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Monday Fulham Stuff - 22/11/21...

Started by WhiteJC, November 21, 2021, 12:48:41 PM

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WhiteJC

Results



Sunday
Derby
3-2
Bournemouth

WhiteJC

Jack and Loz at the Cottage - Blog 199
Date: 20th November 2021

Opposition: Barnsley

Score: 4-1

Fulham goal scorers: 🔥, Carvalho, Kebano, Wilson

Weather: pleasant

Atmosphere: good

MOTM: from impact sub to essential starter, Neeskens Kebano has come of age under the guidance of Marco Silva and, perhaps more crucially, Luis Boa Morte. In the thick of it all afternoon, Neeskens showed his energy and strength in his relentless attacking play and his agility and skill in his decisive goal. All in all, this was a sensational performance from Neeskens who is just getting better and better

Lunch: the Blue Boat

Dinner: Caravan in Exmouth Market

The curse of the international break came upon us once again last weekend. This time, the dearth of domestic action wasn't too painful for Fulham fans as we are all Serbian now and got to watch our favourite striker fire our adopted nation into the World Cup finals.

On Saturday, the players were back from their travels and we were back at the Cottage torn between the justified expectation of another Fulham goal fest and the equally justified expectation of falling foul of a bogey team yet again.

Barnsley are not particularly good at Championship football so to make things fairer Fulham started the game by playing ourselves as well as the opposition. Harrison Reed led on this controversial initiative and was supported in his endeavours by several teammates, including Tom Cairney. The team looked rusty and with Barnsley making up for in enthusiasm what they lacked in finesse the game was well balanced for a while with Hector hitting the inside of the post at one end and Marek Rodak having to make a terrific reaction save from a Harrison assisted shot at the other.

Fortunately, this seemed to be the wake-up call Fulham needed and slowly but surely, we took the control of the match.

The problem with being Europe's best goal scorer is that people expect you to score all the time. After 20 minutes had passed without a Mitro Goal fans were beginning to feel short-changed. But we needn't have worried, he was just biding his time. The fuse had been lit, the flames were flickering and Barnsley were about to get the same treatment as Portugal. And Peterborough. And Blackburn. And West Brom. And Forest. And Cardiff. And QPR. And The List Goes On.

We have watched Mitro for 5 years and we have never seen him so fit, so sharp or so focused. "Mitro's on fire" has become a throwaway line; a cliche. But how else can you describe a man who has outscored 45 teams out of the 92 in the Football League? Who is likely to break the Championship goals scored record by an enormous margin and set a new target which is unlikely to ever be beaten? Mitro is at the peak of his fitness and somewhere near the top of his game. After a season in the wilderness he is the Club's talisman and the Manager's main man. After acknowledging the cheers of the crowd for his goal, he looked across to Marco Silva who gave him a private round of applause.

"Everyone in Serbia knows what Fulham means to me," Mitro said this week and our hearts overflowed. We are astonishingly lucky not just to have this man at our Club but for him to be so committed to our success. His consistency in scoring goals is unbelievable; the work he puts in for his team mates is laudable. This season has taken on a magical quality because of what we are watching Mitro achieve. But thoughts are turning to next season already and to Mitro's next task - to prove the doubters and the outsiders wrong. To prove he is good enough for the Premier League.

Mitro was involved in both Carvalho's superb goal in the first half and his spectacular miss in the second. Both were examples of Mitro's awareness and unselfishness. One showed Fabio's potential, the other his inexperience. His place in the starting line-up shows his future at Fulham may be in less doubt than we thought. Or just that Seri had a long flight back from Africa this week.

The fourth goal was scored by Harry Wilson, a closer runner up (again) to Neeskens in the MOTM stakes. Also like Neeskens, Harry was fully immersed in all the attacking play, using his pace and trickery to confound the Barnsley defenders. His signature move has become a sprint to the by-line and a reverse sweep of the ball back into the box just before it runs out of play. This is both thrilling to watch and a nightmare to defend against.

