Great Article about "Rico vs Fabri" by Max Cohen

[The Rational Fan]

FULHAM Is it time for Fulham goalkeeper Sergio Rico to be dropped?

ByMax CohenPublished on March 20, 2019 SHARE TWEET COMMENT

With just under ten minutes to go in Fulham's weekend clash against Liverpool, Sergio Rico inexplicably dropped Mohamed Salah's weak effort, spilled the rebound, and proceeded to concede a penalty when clumsily making contact with Sadio Mane.

Fulham went on to lose the match due to Rico's massive error, which was far from the only mistake the Spanish goalkeeper has made in the past few weeks.

Given Rico's penchant for making high-profile mistakes between the sticks, is it time for the Sevilla loanee to be dropped?

When Rico came into the Fulham squad back in late October to replace Marcus Bettinelli, there was little doubt that he provided a substantial improvement over the Englishman.

Rico chipped in with excellent point-blank saves, preventing many a Fulham loss from being far worse than the scoreline suggested. His reflexes and exquisite dives drew rave reviews, finally reminding Fulham fans that they had a Europa League-quality player on their books.



But in the past month, Rico's performances have dangerously deteriorated. Chief among his struggles have been his handling of corners and crosses into the box. Exemplified by the capitulation at West Ham United, Rico flapped and floundered when Robert Snodgrass whipped in corner after corner. Against Southampton, Rico parried a shot right into the path of James Ward-Prowse. Versus Manchester United and Chelsea, Rico was beaten far too easily at his near post, and the Liverpool incident cost Fulham the match.

In the end, Rico is far from the most culpable figure in Fulham's awful league campaign, and the goalkeeper has also produced countless extraordinary saves along the way.

But consistency is valued above all in the Premier League — and Rico has been shown to be seriously lacking in that department.

With just seven matches to go and with relegation all but confirmed, Fabri must be itching to prove himself in net for the Whites.

Rico is unlikely to be at Craven Cottage next season and deserves to be dropped in favour of Fabri, in a bid for inspiration and change at the back for Fulham.

https://tbrfootball.com/is-it-time-for-fulham-goalkeeper-sergio-rico-to-be-dropped/

[snarks]

Really just another opinion piece, doesn't really give anything to back up his position, ignores the fact that Fabri was dropped in favour of Betts, who was then dropped for Rico whilst Fabri was then third choice, and until Betts injury hadn't pushed himself back in to contention. That's also 3 managers that haven't picked him or changed him, so there must be something they all see in training.

Having said all that Rico still made good saves on Sunday, although the penalty was a bit soft (but if that had been Mitro and not given I'd be raging).

[Sting of the North]

Maybe I am not seeing the full article, but I cannot even find the quotes you mention. Nowhere that I can see does it even mention Fabri's future sales price, nor anything about him proving himself for next season (although it does mention Fabri presumably wanting to prove himself to the Fulham fans albeit not in the context of next season). The main argument seem to maybe be that Rico should be dropped because he hasn't been very good lately, but also mentions that he will not be here next season as a possible reason. Honestly I find it really hard to follow the train of thought here since it seem to be all over the place.

Does he mean that Rico has not been good enough and therefore Fabri should play? Or does he mean that Fabri should play because he may be here next season? Or does he mean that we need to change for the sake of it at the back and hope that it will inspire us somehow? 

[Neil D]

I've long-supported Fabri being given a run in the team.  However, the article doesn't have anything to say about what qualities Fabri has to make him a better choice, other than that Rico won't be here next season.  Fabri has played so few games, so long ago that he is something of an unknown quantity.  The point is what do we have to lose now by giving him another chance?  At worst, we may finish bottom and so forego the £1m or so in place earnings.  Possibly we may decide that he does have a future here next season.

[The Rational Fan]

Maybe I am not seeing the full article, but I cannot even find the quotes you mention. Nowhere that I can see does it even mention Fabri's future sales price, nor anything about him proving himself for next season (although it does mention Fabri presumably wanting to prove himself to the Fulham fans albeit not in the context of next season). The main argument seem to maybe be that Rico should be dropped because he hasn't been very good lately, but also mentions that he will not be here next season as a possible reason. Honestly I find it really hard to follow the train of thought here since it seem to be all over the place.

Does he mean that Rico has not been good enough and therefore Fabri should play? Or does he mean that Fabri should play because he may be here next season? Or does he mean that we need to change for the sake of it at the back and hope that it will inspire us somehow?

All good point, my summary was more me own opinion especially the maximising sale price and a few things that Max had said on Cottage talk podcast. Specifically, one of the people on the podcast said stop playing TFM, Chambers, Babel and Rico cause they won't be here next year.

[The Rational Fan]

I've long-supported Fabri being given a run in the team.  However, the article doesn't have anything to say about what qualities Fabri has to make him a better choice, other than that Rico won't be here next season.  Fabri has played so few games, so long ago that he is something of an unknown quantity.  The point is what do we have to lose now by giving him another chance?  At worst, we may finish bottom and so forego the £1m or so in place earnings.  Possibly we may decide that he does have a future here next season.

