Tuesday Fulham Stuff - 20/08/19...

[WhiteJC]

Loan Watch: Three Saints in weekend action

Harrison Reed was a late substitute for Fulham as they recorded a 2-1 away success over Huddersfield Town in the Championship on Friday night.

Reed replaced match-winner Ivan Cavaleiro on 84 minutes to help see out the three points, as Scott Parker's men climbed into third.

Fulham took the lead when Juninho Bacuna's miscued clearance looped up for Aleksandar Mitrovic to rise highest and head home at the back post, before Town equalised through a powerful Karlan Grant header.

But late on, Cavaleiro produced a moment of magic, curling a right-footed effort into the top corner from just inside the area.

Young winger Tyreke Johnson played a key role as Woking won 4-1 away at AFC Fylde on Saturday. First-half goals from Dave Tarpey and Kane Ferdinand set Alan Dowson's men on their way to a third successive win on the road, before Lewis Montrose's header halved the deficit.

Johnson, who played the duration of the contest, teed up substitute Jake Hyde to restore the two-goal advantage and Hyde added another from the penalty spot late on.

The result sees The Cards move into second after a flying start, winning four of their five games.

In the National League South, Harry Hamblin played 51 minutes of Bath City's 0-0 draw with Tonbridge.

The midfielder was replaced by Ryan Brunt in a tactical switch, as they maintained their unbeaten start to the season, but were left frustrated after Tyler Harvey's penalty miss.



https://www.southamptonfc.com/news/2019-08-19/loan-watch-harrison-reed-helps-fulham-to-back-to-back-wins-southampton-1920

[WhiteJC]

Talking Points: Huddersfield

We look at five talking points from Fulham's successful trip to Huddersfield on Friday night.

1. Form is temporary, class is permanent

After a quiet first half, Ivan Cavaleiro showed what he's all about after the restart, and was rewarded with his first goal in Fulham colours. "In the first half he couldn't really get into the game," Scott Parker said of the winger. "He was very down at half-time. What pleases me is his second half performance. It was chalk and cheese. From that second half performance he earns the right to score a great goal which is worthy of winning a football match."

2. Successful team talk

As a player, Scott Parker earned a reputation for his effective team talks, famously inspiring his West Ham United side to a draw against West Bromwich Albion, having been 3-0 down at the break. That ability to motivate is one he's transferred to his coaching career, with Fulham showing a marked improvement in the second 45 on Friday, demonstrating more urgency and quality all over the pitch.

3. Happy hunting ground

The John Smith's Stadium has proven to be a prosperous away ground for Fulham over the years – (ignoring last season's off night in the Premier League...) Over the last 20 years, the Whites are unbeaten at the ground in each of our six Championship/Division One visits, accruing 14 points from a possible 18 in the process.

4. Fans rewarded

Friday was a disgusting day in terms of the weather, but fans didn't let that – nor the lack of trains home – deter them from making the long journey to Huddersfield. Thankfully their jaunt was worthwhile, and some of the celebration photos show just how enjoyable the trip was.

5. One of our own

Steven Sessegnon marked his league debut for the Club with an assured performance at right-back, poetically three years to the day since his twin brother Ryan did likewise in Yorkshire when Fulham drew 1-1 at Leeds United. His efforts garnered praise from all quarters, including his captain Tom Cairney who referenced the pureness of the Sessegnon genes, to which older brother Chris had the below reply



http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2019/august/19/talking-points-huddersfield-town

[WhiteJC]

It's Been A Good Start For Fulham But Will It Continue?

Back in the days before the 2019 / 2020 season had kicked off, we asked a pertinent question.

With a swift return to the Premier League being our objective, our article, the-opening-three-games-for-fulham-are-crucial-but-how-many-points-will-we-amass, received a good response.

Now with those opening three games having been played, Fulham sit in 7th place in the Championship, with 6 points from the opening 9 available, courtesy of an opening day loss away to Barnsley and victories at home to Blackburn Rovers and away to Huddersfield Town.

To me, that represents a decent start especially as we're only one point off the top.

But, with the momentum of two successive victories behind us, can we continue to collect the points?

