Wednesday Fulham Stuff - 24/08/22...

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Results

Tuesday
Crawley Town	2-0	Fulham

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Report: Fulham Has Interest in PSG Outcast Despite Lack of Playing Time

Layvin Kurzawa is a player that Paris Saint-Germain wants to offload in the coming days before the summer transfer window closes on Sept. 1. The 29-year-old has no future in the French capital, and now it seems he may have a way out.

The Daily Mail reported on Tuesday that Premier League side Fulham has their eyes on Kurzawa despite the lack of playing time the France international has had in the last year.

Kurzawa remains in contract until 2024, but the player is free to leave with plenty of clubs interested in the left-back. Unfortunately, the information from the outlet doesn't state what type of deal Fulham would want for the defender.

Nonetheless, PSG likely won't hassle over a transfer considering the left-back situation has Nuno Mendes as the undisputed starter and Juan Bernat as a quality backup.

Meanwhile, the English club is attempting to secure a few last-minute transfers before the window closes, which could include Kurzawa.



https://psgtalk.com/2022/08/report-fulham-has-interest-in-psg-outcast-despite-lack-of-playing-time/

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Crawley Town 2-0 Fulham

Crawley are winless after five matches in League Two this season

League Two strugglers Crawley Town knocked Premier League newcomers Fulham out of the Carabao Cup on an "unbelievable" night at their Broadfield Stadium.

Goals from Tom Nichols and Liverpool loanee James Balagizi gave the hosts a famous victory, with the full-time whistle prompting a pitch invasion by their jubilant supporters.

Crawley sit 23rd in League Two - 84 league positions below their opponents - having lost four of their opening five league matches this season.

"What an evening," manager Kevin Betsy told BBC Radio 5 Live. "Little Crawley Town beating Premier League Fulham. Unbelievable.

"What we have done is phenomenal. We had a plan of how we wanted to play and that will be our blueprint going forward.

"This club will go from strength to strength."

Fulham - last season's Championship winners - came into the second-round game in good form having beaten London rivals Brentford 3-2 in the Premier League on Saturday.

Manager Marco Silva made 10 changes - with only 19-year-old Jay Stansfield retaining his place in the starting line-up - and that decision was punished by motivated opposition.

Crawley, who beat Bristol Rovers 1-0 in the first round, made the perfect start as Nichols slotted into the bottom corner after 16 minutes.

Nichols then turned provider for England Under-19 international Balagizi, who darted into the area and fired past Marek Rodak, allowing the home crowd to begin dreaming of an upset.

And despite having 67% of possession, Fulham's first shot on target did not arrive until the 92nd minute as the top-flight side exited the competition.

"Congratulations to them," said Silva. "From the first minute they wanted it more than us.

"In these types of games you have to equal the enthusiasm and the intensity of the opponent.

"I am responsible for the changes. I took the decisions I took. They were the best options for the game. Some gave their maximum but it was not enough."



https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/62558160

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Crawley 2-0 Fulham: Premier League side are DUMPED OUT of Carabao Cup as goals from Tom Nichols and James Balagizi send League Two strugglers into third round

    Crawley Town pulled off a giant killing in the Carabao Cup to dump out Fulham
    The League Two side took a shock lead through Tom Nichols after just 16 minutes
    Crawley then doubled their lead when James Balagizi fired home inside the box
    There are 84 places between the two sides in the English football pyramid

As fans invaded the pitch in euphoric celebration, kids knee-sliding and some topless, a reminder was served of the beauty and importance of cup competitions. Marco Silva should take notes.

The Fulham boss made 10 changes and handed out three debuts as his side was outplayed, humbled and embarrassed by League Two Crawley Town.

Tom Nichols opened the scoring, 18-year-old Liverpool loanee James Balagizi added another and, in truth, Fulham were lucky to leave Sussex with just a 2-0 loss.


Crawley Town pulled off a giant killing in the Carabao Cup to dump out Fulham on Tuesday


James Balagizi (No 20) fired his low shot into the bottom right corner to double Crawley's lead


The goal four minutes into the second half put Crawley 2-0 up in the second-round tie


Fulham's players are left stunned after conceding a second goal so early on in the second half

Eighty-four league positions separated this Premier League club against the team standing 91st of 92 in the Football League.

'From the first minute they wanted it more than us,' said Silva. 'I take the responsibility, I made the changes, I didn't want to take risks.

'Some came in and gave their maximum, the others... it wasn't enough. The players fought but we lacked quality.'

So while we must note the Cottagers' weakened side, let's instead focus on the heart-warming story of this small but community-feel club with a forward-thinking manager Kevin Betsy.

The 44-year-old former Fulham player joined from Arsenal Under 23s and comes with a cultured C.V. that has seen him travel from Bavaria to Brazil, to study Pep Guardiola's Bayern Munich up close and visit Santos FC.

He's used methods in training such as drone cameras, urine testing to prioritise hydration, and studying footage of Europe's elite clubs.

He also graduated in sports journalism and wrote a dissertation on youth development in football.

'It was a fantastic night,' said Betsy. 'Our game plan was bang on.'

Crawley are owned by cryptocurrency firm WAGMI United, who took a gamble on Betsy after picking him as the perfect profile from a database. This win has seen their stock rise.

The star was Balagizi, who might have scored a couple of times before his composed finish made it 2-0.

'I worked with James at England when he was 15 and I know his family,' said Betsy.

'We had no right to sign a player of his quality but Liverpool trusted us to allow him to flourish.'