When Fabri was bought it looked like they intended him to be our number one ahead of Betts. During the pre-season, they seemed like they had some doubts and hired Rico in addition. All three goalkeepers are similar on paper, which means that he has to be fairly good and worth a try. As for losing the £1m, I doubt playing him against ManCity will lose us points and plenty of chance to assess is he a massive liability.

[Milo]

No mention of Fabri negatives:

1. Unable to speak English so ? Whether this affected his control of box
2. Multiple errors coming off his line incorrectly eg Celta Vigo, C Palace

I understand the desire to play him and give him a chance. I think this is sensible.

However, I see a poor prognosis due to his press reports of unhappiness, his goalkeeping coach who brought him in leaving the club, and the reasons above.

[Jamie88]

I've noticed that the majority of us tend to forget that we also have Marek Rodak who is potentially a good shout. Haven't followed his progress so much this year but he was certainly a strong performer for Rotherham last season

I'd much rather one of our youth prospects such as Rodak (if deemed good enough) gets the nod over Fabri personally.

[The Rational Fan]

I've noticed that the majority of us tend to forget that we also have Marek Rodak who is potentially a good shout. Haven't followed his progress so much this year but he was certainly a strong performer for Rotherham last season

I'd much rather one of our youth prospects such as Rodak (if deemed good enough) gets the nod over Fabri personally.

He is playing Championship Football, and one point off relegation.

[Jamie88]

I've noticed that the majority of us tend to forget that we also have Marek Rodak who is potentially a good shout. Haven't followed his progress so much this year but he was certainly a strong performer for Rotherham last season

I'd much rather one of our youth prospects such as Rodak (if deemed good enough) gets the nod over Fabri personally.

He is playing Championship Football, and one point off relegation.

Sorry but are you suggesting that anyone who is currently playing as a Championship goalkeeper is shite?
Also, clubs who get relegated - i appreciate it's a team game but no goalkeeper can usually prevent relegation if the defence is very poor.
Also, has it occurred to you that he is a young goalkeeper - you expecting him to be playing at a higher standard than he is already? Should he be a first choice at a PL club then?

[Sting of the North]

I've noticed that the majority of us tend to forget that we also have Marek Rodak who is potentially a good shout. Haven't followed his progress so much this year but he was certainly a strong performer for Rotherham last season

I'd much rather one of our youth prospects such as Rodak (if deemed good enough) gets the nod over Fabri personally.

He is playing Championship Football, and one point off relegation.

Admittedly, I haven't seen him play this season but from what I have read he has been getting good reviews. I also do believe that Rotherham was always expected to fight relegation this season so nothing strange about that. I believe that a young goalkeeper getting good reviews being first choice at a good level such as the Championship is certainly worthy of consideration. Especially since we are all but ensured to be playing in the Championship ourselves next season. I have stated before that I believe that we should not be worried about our GK's next season, since we have several that should at the very least be able to perform at least decently at Championship level.

[filham]

We now have a goalkeeper problem, with three keepers the best is not available because of injury, the first choice is making mistakes and the third has a language problem and has not looked to good in the few games played this season.

[Sting of the North]

We now have a goalkeeper problem, with three keepers the best is not available because of injury, the first choice is making mistakes and the third has a language problem and has not looked to good in the few games played this season.

Well, our "best" goalkeeper was deemed second best by at least two managers this season. I also don't know why everyone seems to think that Fabri's alleged language problems is still an issue. Has it been reported somewhere at all by someone that this has been an ongoing issue? I know it was reported by some initially that it was a problem for both him and Rico, but appears that some has taken this as an eternal truth.

I think our current keeper problem is the same as all (or at least most) our player problems this season. Neither is a truly unquestionable great player at this level, and that combined with an understandable lack of confidence playing in a severely under performing team is a problem. I believe both Bettinelli and Rico are good enough to perform for a decent side at this level. I can't really say anything about Fabri as I have only seen him in a few games.

[Fulll Time Andy]

The only thing I really agree with in the 'drop Rico' debate is that he was 'clearly an improvement over Betts'!!  Bettinelli got dropped after a run of 5 or so games in which he got MOTM in 2 or 3 of them, and frankly did little wrong.  We don't tend to play out from the back any more and this was his only real reported weakness!

Rico is a great shot stopper and good at distribution, which is a skill we currently don't need in abundance.  He cannot catch and he cannot punch, both KEY GOALKEEPING SKILLS.  He's also quite lame at penalties, whereas I think Betts has a record of around 50:50 saves.  I have said for weeks and weeks now that Fabri must be absolute sh1te not to have been given a start before now, unless Rico has compromising photo's of several important Fulham Execs!

Roll on the future of Betts and Rodak, with Fabri hopefully vying for a place too!

[ALG01]

I know many people said Rico was an improvement on Betts but some of us knew better. He was a step backwards, big time. the inability to catch, the inabilty to command the box, the tendancy to punch when a catch is what is needed are all massive negatives against Rico. All of which I said after his first couple of performances and only now seems to be the mainstream view. He is an OK shot stopper but his angles are poor and he leaves far too much space at the near post. This was true from day one.