Harry's goal was assisted by Seri who has now won Pass of the Season twice over (the other time was to Bobby when he scored against QPR). We would have brought Mika on for the struggling Harrison earlier but we liked the way he and Onomah steadied the midfield without depriving the team of fire power.

Amongst all this praise we have, unfortunately, to mention the defence and the return of the Triangulo do Ruina. It's hard to know what Ream and Co were thinking when watching the replay, it was even harder when the travesty was actually happening. Suffice to say, a momentarily loss of reason is never a good thing and Barnsley deserved the goal for their perseverance anyway. Rodak made his feelings clear by his disgruntled hoof of the ball back to the centre spot and Marco no doubt made his feelings clear in the dressing room. Of course, it doesn't matter much but it's a blot on the defence's copybook and is a reminder that we're not quite as dominant as we like to think.

On a positive note, Ream and Hector have clearly been practising their long diagonal passes because their length, accuracy and regularity were outstanding. Overall, this was another entertaining, easy victory. Four goals scored by four different men belies the myth that we're a one man team and gives us confidence that sustaining our position should be possible if Mitro is overtaken by injury or, more likely, dissent. But in the meantime, our fiery hero and his incredible statistics go marching on.

Random musings:

- the ref had a really good game, letting it flow and keeping his cards in his pocket

- Ream's diving cushioned header back to Rodak was a thing of beauty

- less so was Fab's celebration in front of the Barnsley fans whose team are 23rd in the league and who had travelled 200 miles on Saturday. We'll put that down to his inexperience too

- we liked the Silva coloured hoodie but maybe it would be more appropriate for a day off?

- it was great to see some Serbian flags in the crowd, reinforcing the fact that SW6 is now a suburb of Belgrade

- Mitro certainly saw and appreciated them.....

- .......and he removed his shirt.

For the first time this season, fans were singing "the Whites are going up" and, with West Brom falling away, it is beginning to feel like a realistic proposition. And yet still, there is a sense that these easy wins aren't a true test of team, that we're not seeing what they're really capable of. Because maybe this is only the warm-up; maybe we only get to see them reach their potential in what happens next.



https://werdsmith.com/p/uCZbEPYhwa7E5a

WhiteJC

3 things we clearly learnt about Fulham after 4-1 win v Barnsley

Fulham managed to secure another highly impressive victory on Saturday as they ran out 4-1 winners against struggling Barnsley at Craven Cottage.

Marco Silva's side went into the game knowing that a win would see them move to the top of the Championship table with AFC Bournemouth not playing until midday on Sunday against Derby County. That is something that Fulham were able to do in convincing style as they once again underlined their promotion credentials.

It was always going to be an excellent chance for Fulham to add to their goals and wins tally this season in the Championship facing a Barnsley side that were in their last game under caretaker manager Joseph Laumann. Silva's side were certainly able to make it a difficult match for new Barnsley boss Poya Ashbaghi to watch before he takes permanent charge.

So, with Fulham securing another excellent result against Barnsley on Saturday, we take a look at THREE things we clearly learnt about Silva's side...

Fulham looking unstoppable right now and will fight Bournemouth for Championship title
After Fulham suffered a 4-1 defeat away at Coventry City at the beginning of October they dropped down to 5th place in the Championship table.

It looked as though Silva was facing a lot of issues to resolve to get his squad in a position to really challenge for the league title and for automatic promotion this term.

However, since then Silva has managed to get his side to become the in-form team in the Championship. Bringing Marek Rodak into the starting line-up has obviously made a major impact. Fulham have now conceded just two goals in their last seven games following their 4-1 win against Barnsley.

The victory against Barnsley was another emphatic one for Fulham after their recent big wins against QPR, Nottingham Forest, West Brom and Blackburn Rovers.

It is a sequence of results and performances that is making Silva's side look like a team that are capable of running away with one of the two automatic promotion places.