Our next three Championship games are as follows:

• Millwall (h)

• Nottingham Forest (h)

and

• Cardiff City (a)

My personal view is that Fulham will pick up 7 points from the 9 available but is that something you agree with?



https://fulham.vitalfootball.co.uk/its-been-a-good-start-for-fulham-but-will-it-continue/

[WhiteJC]

Games for Mid-Week 20/08
Another evening game, this time back at at the Cottage against Millwall.

Following on from two successful games we now face a visit from South London rivals Millwall.
The second half against Huddersfield showed how good we can be, Ivan Cavaleiro had a mixed game, very average 1st half, unplayable 2nd and what a goal!
Another highlight for me was Steven Sessegnon, what a debut from the young man. After getting an early booking he could have suffered however, as the game went on he looked more and more at home. It's early days but if Friday night's performance is anything to go by then he'll turn into a fine player.

Millwall have won 2, drew 1 so a good start to the season for the Lions. Old boy Matt Smith was on target against Sheffield Wednesday and you just know he'd love to score against us!

COYWs

Games of interest...
Tuesday 20th
Derby v Bristol City
Sheff Wed v Luton

Wednesday 21st
Cardiff v Huddersfield
Charlton v Forest
Fulham v Millwall
Leeds v Brentford
QPR v Swansea

come on over to the forum and join in the discussion...
https://www.friendsoffulham.com/forum/index.php?board=1.0



https://www.friendsoffulham.com/wordpress/?p=903

[WhiteJC]

Loan watch: Harry helps Cottagers down Terriers

Harry Arter turned in another solid display as Fulham registered a 2-1 win over Championship rivals Huddersfield at the John Smith's Stadium on Friday.

Arter, who was named man of the match on his debut against Blackburn six days previously, played his part as the Cottagers recorded back-to-back league victories.

Aleksandar Mitrovic opened the scoring when he headed home Juninho Bacuna's miscued clearance six minutes into the second half before Karlan Grant levelled six minutes later.

Ivan Cavaleiro's stunning goal settled the contest in favour of the visitors 10 minutes from time with Terriers head coach Jan Siewert relieved of his duties after the final whistle.



https://www.afcb.co.uk/news/club-news/loan-watch-harry-helps-cottagers-down-terriers

[WhiteJC]

Millwall's Harris downplays Lions chances against 'Premiership' Fulham

Despite Neil Harris believing that Fulham have the best team in the Championship, the Lions has expressed that his side will go to Craven Cottage and enjoy themselves on Wednesday evening.

Similarly to Millwall, Fulham have had a summer revamp following their relegation from the Premier League last season.

In addition to keeping their talisman, Aleksandar Mitrovic they have recruited Premier League quality by signing wingers Anthony Knockaert and Ivan Cavaleiro and striker Bobby Reid from Cardiff City.

They are odds-on favourites to return to the topflight this season, and their victory against Huddersfield Town on Friday evening witnessed Jan Siewert get the sack by the Terries.

Millwall will be travelling to Craven Cottage looking to maintain their unbeaten start to the Championship, but Neil Harris suggested that Fulham will be the Lions toughest test so far.

"If you look back two weeks you wouldn't have thought Millwall-Fulham was a big game." Harris said.

"I don't look at it that it's a really big game for anything other than it's a London derby and it's our next game.

"Fulham are a top side, I watched them last night.

"You look at their team on paper, the players they've got on the bench, it's the best in the league.

"If they don't get in the top two it's a travesty. We'll be the underdog, not fancied, people will be writing us off already.

"All we can do is go and enjoy ourselves, put in the best performance we can, try and play well on the night, hopefully get a bit of lady luck.

"It's a great game, we've sold our allocation out so the atmosphere will be like it was today (Saturday), like it was against Preston and like it was against West Brom last week.

"The fans are enjoying watching their team at the moment and it's my job to make sure the connection is there between the fans and the pitch – and it certainly is."



https://www.newsshopper.co.uk/sport/17846060.millwall-39-s-harris-downplays-lions-chances-39-premiership-39-fulham/

[WhiteJC]

Leeds fans fuming as EFL make Aleksandar Mitrovic decision

(Photo by Harriet Lander/Copa/Getty Images)

Aleksandar Mitrovic will reportedly escape a ban after the Fulham striker threw himself into the spotlight once again during Fulham's 2-1 win over Huddersfield Town on Friday night – and Leeds United fans are fuming.

