It has to be said about Mitrovic.

[colinwhite]

Mitrovic´s class at championship level has never been in doubt. He has always scored goals whatever the level both for Serbia and Fulham but I have to admit that i am one of those who was sceptical about what he can offer a team at Pl level. Or at least a team fighting for survival at Premiership level.
To explain , a team like Fulham fighting away from home with a lone striker in the top flight needs a striker who can get behind teams as well as press from the front and defend when needed. Put Mitro into a Chelsea or Manchester city and he would score loads of goals ,I believe ,but to do it in a lower half of the table team would be a lot more difficult. If Mitro ,like us last year played as the lone forward, the teams attacking play would be seriously curtailed with a lack of an option in behind defenses ,particularly in transition. Premier league defenders looked strong enough to easily deal with Mitros hold up play ,so he effectively offered little more than an arial threat which most teams in the higher division coped with easily. Mitros confidence crisis didnt help and neither did Scott Parkers lack of belief in the big man. In fact it was more than that because parker effectively ditched Mitrovic after about ten games. He even played Cavaliero in his position.
The biggest black mark on SPs reign at fulham was his inabillity to help Mitro develop to the next level, and fail to see the hidden potential the big man could offer.

Since the arrival of Marco Silva Mitrovic looks like a completely different player. He looks lighter ,more mobile and faster . The coaching team has clearly worked on the number nines all round physical condition in a way that the previous regime clearly didnt.

The goal scoring has always been there but Mitros link up play and use of the ball is now at another level,and vital to the way we play both in possession and transition. He now runs with the ball and even takes players on, something never seen from the big man before even in other successful campaigns in the championship. Full credit to Marco Siliva  for helping Mitrovic to another level in his all round play and for utilising a way to play which brings out the best in the serb ,without just pumping balls to the far post.

The aquisition of Muniz ,seems also to me like a very shrewd piece of business. A young hungry player waiting in the wings ,breathing down our number nines neck may also have contributed to the renaiscance of our talisman who for me looks to have developed.and taken his game to another level.

[bog]

There is no doubt he looks sharper and is really enjoying playing. I don't forget either that in the first season back when we were an utter shambles throughout he did score 11.

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[filham]

Mitro is on his way to becoming one of our memorable strikers, just hope his current scoring rate  continues until the end of the season as it will be our 1st class ticket to the Premier League.

[bobby01]

The power he got into the shot for that first goal was unbelievable.

[Milo]

Not sure he's had a fair crack at PL.
He scored 10 goals in that one season we were struggling, and then was never played by Parker.

Not sure that's enough for an analysis personally.
I agree that if you put Mitrovic up front for eg Chelsea he scores close to 20 goals a season.

[Tabby]

I think his playmaking abilities have been severely underrated for a while. Problem is that he needs willing runners coming from deep to pick out, which he didn't really have the last 2 seasons.

[Blawarmy]

I'm sorry but Parker's decision to ditch Mitro and play Cav as our main forward was one of the worst managerial decisions ever.   Tonys inability to sign a second striker was equally as criminal though tbf

[colinwhite]

Not sure he's had a fair crack at PL.
He scored 10 goals in that one season we were struggling, and then was never played by Parker.

Not sure that's enough for an analysis personally.
I agree that if you put Mitrovic up front for eg Chelsea he scores close to 20 goals a season.

agree he hasnt had a fair crack at the premiership . I also think he has developed since the arrival of Silva ,which has enhanced his all-round games and taken him to another level.
I no longer doubt Mitro at Pl level either .

[General]

I see mitro as someone who has the ability of someone like zamora but with more consistency and natural ability.

I think zamora has proven a target man like mitro can thrive in the premiership and make quite an impact, but football is never a one player game, it's about the team around him.

Zamora had a squad which together gelled and became one of our most significant with quality that complemented each other throughout the squad.. Murphy, duff, gera, Davies, schwarzer, hangeland, konchesky  etc etc.

Give mitro the same platform or similar ability of professionals at premiership level and I've no doubt he'll score.

Last season in the prem under Parker I'm not counting as was a write off, because for whatever reason mitro was hardly played. Parker was very stubborn and I'd even go far as to say stupidly so, especially given how much we were lacking for goals.

I can only assume Parker either didn't like mitro or simply didn't think he was capable of making the step up because it was illogical objectively to have such a dry spell up front and not play a striker you know has an instinctive and natural ability in front of goal and always has the ability to score.