The win for Fulham, coupled with West Brom losing 1-0 at Huddersfield Town means that they are now nine points clear of third place. It looks as though it is going to be a straight battle between them and Bournemouth for the title, and it is difficult to see any other sides catching them at this rate.

Neeskens Kabano continues to prove his importance
The likes of Harry Wilson, Fabio Carvalho and Aleksander Mitrovic are rightly getting the plaudits for their roles in Fulham's promising start to the Championship season.

However, one player that is perhaps impressing outside of that limelight and deserves more recognition for that at the moment is Neeskens Kabano.

Against Barnsley, Kebano was able to add his fourth goal of the season in the Championship with him finishing off Wilson's delivery with 18 minutes remaining. While the attacker also managed to complete two successful dribbles and provided two key passes as he was a constant threat to the Tykes' backline.

Kebano has now managed to register four goals and five assists in his 16 Championship appearances for Fulham. That is some going for a player that was deemed surplus to requirements last season by Scott Parker and allowed to leave on loan to Middlesbrough in the second half of the campaign.

If the winger can continue to deliver these sorts of performances on a consistent basis for the rest of the campaign then Fulham will have more than enough firepower to sustain their excellent recent form.

Fabio Carvalho returns to the side and provides reminder of his quality
Silva made the decision to leave Fabio Carvalho out of the starting line-up for Fulham's 1-0 win at Peterborough United before the international break. That came after he made his return to action in the two previous matches against West Brom and Blackburn.

Carvalho managed to provide a reminder of his quality for Fulham and he was constantly involved in some of their best-attacking moves. Overall, he managed to provide three key passes and also completed three successful dribbles, while he also was able to have 62 touches of the ball as he was a constant threat to Barnsley's defence.

Considering Carvalho is attracting the attention of some of Europe's biggest clubs this performance will only have drawn more attention to him. However, Fulham need to continue to do all that they can to keep hold of him and he could be the key to them sustaining their form during the rest of the campaign.



https://footballleagueworld.co.uk/3-things-we-clearly-learnt-about-fulham-after-4-1-win-v-barnsley/


WhiteJC


Derby County 3-2 Bournemouth: Tom Lawrence double sees Rams edge five-goal thriller

Report and highlights as Derby County beat Bournemouth 3-2 at Pride Park; Tom Lawrence's second-half double helps the Rams to victory to move onto zero points in the Championship; Bournemouth stay second, a point off Fulham

Tom Lawrence's second-half double saw bottom-of-the-table Derby County beat second-placed Bournemouth 3-2 in the Championship.

The hosts took the lead through Jason Knight's 13th-minute header, only for Bournemouth to go in ahead at half-time after goals from Jaidon Anthony (19) and Dominic Solanke (38).

However, two goals in seven second-half minutes from Lawrence, the second from the penalty spot, gave Wayne Rooney's side a vital victory that saw them wipe out their 21-point deduction and move up to zero points in the table, while Bournemouth stay second, now just a point behind leaders Fulham.

How Lawrence earned Derby first win in eight games
The home faithful were in full voice after 13 minutes when Bournemouth conceded their first goal in eight league contests on the road.

Knight won a corner after his shot was deflected behind by Leif Davis and, when Max Bird swung the ball in from the right, the 20-year-old midfielder rose highest to find the net from six yards.

The Cherries' first attempt of the match came after 18 minutes when Solanke collected a Lewis Cook pass but lifted an edge-of-the-box effort over.

Within seconds, though, the visitors had drawn level courtesy of horrendous play after Derby lost possession in their own box as goalkeeper Kelle Roos looked to play out short from a goal kick.

Roos then saved Ryan Christie's shot with his outstretched right leg, but Anthony fired in from 10 yards after his initial effort had been kicked off the line by Curtis Davies.

Scott Parker's team subsequently went in front in the 38th minute when Solanke fired a 10-yard shot under the body of an advancing Roos after he had been slid in on goal by Jefferson Lerma.