Mitrovic was caught clutching his face as he looked to deceive referee James Linington, following an altercation with Huddersfield winger Rajiv van La Parra. Indeed, the Serbian striker went to the floor, feigning a facial injury.

But replays showed that Mitrovic had not been struck in the face by van La Parra, instead the former Newcastle striker was play-acting. Now, The Sun have claimed he will not be banned for the incident.

Linington saw the incident and chose not to reprimand either player. Because van La Parra remained on the field of play, Mitrovic has escaped a ban. Had the Dutch winger been sent off, he would have deceived the officials – and therefore been banned.

Last season, Patrick Bamford was banned for Leeds' first play-off semi-final leg against Derby for doing exactly the same as Mitrovic. The only difference being, though, that Villa winger Anwar El Ghazi was sent off because of Bamford's actions.

Leeds fans have reacted to the decision made by the EFL – as reported by The Sun – and are angry that Mitrovic has escaped punishment. Many believe the EFL have a long-standing vendetta against Marcelo balsa's side.



https://tbrfootball.com/leeds-fans-fuming-as-efl-make-aleksandar-mitrovic-decision/

[WhiteJC]

EFL Championship 2019/20: Huddersfield Town vs Fulham – tactical analysis

The third matchday week of the 2019/20 EFL Championship season started last Friday when Huddersfield Town hosted Fulham at the John Smith's stadium. Both teams started the new campaign after being relegated from the Premier League the last time out. Fulham, managed by their former player Scott Parker, came into this game after a victory against Blackburn Rovers. Contrarily, 'The Terriers' drew 1-1 with Queens Park Rangers and were searching for the first win in the new season.

Fulham looked a better side throughout the whole game bypassing Huddersfield's midfield too easily at times. Fulham's poor decision making in the final third kept 'The Terriers' in the game for the first 45 minutes. However, even with quite a few promising goal-scoring opportunities wasted, Fulham's attacking quality was too much for Huddersfield to handle. Aleksandar Mitrović gave the London side the lead, but seven minutes later Karlan Grant's header got his team back into the game. The game was eventually decided by Ivan Cavaleiro who's wonderful curling effort into the top right corner saw past Huddersfield Town's goalkeeper Kamil Grabara.

This tactical analysis will take a closer look at both teams' game strategies and explain the thinking behind it.

Line-ups

Both teams' starting elevens [Wyscout.com]

Huddersfield went for a 4-2-3-1 formation in this game, despite the graphic above showing it as a 4-3-3. Kamil Grabara was selected to play in goal with a back four in front of him consisting of Florent Hadergjonaj, Tommy Elphick, Christopher Schindler and Terence Kongolo. Jonathan Hogg and Juninho Bacuna formed the double pivot with Lewis O'Brien just ahead of them. A left-winger Alex Pritchard and a right-winger Elias Kachunga were meant to be Huddersfield's biggest attacking threat down the flanks with Grant being a single recognised striker.

Their opponents Fulham opted for a 4-3-3 tactical set-up, despite the 4-1-4-1 formation illustrated in the image. Marcus Bettinelli started the game between the sticks, protected by a back four of Steven Sessegnon, Alfie Mawson, Tim Ream and Joe Bryan. A former Bournemouth's player Harry Arter acted as a holding midfielder with Tom Cairney and Stefan Johansen just ahead of him. The frightening attacking trio with Ivan Cavaleiro on the left, Anthony Knockaert on the right and Aleksandar Mitrović up top were looking to light up the John Smith's stadium.

Huddersfield's limited attacking approach
As it can be observed in the majority of the teams which players are not the most technically gifted and greatly lack skills on the ball, they find it fairly hard to progress further up the pitch when put under pressure. As a result, it limits the team's options when trying to build-up from the back. Huddersfield Town faced an exact same problem in this game as mentioned above.

Teams with a low level of technical skill do not want to take many risks when playing out from the back to prevent a ball loss in a dangerous area near their own goal. In the illustration below, we can see such an example when Fulham applied high press in Huddersfield's defensive third. 'The Terriers' tried to play out using short passing combinations but were quickly put under pressure. One of the Huddersfield's centre-midfielder was swiftly closed down from all the angles by three Fulham players. It forced him to play the ball back to the right centre-back who then passed it back to the goalkeeper. The Huddersfield's goalkeeper made a 'no-nonsense' decision and just lumped it long.


