal – by 5-1 at Highbury and 6-0 at White Hart Lane; still their joint record home defeat.

If you think fixture congestion is bad these days, in 1905-06 Chelsea had to play a League game and FA Cup qualifying round tie on the same day. Prioritising the League, they sent their reserves to meet Crystal Palace in the Cup and lost 7-1; still the heaviest Cup defeat by any League club against non-League opposition.

For the 1989-90 season London had a record number of clubs – eight – in the top division, meaning 56 derby matches. Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham finished in the top five while Charlton and Millwall were both relegated, the remaining three teams were, Crystal Palace, Wimbledon and Queens Park Rangers.

Arsenal have finished as highest placed London club 58 times, more than everyone else put together. It includes a run of nine successive seasons from 1996-2004; the longest sequence since they were the capital's only representatives more than 110 years ago.

Steve Bould scored the quickest-ever own goal in the top flight in the Sheffield Wednesday v Arsenal fixture on Saturday February 17th 1990. The Arsenal defender put one past his goalkeeper John Lukic after just 15 seconds.



https://arsenalarsenal.net/2018/10/06/arsenal-fc-our-record-against-the-cottagers/