The latter headed an easy chance wide before the break after Philip Billing had also won an aerial ball in the home box, while Derby went close in first-half stoppage time when Lawrence headed down a Festy Ebosele cross and Graeme Shinnie's half-volley whistled over.

Just past the hour-mark, however, the Rams were back on terms after Colin Kazim-Richards won possession in the away box and, when the ball broke to Lawrence 15 yards from goal, he curled a brilliant effort into Mark Travers' top-left corner.

Lawrence then had Pride Park in raptures on 69 minutes when, after Shinnie had been nudged over inches inside the box by Jack Stacey following a rampaging run through the left channel, the 27-year-old midfielder drilled the resulting penalty down the middle of the goal as Travers dived to his right.

Scintillating footwork by Lawrence subsequently led to a Kazim-Richards diving header that he steered wide of goal.

Spotting Travers off his line, Lawrence also attempted an audacious 40-yard lob that sailed just over.

But Billing should have still earned the visitors a point when he headed wide from a yard at the far post at the death.

The Cherries' faithful were left to reflect, however, on a ninth contest without a win against Derby, stretching back to a 1985 Baseball Ground clash.

What the managers said...
Derby boss Wayne Rooney: "We have to be realistic - it's a small chance but, for as long as there's an opportunity, we will be giving it a try. We're not just going to come into training for the sake of it and we will continue to fight on the pitch to get as many points as we can.

"There's a chance we can perform a miracle, which I feel it would be if we stay up. I have never doubted the players in terms of character, attitude and energy and, when we are on it, we can compete with any team in this league.

On skipper Lawrence's match-winning brace, Rooney added: "The first goal was a great one and, then, there's always a lot of pressure on penalty kicks, but his energy and work-rate all season has been great. He's really led by example this season as captain and you want your big players to make an impact on games."

Bournemouth boss Scott Parker: "We didn't play well enough to warrant three points. Having said that, at 2-1 up, even though we were not playing as well as we wanted to, we still felt we should have got a result even if it wouldn't have been the way we would have wanted to get one.

"We were off in all aspects of our game. Defensively, we weren't great but, after conceding an early goal from a set-play, we got back in front with two lovely goals and some good play.

"After that, though, we were not brave enough on the ball and made it a 50-50 game. That's not what we're accustomed to and the game turned into a basketball match.

"We did not control the ball well enough and, after the Derby crowd had gone quiet at 2-1, we gave them a bit of hope. Tom Lawrence then got them back into the game with a bit of brilliance and it became a difficult afternoon for us."

Man of the Match - Tom Lawrence
Lawrence led his team's stats when it came to goals, shots and shots on target at Pride Park after an effervescent display.

With the hosts trailing 2-1 and seemingly on course for yet another defeat, the Wales international turned the game on its head with two goals in just seven second-half minutes, the first an absolute beauty.

Picking up possession on the left side of the box, the forward cut back inside on to his favoured foot, before curling an unstoppable effort into the far corner in a moment of brilliance.

Minutes later, the 27-year-old kept his cool from the spot as Derby won for the first time in eight games and Wayne Rooney's men will need many more such eye-catching performances from their captain between now and the end of the season if they are to stand any chance of beating the drop.

What's next?
Derby travel to Fulham, while Bournemouth visit Millwall, with both Championship games kicking off at 7.45pm on Wednesday on the red button on Sky Sports Football.



https://www.skysports.com/football/derby-county-vs-bournemouth/report/447543

WhiteJC

Fluent Fulham are in the driving seat

Derby's thrilling – and at times scarcely believable – victory over Bournemouth this afternoon capped off the perfect weekend for Marco Silva. Fulham's position at the top of the Championship, claimed courtesy of battering Barnsley at Craven Cottage yesterday, was consolidated after the Cherries' untimely slip-up at Pride Park this afternoon and it is fitting reward for the Whites' wonderful run of wins saw they capitulated alarmingly at Coventry at the start of last month.