I've no doubt mitro can be a regular goal scorer at premiership level and just hope if we go up again this season, finally we make the necessary signings throughout the squad that mean we stay up and give him a proper platform.

That said, I'm still unconvinced that Silva has what it takes, particularly defensively in the premiership- he was cited as being poor defensively with his teams and that's being proven to a degree still in the championship.

[Lighthouse]

Players go through periods of good and bad form. I thought Mitro looked out of it whenever he played. He was off the pace and looked as if he was struggling which is why Parker didn't play him.

This season Mitro deserves more credit than he actually gets. Not only is he a class apart but compared to last season and the the latter part of the season before he looks a different player. Tougher, quicker, stronger. The introduction of a player on the bench who is a direct replacement may have made him concentrate more. I don't know. But this season he is better than he has been for years.

[Ruislip White]

Rafa Benitez made a similar point to OP when pressed on why he let Mitro go.  In a struggling side in the Prem, he felt he needed a pacier striker that could both press and quickly run into balls over top when counter attacking.

Hopefully Mitro can improve in these areas for the next time we get promoted.

He is amazing at this level.  He does have games though where his body language is off/disinterested and he looks like he just can't be bothered to close down a defender or goal keeper or chase after a less than perfect ball.  It's much more apparent when you're watching him at live games.  As poor as Parker was as a manager, he probably realised that he couldn't carry this.  As poor as Cavaleiro is as a player, his work rate, pressing and tracking back is not bad.

Overall though, I'd take the above poor traits because for every one of those frustrating games Mitro has, he has 2-3 amazing performances, which makes him a top championship striker.  Hopefully he can make the transition to Prem  again as he did in 2018 and maintain the level.

[WolverineFFC]

I think his playmaking abilities have been severely underrated for a while. Problem is that he needs willing runners coming from deep to pick out, which he didn't really have the last 2 seasons.

Last season's set up could not have been worse for him with those wide, ineffectual, inverted wingers and deep midfield. He was so isolated which completely nullified his skill set.

[ChesterTheTabby]

I think his playmaking abilities have been severely underrated for a while. Problem is that he needs willing runners coming from deep to pick out, which he didn't really have the last 2 seasons.

His link up play is fabulous

[Luka]

His hold up and off the ball play was fantastic yesterday.

His biggest weakness now is his lack of pace.
In the past I would of said his temperament was his biggest downfall but he seems to have got a grip on the red mist and has matured considerably under Silva.

[Twig]

Not sure he's had a fair crack at PL.
He scored 10 goals in that one season we were struggling, and then was never played by Parker.

Not sure that's enough for an analysis personally.
I agree that if you put Mitrovic up front for eg Chelsea he scores close to 20 goals a season.

This

[Skatzoffc]

Not sure he's had a fair crack at PL.
He scored 10 goals in that one season we were struggling, and then was never played by Parker.

Not sure that's enough for an analysis personally.
I agree that if you put Mitrovic up front for eg Chelsea he scores close to 20 goals a season.

Agreed.
Parker didn't play him enough to judge him on last season imo.

[colinwhite]

Not sure he's had a fair crack at PL.
He scored 10 goals in that one season we were struggling, and then was never played by Parker.

Not sure that's enough for an analysis personally.
I agree that if you put Mitrovic up front for eg Chelsea he scores close to 20 goals a season.

Agreed.
Parker didn't play him enough to judge him on last season imo.

dont disagree but he was very poor,for whatever reason last year and is now completely rejuvinated.

[ffcthereligion]

He is proven at premier league level. There is no debate about that. He scored 11 goals for us in the shambles 18/19 season. Parker absolutely ruined him last season and chose to play Ivan cavalerio who is one the worst players in our squad this year as a lone striker at PL level. Says it all. He would walk into a Southampton easily.

The mitro haters need to give it a rest

[WindyCity]

Not sure he's had a fair crack at PL.
He scored 10 goals in that one season we were struggling, and then was never played by Parker.
Not sure that's enough for an analysis personally.
I agree that if you put Mitrovic up front for eg Chelsea he scores close to 20 goals a season.

Yeah, I think the jury's still out on Mitro's usefulness at PL level.  I would like to think that he can be a force.  Great at Champ level and for his country.  He may need some more supportive players alongside him to shine at PL level?

[colinwhite]

mitro haters ? dont think we have ever had any  !!