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Saturday Fulham Stuff (12/01/19)...

Started by WhiteJC, January 11, 2019, 03:20:00 PM

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WhiteJC

 
Report: Liverpool and Fulham target want-away striker Munas Dabbur

Munas Dabbur will leave Austrian Bundesliga outfit Red Bull Salzburg with Premier League pair Liverpool and Fulham reportedly interested.

Munas Dabbur might not be a household name, but he deserves to be mentioned alongside Robert Lewandowski, Sergio Aguero and co when discussing the most in-form attackers in European football.

The Israel international scored 29 goals last season to inspire Red Bull Salzburg to the Austrian Bundesliga title, not to mention the semi-finals of the Europa League.

And he is comfortably on track to beat that tally, netting 20 times already in just 30 games across the 2018/19 campaign.

Although it seems that Dabbur feels he is ready to fly the nest.

As reported by Estadio Deportivo, the 26-year-old has announced his intention to leave Salzburg this month and it is understood that he has interest from Spain and England.

The report claims that Valencia are interested, although Liverpool and Fulham would allegedly be interested in bringing Dabbur to the Premier League.

A shock move to Anfield would see the former Grasshopper attacker compete for a place in Jurgen Klopp's star-studded attack, while Fulham are crying out for a striker capable of taking the pressure off Aleksandar Mitrovic.

It remains to be seen whether Dabbur can make the step up from the Austrian first division.



https://www.hitc.com/en-gb/2019/01/11/do-report-liverpool-and-fulham-target-wantaway-striker-munas-dab/

WhiteJC

 
Have Fulham just found a cheap alternative to Victor Moses?

Premier League relegation battlers Fulham have both been linked with Chelsea outcast Victor Moses this month.

The future of Chelsea winger Victor Moses has taken another intriguing twist.

The out-of-favour Nigerian international is expected to leave Stamford Bridge this month after playing just 26 minutes of Premier League football under Maurizio Sarri this season.

The Sun (23 December, page 61) reports that Crystal Palace would love to bring Moses to where it all began, nine years after the academy graduate left Selhurst Park to join Wigan Athletic.

The Eagles, however, claimed that Palace were set to face competition from London rivals Fulham with Claudio Ranieri desperate to make improvements to his relegation-threatened side.

Though, according to Sky Sports, Fulham are edging closer to signing another right-sided player to replace the outgoing Timothy Fosu-Mensah at Craven Cottage. It is understood that they are in talks to sign Bordeaux's swashbuckling Senegal international Youssouf Sabaly.

Now, Fulham might have spent over £100 million on new signings in the summer but that does not mean money is no object at Craven Cottage. According to The Sun (23 December) Moses is earning £130,000 a week at Chelsea so may have to agree to a substantial pay cut with Fulham unlikely to pay him such a substantial amount.

Fortunately, Sabaly is unlikely to command such a massive pay-packet and you can imagine that he'd be much cheaper than Moses overall.



https://www.hitc.com/en-gb/2019/01/11/do-have-fulham-opened-the-door-for-crystal-palace-to-re-sign-vic/

WhiteJC

 
44.5 passes with 82.3% accuracy – This 25-year-old World Cup sensation would be ideal to solve Fulham's right-back conundrum

Youssouf Sabaly can solve Fulham's right-back conundrum

According to French source L'Equipe, Fulham are interested to sign Bordeaux's Senegalese international full-back Youssouf Sabaly in the January transfer window.

The 25-year-old, who was a part of Senegal's squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, has caught the eye with his consistently impressive displays in the Ligue 1 over the last few seasons.

Born in France to parents of Senegalese descent, Sabaly played for France at all youth levels before making his senior international debut for Senegal. A youth product of Paris Saint Germain, Sabaly played for the reserve team of his boyhood club and spent time on loan at Evian Thonon, Nantes and Bordeaux before joining the latter permanently in 2017. He hasn't looked back since then, establishing himself as regular in Bordeaux's first team.

The 25-year-old accumulated 5 assists from 35 appearances in the Ligue 1, averaging 1 key pass, 0.9 crosses and 1.7 long balls per game. He averaged 44.5 passes per game with an accuracy percentage of 82.3, stats which are quite impressive for a full-back.

A modern offensive-minded full-back blessed with the rare versatility of being able to play on either side of the defence, Sabaly is known for his pace, power, skills and tackling. While he is a good crosser of the ball from the wide areas, the Senegalese ace also likes to link up the play and sets up his teammates with key passes.

To go with his versatility and attacking prowess, Sabaly has earned rave reviews for his ability to balance both the attacking and defensive aspects of his game. His pace, agility and sharpness allow him to track back and make recovery runs to cut out the attacks, while his ability to time his tackles to perfection makes him a valuable asset to the backline.