Bacuna dropped deep to collect the ball and instantly found himself in a pressing trap. A technically more astute player would have played it to Huddersfield's right-back Hadergjonaj, thus, avoiding a back pass and continuing the team's first phase of construction

There were times when Huddersfield started their build-up higher up the pitch after the ball was out of play. In this instance, the ball was usually moved to the right flank and recycled by a right-back Hadergjonaj. However, Fulham's players used the cover shadows very effectively and forced the ball holder to play it back to the Huddersfield's own half.

The image below demonstrates how Cavaleiro gave no space to Hadergjonaj and at the same time blocked the passing lane to Kachunga. Johansen, as the most advanced centre-midfielder of the three, also had a responsibility to press Huddersfield's first line of build-up. He congested the space on the left and simultaneously blocked the passing lane to Bacuna.


Fulham players' cover shadowed potential passing lanes

The illustration below continues the analysis explained above. Hadergjonaj is forced to play the ball back to the centre-half who is then immediately closed down by Mitrović. Consequently, Elphick did not want to risk losing the ball and passed it all the way back to the goalkeeper.


Mitrović quickly closed down any potential passing angles for Elphick that forced him to play it back to the goalkeeper

After seeing his side struggling for a good period, Huddersfield's manager Siewert altered the team's offensive tactics. Even though it was still fairly limited to the extent that the same attacking move was used repetitively, at least it enabled Huddersfield to create something going forward.

This time, when Huddersfield had the ball in their first line of build-up, it was Bacuna who occupied the space on the right side. This tactical manoeuvre allowed Hadergjonaj to push high up the pitch down the right-wing.

In the illustration below, we can see Bacuna situated in the right channel with Cavaleiro man-marking him. Further up, it is O'Brien who dropped deeper vacating his supposed number '10' role, thus, pulling Johansen with himself. Huddersfield's right-winger Kachunga also moved to a half-space close to the half-way line. These three positional adjustments opened up space for Hadergjonaj on the right-wing to exploit.


Huddersfield's positional rotations. Bacuna moved to the channel on the right, O'Brien dropped deeper to his own half and Kachunga situated more centrally. The space freed up on the right flank for Hadergjonaj to be exploited

A similar situation can be seen below again. Kachunga drops deeper to collect the ball in the right half-space who is then instantly caught in Fulham's pressing trap. The Congolese plays a short back pass to Bacuna who again picked up the position on the right inside channel. Hadergjonaj acted as a third man running and made a run in behind the Fulham's pressing players.


Hadergjonaj making a run in behind after switching positions with Bacuna

Four Fulham players were caught ball watching that allowed Hadergjonaj to get in behind unmarked. However, as it was the case throughout the whole game, Huddersfield lacked quality in all departments and the following pass from Bacuna went high into the stands.


Bacuna failed to find Hadergjonaj with a lobbed pass who was left unmarked

The last example of such a tactical tweak can be seen below. Bacuna again is positioned in the right channel with Cavaleiro keeping a close eye on him. Additionally, Kachunga situates himself close to the Fulham's left-back Bryan. These positional rotations created a temporary two against one numerical superiority for Huddersfield with Bryan caught between the two minds: whether to stay close to Kachunga or follow Hadergjonaj's run.


Huddersfield's positional rotations allowed Hadergjonaj to approach Fulham's final third

Despite a low passing accuracy (only 74%), Huddersfield did manage to reach the opposition's penalty box on a few occasions using the tactics explained above. There is no surprise that Huddersfield's only goal came precisely when building-up down the right flank. The three images below support the previous statements even further.


On the left, Huddersfield's heat map from the full game. A mixture of green and yellow area deep into the opposition's half indicates Huddersfield's preference to attack down the right flank [Whoscored.com]. On the right, statistical evidence from the full game supporting the heat map [Whoscored.com]


Hadergjonaj's touch map from the full game. Many orange bubbles in the opposition's half denoting Huddersfield right-back's heavy attacking presence [Whoscored.com]

Fulham's more balanced offensive approach

'The Cottagers' are a better side compared to their opponents when having the ball at their feet. Thus, it gave Fulham an option to try to play out from the back using short passing combinations. Huddersfield were perfectly aware of that and tried to disrupt Fulham's strategy as much as possible. Specifically, when the ball was being played out from the goal-kick, Huddersfield made life fairly difficult for Fulham at times.