His big adavantage over Betts was apparently distribution, and for sure Betts's distribution had not improved enough but, Rico's recent performances give lie to the idea his distribution is any good, he spends more time giving it away unnecesarilly or not accounting for the windy conditions, like against Liverpool.

Betts is a massively better 'keeper and I am not sure why that is so hard to see. Our improvement last season started on his return to the first team and we are not slightly improved as a team without him this season. Betts does need to improve his distribution and tat can be coached, not catching the ball is a pre-requisite and I am not sure can at Rico's age.

[toshes mate]

I know many people said Rico was an improvement on Betts but some of us knew better. He was a step backwards, big time. the inability to catch, the inabilty to command the box, the tendancy to punch when a catch is what is needed are all massive negatives against Rico. All of which I said after his first couple of performances and only now seems to be the mainstream view. He is an OK shot stopper but his angles are poor and he leaves far too much space at the near post. This was true from day one.

Agree with you.  Rico is not technically reassuring for all the reasons you give, and I do make allowances for the fact our defence is pretty underwhelming at best.  Given the amount of money spent in the summer I cannot believe we could not do better than Rico and Fabri if the belief was, after May last year, that Bettinelli was not good enough.  It is just, IMO, another 'anyone we can get over the line will do' decisions which is ruling over our recruitment team processes.     

[Milo]

I think the point that we largely dropped Betts so as to improve distribution is important. We no longer play the diagonal ball to the full back. So is distribution as important as it was?

[Woolly Mammoth]

I've long-supported Fabri being given a run in the team.  However, the article doesn't have anything to say about what qualities Fabri has to make him a better choice, other than that Rico won't be here next season.  Fabri has played so few games, so long ago that he is something of an unknown quantity.  The point is what do we have to lose now by giving him another chance?  At worst, we may finish bottom and so forego the £1m or so in place earnings.  Possibly we may decide that he does have a future here next season.

When Fabri was bought it looked like they intended him to be our number one ahead of Betts. During the pre-season, they seemed like they had some doubts and hired Rico in addition. All three goalkeepers are similar on paper, which means that he has to be fairly good and worth a try. As for losing the £1m, I doubt playing him against ManCity will lose us points and plenty of chance to assess is he a massive liability.

Fabri, is not the answer, forget about him.
He is only 6ft, which is not ideal. However, he is no Ben Foster or Ron Springett.
By all means give him a run out instead of Rico, as we have little to lose.
But I would prefer Rodak or Betts, they are both imo better than either Rico or Fabri, who have both showed that they are not up to the required standard at our level, they have so many short comings.
The recruitment unit have shown once again very poor judgement.

[aaronmcguigan]

Don't see what the original post is trying to say. It asks whether Rico should be dropped but doesn't compare any alternatives.
We don't know is the basic answer. Fabri needs to perform in training  and give Parker a decision to make. The fact some are denouncing Fabri over his lack of English is farcical given a keeper really only needs to learn command words when marshalling a defence. That and the fact nothing has been reported since. The fact he is on the bench every week means he must be rated to a degree. You don't stick a useless keeper on the bench. We have Magnus Norman back who can speak perfect English, so there is bound to be some faith in Fabri should an injury occur mid match to Rico

If Parker changed the keeper it wouldn't bother me. If he didn't change, it wouldn't bother me. It's a non story, and the only one who can analyse it is those that can compare all our keepers, and they are the ones who see them day in day out , not a poster who poses a question no one can answer, not even max in his post

[Milo]

Don't see what the original post is trying to say. It asks whether Rico should be dropped but doesn't compare any alternatives.
We don't know is the basic answer. Fabri needs to perform in training  and give Parker a decision to make. The fact some are denouncing Fabri over his lack of English is farcical given a keeper really only needs to learn command words when marshalling a defence. That and the fact nothing has been reported since. The fact he is on the bench every week means he must be rated to a degree. You don't stick a useless keeper on the bench. We have Magnus Norman back who can speak perfect English, so there is bound to be some faith in Fabri should an injury occur mid match to Rico

If Parker changed the keeper it wouldn't bother me. If he didn't change, it wouldn't bother me. It's a non story, and the only one who can analyse it is those that can compare all our keepers, and they are the ones who see them day in day out , not a poster who poses a question no one can answer, not even max in his post

Not basing Fabri's judgement purely on English speaking, but it's multi-factorial. For me, his decision making coming off his line is the main concern as it suggests a technical flaw that requires re-coaching. Now, that was a problem this season when we needed instant results.. but now he has had a year of coaching I would be interested to see if he's improved. However, I feel there were (as we say in medicine) yellow flags that suggest his heart isn't in it to work his way back into the team eg press reports of him not being happy, his original goalkeeping coach leaving etc.

Agree changing keeper is a non event. However, not for same reasons. I feel next year it will be Betts V Rodak and as neither are available for selection next week then it makes no difference who we select in the interim.