The 25-year-old has successfully completed 20 of his attempted 23 tackles in Ligue 1 this season, which amounts to a tackling success rate of over 90 per cent. Sabaly has been dribbled past only 3 occasions in 8 appearances this season, something which speaks volumes of his concentration and composure.

To put things into perspective, it would be a no-brainer for Claudio Ranieri to make a bid for the Senegalese international in January to shore up his leaky backline.

Fulham have the worst defensive record not only in the Premier League but also in the other top leagues in Europe. The Cottagers desperately need to add stability to their backline if they are El stem the flow of goals in the second half of the season.

Right-back has been one of the major areas of concern for Ranieri since he took over the reins from Slavisa Jokanovic.

Irishman Cyrus Christie has been ripped inside out and has been exposed far too often for Fulham's liking while Manchester United loanee Timothy Fosu-Mensah has been sent back to his parent club. The lack of options at right-back promoted Ranieri to use Denis Odoi in an unfamiliar position against Manchester United, a ploy that led to disastrous consequences.

Someone like Youssouf Sabaly, who can play on either side of the backline, can definitely be the answer to Fulham's defensive woes and the Cottagers should go all out to sign him in January.



https://www.mediareferee.com/2019/01/12/44-5-passes-with-82-3-accuracy-this-25-year-old-world-cup-sensation-would-be-ideal-to-solve-fulhams-right-back-conundrum/


WhiteJC

 
Manchester United 1-3 Fulham U23s highlights and reaction after Tahith Chong wonder goal

Man Utd lost against Fulham in the Premier League 2 fixture on Friday night.

It was a disappointing night for Manchester United after they suffered their second successive defeat in the Premier League 2 with a loss against Fulham on Friday night.

Ricky Sbragia's side fell to a frustrating 3-1 defeat despite taking the lead through a wonder goal from starlet Tahith Chong. Athough United had started the match poorly they took the lead towards half-time through a Gareth Bale-esque free-kick from chong.

However, United's complacency was soon exposed as Fulham fought back to lead at the break with goals from Matthias Kait and Elijah Adebayo.

United looked like an improved outfit in the second-half but were punished for some poor defending when Fulham forward Stephen Humphreys sealed the win with a fine half-volley at the back post.



https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/sport/football/man-utd-fulham-highlights-reaction-15664931

WhiteJC

 
Fulham's players understand the battle they face for Premier League survival says Claudio Ranieri

The manager says any over confidence at the start of the season is well and truly gone

Claudio Ranieri believes his Fulham players now understand the battle they're in this season and that assumptions that had about themselves at the start of the campaign and well and truly gone.

After last season's 23-game unbeaten run that saw them eventually get promotion at Wembley and a summer that saw 12 new players come into the club, including highly rated stars like Jean-Michael Seri, confidence around Craven Cottage was high with most looking up rather than towards the bottom places.

However, 21 games later Fulham find themselves in 19th place and on the eve of a crucial game in the fight for Premier League safety as they prepare to face Sean Dyche's Burnley who sit three places and four points above them in the table.

Ranieri arrived after Fulham sacked Slavisa Jokanovic and he now believes that he has got it through to his players that they are in a battle for their lives at the bottom, while the club are always looking for some players that can help them in that battle

Claudio Ranieri believes his Fulham players now understand the battle they're in this season and that assumptions that had about themselves at the start of the campaign and well and truly gone.

After last season's 23-game unbeaten run that saw them eventually get promotion at Wembley and a summer that saw 12 new players come into the club, including highly rated stars like Jean-Michael Seri, confidence around Craven Cottage was high with most looking up rather than towards the bottom places.

However, 21 games later Fulham find themselves in 19th place and on the eve of a crucial game in the fight for Premier League safety as they prepare to face Sean Dyche's Burnley who sit three places and four points above them in the table.

Ranieri arrived after Fulham sacked Slavisa Jokanovic and he now believes that he has got it through to his players that they are in a battle for their lives at the bottom, while the club are always looking for some players that can help them in that battle

"For this reason I push a lot in this direction. They have to give me 100 per cent, more than 100 per cent, and then if the opponent is better than us, well done.

"I think that now they understand. If they at the beginning were so confident, too much confident, now they understand, we are in a battle.

"I said this to them right from the beginning when I arrived. I said hey (smacks fist against palm). We are at the bottom, and we have to fight.