In the first image below, Huddersfield Town were adopting a man-oriented press. A very familiar sight when both centre-halves split to the sides and the holding midfielder drops deep in between them to support. Both full-backs pushed higher up, thus, giving an option for the goalkeeper to chip the ball over the heads to one of the flanks.


Huddersfield's man-oriented press makes it hard for Fulham to play out from the goal-kick

Another example can be seen below. This time, Huddersfield applied an extremely high press that forced Fulham's right-back Sessegnon to drop incredibly deep for ball reception. However, the main difference between Fulham and Huddersfield when playing out from the back under pressure was that the former did not panic. Here, instead of lumping the ball as far away as possible, Sessegnon remained cool under pressure and tried to play it forward in a sensible manner. The result was an earned throw-in.


Huddersfield's intense high press forces Fulham to play it to the side to the full-back

Nonetheless, when the ball was not played out from the goal-kick, this is where Huddersfield started to struggle. When the game was resumed higher up the pitch, Fulham started their build-up process in a 'rectangular' shape. Huddersfield defended in a 4-2-3-1 formation that forced Fulham to have four players in a first build-up phase to avoid numerical inferiority.

Such an example can be seen below. All four Fulham's players are positioned within close proximity from each other. It forces Huddersfield to narrow their second line of press that frees up space on the flanks. Interestingly, it was Sessegnon who came inside to form a 'rectangular' shape and not one of the midfielders. It denoted Parker's intention to have Knockaert wide on the right flank in a one against one situation with the opposition's left-back as Pritchard would have been dragged deep by Sessegnon.


Fulham formed a 'rectangular' shape in order to bypass Huddersfield's first and second line of defence

The image below perfectly illustrates Huddersfield's defensive organisation problems. At times, it seemed that Huddersfield adopted a man-oriented zonal-marking system that was not utilised collectively. This type of zonal marking is oriented towards the opponent and the pressing players seek to cover their respective zones while moving closer to a player who may be within the zone.

Below we can see how Mawson dribbles past Huddersfield's first line of press which is their striker. Then, Mawson dribbles forward towards the zone that was initially occupied by O'Brien (see above). Huddersfield's midfielder sees that and moves higher up to confront the opponent and prevent him from invading his respective zone. However, Huddersfield's third line of press consisting of two centre-midfielders was too far away that allowed Fulham's players to invade an unmarked area.


Fulham bypassing first and second line of press and invading a free area

It followed with a quick intricate passing move from Arter and Bryan to Cavaleiro on the left-wing which found three Fulham's players in between the lines.


Fulham combining in between the lines after bypassing Huddersfield's midfield unchallenged

The next example shows Fulham building-up in a 'rectangular' shape once again. In this situation, Huddersfield's off the ball formation is the same 4-2-3-1; however, this time it was reflected in a high-block rather than a mid-block like in a previous example. As a result, Sessegnon is positioned wide on the right side with Cairney dropping deeper instead for additional support.


Fulham's 'rectangular' shape when building-up from the back

After performing a couple of passing sequences within the 'rectangle', Fulham managed to bring the ball higher up the pitch. This time, Huddersfield's third line of press (Bacuna and Hogg) are within closer distance from the second line of press. This improvement regarding Huddersfield's defensive organisation made it hard for Fulham to progress with the ball down the middle. Consequently, 'The Cottagers' had to look for an alternative solution. Mawson played a long ball over the top to the forward players.


Mawson is unleashing a long pass into the final third

Once again, the difference between Fulham's and Huddersfield's long balls was the intention. In most instances when Huddersfield played a long ball up the field it was a hopeless effort trying to avoid losing the ball after a high press. In Fulham's case, at most times the long ball tactics had a clear intention – to win the first and then the second ball in the opposition's final third.

As it can be seen below, Fulham have a four against four situation with Johansen winning the first ball and having Cavaleiro and Mitrovic on either side for support. Even though Huddersfield seemed to improve their defensive organisation, Fulham had enough quality on the ball to find different solutions.


Fulham have four players in attacking positions against Huddersfield's four defenders. Johansen wins the first ball and Fulham are immediately able to threaten Huddersfield's goal

The last element in Fulham's flexible attacking approach was utilising Mitrović. The Serbian striker possesses a fantastic hold-up play and is capable of linking up with his teammates as well. Thus, throughout the whole game, Mitrović dropped deep to his own half on many occasions to receive the ball and then lay it off to the overlapping wingers.