Silva's adherence to his attacking principles stands in stark contrast to the way Scott Parker steered Fulham up from the Championship and then surrendered that hard earned top flight status with barely a whimper at the tail end of last season. Where there once was caution, now there is an embrace of adventure. This was shown in Fulham's starting line-up yesterday: every member of a frightening front four scored against Barnsley and Silva's improvement of each goalscorer has been tangible since August.

You can't always sweep every opponent away with fluent football – although Fulham are certainly giving it a good go at the moment. They can graft for the three points too, as evidenced in the narrow win at Peterborough before the international break, and had to battle through a poor first twenty minutes yesterday where Barnsley began on the front foot and the hosts' passing was pretty patchy. But when the artisans get half a yard, the marriage of movement, technique and the pace of play is pretty mesmorising.

We have probably all run out of superlatives to wrap around Aleksandar Mitrovic at this point. The Serbian striker's importance to club and country can't be understated and the way he guided that header home to give Fulham the lead after barely having a kick for the first twenty minutes showed just how deadly he can be. Note too the contribution of the returning Kenny Tete, whose devilish deliveries from right back can be a crucial weapon in the second half of the season.

Some supporters voiced concern over whether Fabio Carvalho would be fully committed after declining two Fulham offers to extend his contract. The talented teenager allayed all of those fears with a sparkling display that saw demonstrate him a desire to defend from the front – twice tracking back before delivering immaculate sliding tackles after losing the ball – as well as all the silky skills that we have come to appreciate. His goal, that saw him dart inside from the left flank and swap passes with Mitrovic before slotting home, was a work of art that offered breathing space ten minutes before half time. The only black mark on his afternoon was that galling miss at the death after Mitrovic had offered him an open goal – but such was Fulham's dominance by this point, it was merely academic.

That Carvalho can effortlessly drift out to either flank from a central position gives the opposition's overworked full backs another nightmare to contend with. Nobody would relish the prospect of trying to shackle Harry Wilson or Neeskens Kebano. Wilson has already proven his quality at this level and he delivered another high-class display yesterday, full of energy and invention as well as one magical moment when he somehow slalomed his way along the byline to carve out a chance for Mitrovic when the dimensions of the pitch and gravity appeared against him. The Welshman has been simply wondrous this season – and got his reward by adding the fourth goal mere minutes after Barnsley had ended Marek Rodak's run of clean sheets.

Arguably Silva's strongest influence in his four months in charge can be seen in the consistency of Neeskens Kebano. The Congolese winger could have been forgiven for thinking he might be seeking pastures new in the summer when a managerial change followed his loan spell at Middlesbrough. But Kebano seized an early opportunity to impress with a virtuoso performance at Millwall and earned his spot in the side after more outstanding outings. He is playing at the top of his game, relishing the prospect of terrorising full backs, and has been delivering high quality crosses for Mitrovic to pounce upon. Kebano's finishing has gone up a notch as well – something he works hard on at Motspur Park – and he rounded off a man of the match performance with a lovely volley that put the Whites well clear yesterday.

The strength of the squad at Silva's disposal is illustrated by the fact that he was able to summon Jean Michael Seri, whose redemption since the Portuguese head coach's arrival has been the story of the summer, from the substitutes bench. The Ivorian midfielder didn't waste any time in demonstrating his class. Seri found Carvalho with a beautifully cushioned first touch, spread the play out to Wilson with a wondrous crossfield pass, and bettered it with a glorious outside of the foot ball over the top of the Barnsley defence for Wilson to make it four. Simply sensational.

Fulham are a joy to watch again under Silva – with the high-tempo football, built around a commitment to crisp, precise passing, already mirroring the tremendous technical play that characterised the Tigana promotion team of two decades ago. This division has plenty of twists and turns ahead – just ask Wednesday's opponents Derby – but Fulham have the potential to be ferocious front runners.



https://hammyend.com/index.php/2021/11/fluent-fulham-are-in-the-driving-seat/

WhiteJC

Fabio Carvalho makes honest admission in wake of Fulham win at Barnsley

Fulham made it seven wins in a row as they ran riot on Saturday, beating strugglers Barnsley 4-1 at Craven Cottage.