"My players are very good fighters. But we are looking. If we find some very good players who can help us, then the door is open here."



https://www.football.london/fulham-fc/fulhams-players-understand-battle-face-15665369

WhiteJC

 
Fulham beating West Ham to sign this Brazilian veteran would be a huge step towards saving their season

Why Fulham must beat West Ham to sign Miranda in January

According to a report from Football Italia, West Ham are interested in signing Inter Milan defender Joao Miranda.

Miranda, 34, has played just 10 times for Inter Milan this season. Seven of those have come in Serie A, while the other three have come in the Champions League as manager Luciano Spalletti has preferred the centre-back pairing of Milan Skriniar and Stefan de Vrij.

Miranda is frustrated at the lack of game time and is seeking a move to another team that would give him more playing time. Keeping the Brazilian's situation at Inter in mind, West Ham have made an approach to sign the centre-back, who is contracted with the Serie A club until 2020.

The report claims that Inter value Miranda in the region of €20m. That said, Fulham must rival West Ham for the signature of the Brazilian defender this month.

Before Claudio Ranieri joined Fulham in November, the club were struggling in the Premier League. Former manager Slavisa Jokanovic tried his best to lift the club's mood but he failed and was eventually shown the door.

However, after Ranieri's appointment, the Cottagers began to take shape and with the January transfer window open, it's time for the board to back the manager.

Without any doubts, Ranieri's priority should be to shore up the defence which has leaked goals for fun in the Premier League. The Cottagers signed a lot of defenders during the summer transfer window, with the likes Maxime Le Marchand, Alfie Mawson, Timothy Fosu-Mensah, Calum Chambers and Joe Bryan joining the squad.

But neither of them has managed to put in consistent performances, leaving Fulham totally exposed the back. Ranieri needs a quick fix to stop this leakage of goals and that's when signing Miranda would make sense for the west Londoners.

While Miranda is past his prime, he would still represent a coup for Fulham. An aggressive defender, a leader and an influential personality, the Brazil international could be a brilliant mentor for someone like Alfie Mawson.

Acquiring the 34-year-old would provide Ranieri with more options at the back and given his volumes of experience, it could prove to be a smart move by the Cottagers.

All in all, Fulham would mightily benefit from adding a defender of Miranda's quality alongside Mawson with a crucial few months coming up for Ranieri in his quest to avoid relegation from the Premier League.



https://soccersouls.com/2019/01/12/fulham-beating-west-ham-to-sign-this-brazilian-veteran-would-be-a-huge-step-towards-saving-their-season/


WhiteJC

 
Back home with points now needed against Fulham

When we played our last home game of 2018 against West Ham United, I headed my match preview Final game of the year and points are needed, and when we moved into 2019 at Huddersfield the headline was Points search continues at Huddersfield. Nothing has changed, that remains the target as we try to move further away from the bottom three.

It's Fulham tomorrow. They are currently bottom of the league but that doesn't mean an easy afternoon for us, far from it. They've beaten us once previously this season on a day when we didn't really get close to them in terms of performance.

Things have improved since I wrote that West Ham preview. Ahead of that game we had 12 points, had just taken a hammering from Everton and were in 18th place in the table, only one and two points ahead of Fulham and Huddersfield.

We beat West Ham and then went to Huddersfield and won. Those results have lifted us out of the bottom three but there are going to be a lot more points needed for us to ensure we don't drop back in there this season.

Left-back Charlie Taylor, who was pushed into midfield last week because of a shortage of wide players, admitted: "In the first half of the season we weren't as good as we needed to be and we knew that. We knew we needed to change it or we would be in real danger and we're moving in the right direction now.

He added: "It's not a nice feeling to see yourself in the bottom three. Now when you look at the league table after a couple of wins it looks a lot better, but we want to keep striving and keep improving and climbing up the able to get as high as we can and as far away from the danger zone as possible."

Will Taylor return to his defensive position tomorrow? We are still short of wide players. Aaron Lennon is some way away from a return yet, Robbie Brady is suspended and the latest news is that Jόhann Berg Guðmundsson is doubtful again.

There is some good news. Both right-backs were ruled out last week but both have a chance of playing with Matt Lowton the more likely. Nick Pope, Stephen Ward and Steven Defour all returned from injury for the cup tie but Sean Dyche has suggested that Pope and Ward need more game time so I would assume they won't be in the squad.

Hopefully Guðmundsson will come through and play. If so, the line up could be: Tom Heaton, Matt Lowton, James Tarkowski, Ben Mee, Charlie Taylor, Jόhann Berg Guðmundsson, Ashley Westwood, Jack Cork, Dwight McNeil, Ashley Barnes, Chris Wood. Subs from: Joe Hart, Phil Bardsley, Kevin Long, Ben Gibson, Steven Defour, Jeff Hendrick, Matěj Vydra, Sam Vokes.