In the image below, we can see how Mitrović drops to the half-way line, thus, dragging out both Huddersfield's centre-backs with him. Cavaleiro makes an overlapping run into space with the Serbian laying the ball off precisely into that area. At the same time, Knockaert exploits the gap that opened up after both centre-halves were pulled out of their original positions by Mitrović.


Mitrović dropping deep and utilising his hold-up play allowing wingers to run into space

Another similar example can be seen below. This time it was a slow possession build-up, thus, the whole Huddersfield team was positioned deeper into their own half. Nevertheless, Mitrović was still able to drop to the half-way line and thus pull out Huddersfield's holding midfielder Hogg with himself. It freed up space down the centre for Cairney where Hogg was supposed to be initially.


Mitrović dropping deep and dragging out Hogg with himself that frees up space in the centre

It seems like Mitrović is as important in Fulham's build-up play, as he is in providing a threat in the opposition's box. His touch map backs up the statements and examples discussed above. The Serbian was more involved in Fulham's build-up play than he spent time in the opposition's penalty area. Nonetheless, the goal he scored was a header from the six-yard box denoting the Serbian's important presence in the opposition's box as well.


Mitrović's touch map from the full game [Whoscored.com]

Overall, the statistical graph below confirms the previous statements about Fulham's more balanced offensive approach.


Percentage of Fulham's attacking sides from the full game [Whoscored.com]

Conclusion

The second half saw both teams performing similar playing patterns with no need in repeating them. Fulham came out as deserved winners from this game having 65% ball possession and performing 17 shots in total compared to just six from Huddersfield. The front three of Mitrovic, Cavaleiro and Knockaert are arguably the best attacking trio that Championship has to offer. On the other hand, Huddersfield do not possess such a threat going forward that makes the mission of promotion highly unlikely to succeed.



https://footballbh.net/2019/08/19/efl-championship-201920-huddersfield-town-vs-fulham-tactical-analysis-tactics/

[WhiteJC]

Unsung Hero: Steven Sessegnon continues in brother's footsteps after Fulham victory

Departing Huddersfield manager Jan Siewert may have taken the headlines after Fulham's victory at the John Smith's Stadium brought an end to his tenure in West Yorkshire on Friday night, but there were plenty of positives from a Whites point of view – and not only on the back of Ivan Cavaleiro's stunning winner.

Aleksandar Mitrovic's header was swiftly cancelled out by Karlan Grant's technology-assisted equaliser before Cavaleiro's superb late curler stole all the points for Scott Parker's men.

And the new signing could have another new recruit to thank for securing Fulham's first away victory of the season.

Steven Sessegnon – twin brother of new Tottenham signing Ryan – made his league debut against the Terriers, and despite an early yellow card, produced a performance belying of his tender years as the 19-year-old showcased a glimpse of what could await in the youngster's career.

The full-back played a part in the winning goal after his cross eventually ended up at the feet of the grateful Cavaleiro, while the teenager's performance gained praise from teammates and fans alike – with Tom Cairney among those to laud Sessegnon for his performance on Twitter – singling him out following the battling 2-1 win.

Fulham blog Fulham Focus also gave him a special mention, noting Sessegnon's maturity – particularly after his first-half booking – as he complimented Anthony Knockaert down the Fulham right, and called for the right-back to get the nod over Denis Odoi ahead of the clash against Millwall in midweek.

Meanwhile, Fulhamish rated Sessegnon the highest amongst his teammates following his debut, scoring an average rating of 7.9 from the supporters – highlighting the promise that he could deliver upon at Craven Cottage as the latest product from the Sessegnon family looks set to dazzle for weeks and months to come, if his early showing is anything to go by.



https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/features/unsung-heroes/unsung-hero-steven-sessegnon-continues-in-brothers-footsteps-after-fulham-victory/

[WhiteJC]

Millwall boss Neil Harris makes big claim about Fulham after seeing their Huddersfield win

Millwall face Fulham at Craven Cottage in midweek.

Millwall manager Neil Harris believes upcoming opponents Fulham are the best team in the Championship and claims it would be a travesty if the Whites failed to finish in the top two, South London Press reports.