Despite starting slowly in the first 10 minutes, Fulham quickly grabbed control of the game in a dominant display for the Cottagers.

Aleksandar Mitrovic gave Fulham the lead with his 21st of the season before Fabio Carvalho marked his return to the starting XI with a goal.

Neeskens Kebano grabbed the third before Harry Wilson latched onto a precise pass from Jean Michael Seri to make it 4-1 shortly after Victor Adeboyejo scored a consolation goal.

After making his first start since August, Carvalho told club media of his happiness at being back in action: "I'm glad to be back. I'm playing in front of the fans as well, who I love.

"It's great to be back. Obviously, you can't play every game. I've come back from injury, I'm not going to start straightaway. I got my chance today and I took it – I'm very happy."

Carvalho pointed out how pleased he was to link back up with Aleksander Mitrovic and the pair combined brilliantly for the teenager's goal, with the England youth international going on to add: "It's something I've been trying to practice in training a lot – combinations off Mitro [Mitrovic] a lot, because I know if I play it to him, the ball's going to come back to me.


The win means Fulham are now top of the league, 1 point ahead of Bournemouth and nine points ahead of West Brom in third.

Carvalho and co. are next in action on Wednesday night, when they host Derby County at Craven Cottage.

The Verdict

It was the ideal return for Fabio Carvalho who has been absent through injury and illness. Fulham's formed dipped immediately after Carvalho was unavailable and has only recently started to improve last month.

Carvalho's impact on this Fulham side cannot be understated. He makes things tick in the final third and his quality and ability have shone in this team.

There isn't a player like him in the squad and having his ability back and available will only enhance Fulham's chances of automatic promotion this season.



https://footballleagueworld.co.uk/fabio-carvalho-makes-honest-admission-after-returning-in-fulham-win/


WhiteJC

Wickens keeps third consecutive clean sheet

George Wickens kept a third consecutive clean sheet in a man-of-the-match performance as Wealdstone held Wrexham to a goalless draw in Wales yesterday afternoon.

The on-loan Fulham goalkeeper made a string of excellent first half saves as the hosts failed to score for the first time this season. He did brilliantly to deny Aaron Hayden and then tipped over Ben Tozer's header and palmed away a Luke Young drive in quick succession. Wickens was less regularly troubled in the second period as the Stones battled to a well deserved point. The England youth international has now kept seven clean sheets for Wealdstone this season.

Connor McAvoy, who extended his loan spell with Wealdstone until the beginning of January, put together a composed display at the heart of the visiting back four as Wealdstone kept one of the division's most dynamic attacks at bay.



https://hammyend.com/index.php/2021/11/wickens-keeps-third-consecutive-clean-sheet/

WhiteJC

Sam Baldock, Lee Buchanan - Injury updates ahead of Derby County's clash with Fulham

The Rams take on the Championship leaders at Craven Cottage on Wednesday

Derby County are waiting on the fitness of Sam Baldock and Lee Buchanan ahead of Wednesday's clash with Championship leaders Fulham at Craven Cottage.

Both players picked up injuries in the Rams' 3-2 victory over Bournemouth at Pride Park Stadium on Sunday.

Baldock was forced off by a hamstring problem after 22 minutes and was replaced by Colin Kazim-Richards.

Buchanan was hurt in a strong challenge late in the game and was replaced by Craig Forsyth.

"Sam felt his hamstring, so we will have to wait a few days to see how that is," manager Wayne Rooney said.

"With Lee, I don't know whether it is his knee or his ankle, it looked like a block tackle. Hopefully it is not too serious."

Baldock has started the last three matches but he had hamstring trouble last month.

Buchanan has started five of the last six games.



https://www.derbytelegraph.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/derby-county-bournemouth-fulham-baldock-6240244