At the start of 2018, Fulham were 12th in the Championship with no apparent likelihood of them troubling the top six. But they went on an astonishing run in the second half of the season. From New Year's Day onwards they won 52 points, nine more than any other team. It didn't just take them into the play-offs but into third place and only two points behind second place Cardiff; a win in their final game would have seen them go up automatically.

Having won the play-offs, they haven't found the Premier League too easy and have currently won just three games, all at home, against us, Southampton and Huddersfield. They've not been particularly prolific in front of goal, their total of 19 goals is better than Huddersfield and Newcastle only but defensively they have the worst record of all.

They went on a spending spree in the summer, they are looking to add more new signings this month, but their form cost manager Slavisa Jokanovic his job back in November with Claudio Ranieri returning to the Premier League as his replacement. They've picked up slightly, winning a point per game but are four points behind us which is currently the safety position

They certainly have some players to keep an eye on. Aleksandar Mitrović is their leading goalscorer with eight. He proved to be a handful down at Craven Cottage while André Schürrle (pictured) was one of their best players on the day.

Having beaten Huddersfield in their last home game, they travelled to Arsenal on New Year's Day. Reports suggest they played well, certainly far better than the scoreline suggested as they went down to a 4-1 defeat. Last week they went out of the FA Cup against Oldham.

Ranieri is expected to name the same team as the Arsenal game having made changes for the cup. He's still without Alfie Mawson, a player who was so, so close to joining Burnley last July, through injury.

Their team against Arsenal was: Sergio Rico, Denis Odoi, Maxime Le Marchand, Tim Ream, Cyrus Christie, Tom Cairney, Ibrahima Cissé, Joe Bryan, Ryan Sessegnon, Aleksandar Mitrović, André Schürrle. Subs: Marcus Bettinelli, Stefan Johansen, Floyd Ayité, Luciano Vietto, Timothy Fosu-Mensah, Aboubakar Kamara, Jean Michaël Seri.

LAST TIME THEY WERE HERE
We have to go back to the 2015/16 promotion season for Fulham's last visit to Turf Moor. They arrived with us having won four and drawn one of the previous five games that had seen us move into third place. Our 3-1 win that afternoon lifted us into the top two for the first time all season and it was a position we wouldn't reach again until February.

We won 3-1 with Andre Gray scoring two first half goals to give us a 2-0 interval lead. In doing that he became the first Burnley player to score two goals in three successive home games since Bert Freeman. He'd netted two in a 2-0 win against Bolton and just days before the Fulham game had scored both in a 2-1 win against Huddersfield.

The architects of the win thought were the midfield pair of David Jones and Joey Barton with Jones the star man on the day. Jones played the major part in the first goal. His corner was headed out but straight back to him; this time his cross was headed home by Gray.

Jones again started the move for the second, playing the ball to Scott Arfield. His through ball was perfect for Gray to run onto and his finish was clinical.

The game changed just six minutes into the second half when Ross McCormack did what he always did against us, he scored. But, despite having to deal with a lot of balls into our box, we never really looked threatened and in the first minute of four added on we made it 3-1 with a neat finish from Matty Taylor from an Arfield pass. Taylor had made a terrific run to get into the box and he just passed the ball into the bottom corner.

So, another win, third place and we all know how that season ended.

The teams were;

Burnley: Tom Heaton, Tendayi Darikwa, Michael Duff, Michael Keane, Ben Mee, Scott Arfield, Joey Barton, David Jones, George Boyd (Matt Taylor 75), Sam Vokes, Andre Gray (Chris Long 87). Subs not used: Matt Gilks, Matt Lowton, Stephen Ward, Fredrik Ulvestad, Rouwen Hennings.

Fulham: Joe Lewis, Richard Stearman, Dan Burn, Tim Ream (Alex Kačaniklić 59), Ryan Fredericks (Lasse Vigen Christensen 78), Tom Cairney, Jamie O'Hara (Matt Smith 78), Ryan Tunnicliffe, James Husband, Ross McCormack, Moussa Dembélé. Subs not used: Marek Rodak, Luke Garbutt, Ben Pringle, Cauley Woodrow.




http://www.uptheclarets.com/back-home-with-points-now-needed-against-fulham

WhiteJC


Three Players to Watch: Matchday 22 vs. Burnley
Another Week, Another Six-Pointer

Just where on Earth do you go from here?! That must be on the mind of most Fulham supporters after an embarrassing FA Cup exit to the hands of Oldham Athletic over the weekend. Now the senior team only has the Premier League to think about the rest of the way. Last time I checked, any opponent Fulham will face is much tougher than whatever Oldham delivered, regardless of who was out on the field at Craven Cottage.