"Fulham are a top side. I watched them last night and if you look at their team on paper – and bench – they are the best team in the league," Harris explained.

"If they don't get top two it will be a travesty. We'll be the underdog, not fancied – people will be writing us off."

Fulham defeated former Premier League opponents Huddersfield 2-1 in Yorkshire on Friday night. It was a fully deserved victory for Scott Parker's side as they dominated the Terriers from start to finish.

The Whites have now won back-to-back games after enduring a disappointing opening day defeat at Barnsley.

In Aleksandar Mitrovic, Bobby Reid, Ivan Cavaleiro and Anthony Knockaert, Fulham have an attacking quartet which is the envy of most Championship clubs and should guarantee them lots of goals this season.

Millwall boss Neil Harris could be building up his side's opponents to place extra pressure on them, but most will agree with his assumption that Fulham are the team to beat this season.

The Lions have started the season in superb fashion, taking seven points from three games. While most have predicted Fulham to get promoted, Millwall on the other hand have been tipped to struggle.

But the south London club have more strength in depth this season and new signings Bartosz Bialkowski, Matt Smith and Connor Mahoney have already made a big impact at the Den.



https://www.hitc.com/en-gb/2019/08/19/tt-rival-manager-makes-big-claim-about-fulham-after-viewing-thei/

[WhiteJC]

Fulham: Fans buzzing for Steven Sessegnon after defender given debut Man of the Match award

Fulham fans are singing the praises of recent debutant Steven Sessegnon, who capped his league bow for the club with a man-of-the-match performance against Huddersfield Town, as the Whites escaped with a late 2-1 victory.

The right-back enjoyed an impressive debut by stepping in for Denis Odoi, and was rewarded with the club's Man of the Match award, which was voted for by the fans.

Sessegnon was snubbed by Sky Sports – whose cameras captured the tight win for Scott Parker's side – as Ivan Cavaleiro snatched victory and the post-match accolade after his curler secured the points on Friday night.

But fans clearly had other ideas, and after receiving over half of the votes cast to name Fulham's best player on the night, supporters are congratulating the teenager on an award that was richly deserved.

While twin brother Ryan has recently departed for Spurs, it looks as if these Fulham fans have hopes of a bright future for Steven – with some claiming Tottenham may have bought the wrong Sessegnon:



https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/premier-league/fulham/fulham-fans-buzzing-for-steven-sessegnon-after-defender-given-debut-man-of-the-match-award/

[WhiteJC]

Millwall don't appeal Jed Wallace red card – Harris has options to replace winger for Fulham derby

Jed Wallace will miss Millwall's derby at Fulham tomorrow as he starts a three-match suspension.

The Lions winger, 25, was shown a straight red card by referee Gavin Ward in Saturday's 1-0 victory over Sheffield Wednesday.

Millwall were weighing up lodging an appeal if they could get better camera angles of Wallace's challenge  on Kieran Lee.

Lions boss Neil Harris, speaking on Monday morning, said: "As we stand the footage is too far away."

Wallace will sit out the short trip across the capital to Craven Cottage as well as Saturday's Championship fixture at Middlesbrough. He should finish his ban after next week's League Cup tie at Oxford United.

"With a tight squad we don't want to lose anybody," said Harris. "But while Jayson Molumby is not 100 per cent there in terms of fitness, he is getting there.

"Jason McCarthy is chomping at the bit, he wasn't in the squad of 18. So we have got boys to come into that group. In terms of coming into the position Jed has been playing, there are certainly options with Jiri Skalak and Shane Ferguson.

"Jiri, in particular, was outstanding in pre-season, and we know the quality Shane has playing in that wider area and at full-back.

"Aiden has played so much football in that wide position in a 4-4-2, he has got a little more freedom in a 4-2-3-1.

"Fulham are a very good team. A large chunk of the squad have played Premier League last year and it was assembled for a lot of money. Does it become an even playing field when you get relegated? Only time will tell.

"What I do know is it is a great challenge and great timing after taking seven points from three games. I'm very respectful of the quality of the side we'll face. They play attractive football and try to keep it on the deck, but that also gives you an opportunity.

"Craven Cottage is a great place to play. The atmosphere will be superb."



https://www.londonnewsonline.co.uk/millwall-dont-appeal-jed-wallace-red-card-harris-has-options-to-replace-winger-for-fulham-derby/