Wednesday Fulham Stuff - 15/04/20...

[WhiteJC]

Cairney and Cavaleiro share joke at Fulham winger's expense

Fulham fans will be eager to see their side back in action as soon as possible in the Sky Bet Championship as they go in hunt of the top two in the table.

Leeds and West Brom are that little bit in front in the league standings at the moment but there is still time for them to be caught and Fulham will feel as though they are well equipped to do some reeling in.

Certainly, they have experience in putting together strong runs and fans will be looking for their key players to step up, with Tom Cairney and Ivan Cavaleiro both earning praise recently for being selected in the Football Manager best Championship XI based on stats in the game.

On Cairney's Instagram, though, the pair shared a joke over the winger's inclusion:



Both are likely going to be key in the run-in for the Lilywhites with Cairney looking to pull the strings and Cavaleiro eager to help Aleksandar Mitrovic out in the goal-scoring stakes.



https://footballleagueworld.co.uk/cairney-and-cavaleiro-share-joke-at-fulham-wingers-expense/

[WhiteJC]

'Crisis': Aleksandar Mitrovic is worried about reported Arsenal and Tottenham target

Premier League rivals Spurs and Arsenal could reportedly offer Luka Jovic a fresh start amid his La Liga struggles at Real Madrid.

Reported Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal target Luka Jovic is enduring something of a personal 'crisis' at Real Madrid, his Serbia international team-mate Aleksandar Mitrovic has told ButaSport.

Things change quickly in this most fickle of games. Just ask Jovic.

12 months ago, he was the toast of European football after plundering 27 goals during a remarkable breakthrough season at Bundesliga outfit Eintracht Frankfurt. But, as many before him have discovered, failing to live up to expectations at Real Madrid can leave an indelible mark on your reputation.

Jovic set Los Blancos back £55 million but has repaid their investment with just two goals in 24 games. As a result, speculation about his future is growing by the week with the Daily Star claiming that Mikel Arteta would jump at the chance to bring the 22-year-old to Arsenal if Real are open to loan offers.

North London rivals Tottenham are keen too, according to The Mirror (29 March, page 77), with Jovic potentially the man to ease the goalscoring burden on talismanic skipper Harry Kane.

In a crisis

And while the Bernabau's forgotten man may be rivalling Mitrovic for the role of Serbia's number nine, that does not mean the Fulham star is enjoying watching his compatriot struggle in the Spanish capital.

"Luka is in a bit of a crisis," said Mitrovic, referencing his own struggles at Newcastle United. "When you are a striker, the most important thing is that you're on the pitch. That's my view.

"I don't think he was on the field that much and didn't get that much of a chance. I was in such a situation at Newcastle.

"You just get a chance for five, 10, 15, 20 minutes, and during that time you literally try to do what you should do and shouldn't do, to show everyone that you are worth it, especially when you play in such a big club. You want to do everything and you burn out in that desire.

"I have told him a couple of times that he really has everything required to be a great attacker."

Mitrovic has a point. Jovic has explosive pace, he is brilliant in the air, leads the line well and possesses the ability to find the target with any angle, from any range and with the ball at any height.

He just needs a break. Perhaps Arsenal or Tottenham could give him exactly that.



https://www.hitc.com/en-gb/2020/04/14/crisis-aleksandar-mitrovic-is-worried-about-reported-arsenal-and/

[WhiteJC]

Tough Gameweek 5 fixture may temper Boa Morte's ChampmanFPL bandwagon

Gameweek 4 can be summed up by simply stating the name Luis Boa Morte (£8.5m) – who lit up the Championship Manager fantasy world with a second-half hat-trick in the late kick-off.

With that huge achievement, the Fulham man outshone even the much-discussed Double Gameweek assets from Charlton Athletic.

In a Gameweek where the expensive assets again failed to deliver for Manchester United and Arsenal, Boa Morte emerged as the star. But it did not look like that midway through Fulham's evening game with Southampton.

The Saints led 1-0 at half time through a Marian Pahars goal – but the second half saw the diminutive Portuguese OOP midfielder to step up. He scored three goals and also bagged an assist for Steve Marlet, accompanied by three bonus points for a haul of 23 points.

That made Boa Morte the top-scoring player in an individual Gameweek in the season so far.

Champman 01/02 FPL managers now have a tricky decision to make ahead of Gameweek 5. A Boa Morte bandwagon is sure to start but he does have to travel to Old Trafford for his next fixture.

The most recent round of action was another Gameweek in which some of the budget players performed best. Stephen McPhail (£5.0m) picked up a goal and an assist in a fantastic 3-0 win against Manchester United and the identically priced Corrado Grabbi (£5.0m) delivered for Blackburn in their 5-2 win over Aston Villa with two goals.

Owners of Craig Burley (£6.0m) were rewarded for their patience with a 13-point haul through a goal, an assist and clean sheet.

Of the Double Gameweek assets, Jason Euell was the only one who really delivered with 11 points across the two games.

Manchester United suffering a 3-0 loss at Elland Road was the shock of the round and is going to lead a lot of people to start making tough decisions.

Juan Sebastian Veron has one assist in four games while Ruud van Nistelrooy has scored twice in that time. Is it really worth paying £13.0m for that?

Certainly those owning both may have to start to make a decision about whether they wish to hold onto both.

On the flip side, Ian Harte (£6.5m) remains highly owned and while he isn't yet delivering the attacking returns, the clean sheets are coming which should allow managers to exercise patience.

Gameweek 5 throws up some enticing games, especially for the big teams. Arsenal host Leicester, Chelsea will see Charlton come to Stamford Bridge and Manchester United will have Boa Morte and his Fulham colleagues on the Old Trafford turf.

Newcastle now have a nice run commencing with a home game against Derby County, and Spurs play Bolton away before hitting three nice home games. Furthermore, the arrival of Stefan Selakovic at £8m as a midfielder could be one to entice managers.

Thanks to some early team news reveals, it has been reported that Manchester United will rotate in Gameweek 5. The word from the Scout is that Brown, Chadwick, Fortune, Wallwork and Cole will all start. But who misses out? Owners of the bigger assets will be sweating on those team sheets...



https://www.fantasyfootballscout.co.uk/2020/04/15/tough-gameweek-5-fixture-may-temper-boa-mortes-champmanfpl-bandwagon/

[Andy S]

It had to happen. Nothing happening.