The best case scenario that will come out of last weekend's encounter is that will be the last we see from plenty of players that were bluntly not good enough to ever play at this level anytime soon. That will also mean that, regardless of how one feels about those that have played in a competitive game for the first time in a while, they still might be needed in crucial substitution roles. If they can't make an impact at any point against a League Two outfit, how on Earth are we expecting them to compete in such crucial matches down the stretch.

One in particular is once again upon us in an away trip to Turf Moor; a ground Fulham haven't won in since 1951. Another 24 matches between them have past in that hollowed ground since and Fulham have only been able to draw with fellow relegation strugglers Burnley five times. Plain and simple, only a win will do and nothing else.

Now that will be difficult since the Clarets have won their last two league games themselves and their underlying numbers showed that they fully deserved them. Manager Sean Dyche has changed formations a bit in order to bring their defense back to the peak performances that were happening over the previous two seasons. Along with that, the club brought in former Middlesbrough center back Ben Gibson in this January Transfer Window. However, a return to a 4-4-2 formation and the return of Tom Heaton has breathed new life into the squad. Add in the raucous home support and it's difficult to see how Burnley are not the favorites for tomorrow's contest.

There's just such a vibe that anything Fulham have tried to do since August has turned into a complete failure. Whether that is finding the right manager to steer the ship around, finding transfers that will either perfectly mesh with the squad at hand or be complete upgrades, or even unintentionally price gauging the tar out of their own fans on tickets this first go back in the Premier League, just nothing has gone right at all. Ranieri and Co. have to prove themselves once again if their morale will ever be boosted, because they have to give the supporters incentive to believe again and not the other way around.

With that, here are three player to watch from the men in Claret and Blue.

Dwight McNeil

First up, I couldn't care less if he has only played 260 minutes of Premier League football this season. At 19, Dwight McNeil has already become Burnley's best attacking player. That shows immediately how dire the options are for Dyche that he has to bank on a teenage wide forward to create anything for them. Plenty of blame has to go to both Dyche and the board for setting up the team in that fashion to begin with. But with an aging Aaron Lennon, plus very big but very slow center forwards in Sam Vokes and Chris Wood up front, what else should you expect out of this team? That is why McNeil will be counted upon so much in such a short period of time into his football career to deliver victories for his club.

Ashley Westwood
All data from whoscored.com

If there was anyone that could create any chances at a high level before McNeil's inclusion into the Starting XI, it was most certainly Ashley Westwood. In fact, it was his interception that set up the counter-attack that lead to Burnley's first goal the last time these two sides met at Craven Cottage. Now the central midfielder has a club leading 23 key passes, joint-leading four assists and club leading 0.17 xG buildup per 90 minutes among players with over 450 league minutes played. Only Johann Berg Gudmunsson can rival Westwood's production and he plays out on the wing. The next closest Burnley players in chances created after those two are Jack Cork and Ashley Barnes, with nine. Again, as it can't be stated enough, Burnley are dire when they have the ball. There's no denying this contest can be another "fate worse than death" full of action for 90 minutes. But otherwise, you know who will answer the bell for the Turf Moor faithful if they were to deliver such a massive win.

Tom Heaton

Lastly, let's talk about the man who should be back in the England squad. Bluntly, it is downright stupid that someone in the thick of a burgeoning international career would be pursuing a transfer to Leeds United or Aston Villa down in the Championship. I guess that's what happens when the manager ever thinks it's a good idea to have Joe Hart as the club's number one keeper.

Before Heaton dealt with shoulder and calf injuries over the past twelve months, Burnley were a side that continued to play well beyond their expectations, especially in defense. In 2017/18, Dyche's team gave up a tad over 52 expected goals (or 1.36 per match), but actually went on to give up just 39 actual ones. This season, with Hart in goal, Burnley regressed miserably giving up almost 39 expected goals in 19 contests (or 2.05 per match) while giving up 41 actual ones.

Yeah, it was getting dark on that side of Lancashire and they needed someone familiar to the rescue. I'm not saying a man of Heaton's stature is the key to Burnley's previous two wins. But with him giving up just one goal out of 1.28 expected tallies is not a bad way to start. Surely, he won't have too much trouble against a struggling attack in Fulham, right?



https://cottagersconfidential.sbnation.com/2019/1/12/18178139/three-players-to-watch-matchday-22-vs-burnley

Bassey the warrior

Sabaly looks amazing in the video but it is a best of mix. Has anyone seen Bordeaux play and any thoughts on Sabaly?