Fulham barely looked like scoring and were fortunate that Crawley did not add a third.

Forward Harry Ransom is hoping for a trip to Brighton in the next round, the Premier League giants from just down the A23 who he supports. Steady. Next up is 24th v 23rd, and a trip to Rochdale.



https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-11139123/Crawley-2-0-Fulham-Premier-League-Cottagers-DUMPED-Carabao-Cup.html

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Fulham beaten by Crawley in Carabao Cup
Crawley 2 Fulham 0

Fulham went out of the Carabao Cup after being brushed aside by League Two outfit Crawley Town.

Boss Marco Silva made 10 changes to the side that beat Brentford on Saturday, handing full debuts to recent signings Kevin Mbabu, Shane Duffy and Issa Diop along with teenage academy product Luke Harris.

However, it proved to be a chastening evening for the four, who all struggled against a vibrant Crawley side, who sit 22nd on the League Two table and are managed by former Whites winger Kevin Betsy.

The hosts looked the more dangerous in the opening exchanges and took a deserved lead on 17 minutes when skipper Tom Nichols fired home after a Tom Cairney pass deflected off Nathan Chalobah and into his path.

Crawley continued to push forward with on-loan Liverpool striker Balagizi causing plenty of problems for Mbabu and Duffy on Fulham's right and the visitors were fortunate to not concede a penalty when Chalobah floored Nichols in the box – only for an offside flag to save the Whites' midfielder.

Balagizi almost doubled his side's lead on the stroke of half-time when he was put clear through, but his well-struck effort was kept out by Marek Rodak.

But five minutes into the second half Balagizi did find the net after the hard-working Nichols robbed Marlon Fossey on the edge of the Fulham box and teed up the 18-year-old to fire past Rodak.

Fulham struggled to create anything of note in attack with substitute Martial Godo's acrobatic effort that dropped just wide their only chance of note before Duffy saw a long-range effort fly just over the bar.

But Crawley continued to push and missed two glorious chances as the impressive Balagizi eased past Fossey only to shoot straight at Rodek before Ashley Nadesan left Diop for dead only to lift his shot over the bar.

The Whites finally produced their first shot on target three minutes into injury-time when Stansfield's low drive was kept out by Crawley keeper Corey Adai.

Fulham: Rodek, Mbabu, Duffy, Diop, Bryan (Ablade 45), Cairney, Chalobah, Fossey, Harris (Godo 45), Francois, Stansfield.



https://www.westlondonsport.com/fulham/fulham-beaten-by-crawley-in-carabao-cup

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Report: Premier League duo join race to sign £52k-p/w Arsenal player

AFC Bournemouth and Fulham have joined West Ham in the race to sign Arsenal midfielder Ainsley Maitland-Niles, who the Gunners are eager to offload in the final week of the summer transfer window.

According to the Express, the newly-promoted Premier League duo are interested in the England international as a late signing, with Bournemouth and Fulham keen to bolster their squads with a few more arrivals to ensure a strong start to the new season following their returns from the Championship.

As per the report, though, West Ham are also in the competition to land Maitland-Niles, with the Irons arguably the favourites to sign the 24-year-old given their status in the Premier League and their potential place in next season's UEFA Europa Conference League, whilst Bournemouth and Fulham remain favourites to go down.

With the midfielder earning a reported £52,000-a-week, Maitland-Niles could be a pricey acquisition for many sides this summer with the Express stating that European clubs are also interested in the Arsenal player, though a move to a Premier League rival in West Ham or Fulham could be a realistic outcome for the Hale End graduate this summer.

Labelled by former England international Peter Crouch as a 'tremendous' player, Maitland-Niles has seen his career stall in the past two seasons after becoming a bit-part player for Arsenal under Mikel Arteta, with the versatile midfielder heading out on loan twice to the likes of West Bromwich Albion and AS Roma.

Indeed, a move must be arranged this summer, and with multiple Premier League sides now interested in Maitland-Niles, a transfer could be on the cards in the coming days with Arsenal eager to make a sale, and West Ham should consider themselves strong favourites to win the race.

West Ham should sign Maitland-Niles amid Bournemouth & Fulham interest
Maitland-Niles looks more likely than ever to leave Arsenal this summer, and with Bournemouth and Fulham in the race to sign the midfielder, competition is growing for the 24-year-old, yet for West Ham, the Hammers must ensure they're the club to win the race for the England international.

After all, West Ham could do with depth in midfield as well as a versatile player who can plug in holes in domestic and European competitions, and Maitland-Niles fits that job to a tee, with Arsenal also likely to allow their academy graduate leave for cheap just to get him off their books.



https://www.hitc.com/en-gb/2022/08/23/report-premier-league-duo-join-race-to-sign-52k-p-w-arsenal-player/

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Post-Crawley Press Conference

Marco Silva felt Crawley Town "wanted it more" in our Carabao Cup defeat at Broadfield Stadium.

Fulham had more of the play but struggled to create much against our hosts, who put in a performance that belied their position in the League Two table.

"It was a bad performance, definitely, and of course the result as well," Silva said. "It puts us out of a competition that we wanted to win.

"Congratulations to them, from the first minute they wanted it more than us, and after that we lost a little bit of control in the game, started to make some mistakes, and they scored, which made it more difficult for us.

"I tried at half-time to change some things, and we started the second half in the worst way possible.

"We tried to do something different, and we made the same mistakes. But that's football.

"These types of games, we have to show the same enthusiasm, the same intensity that we saw from our opponent.

"We know that when they play against a Premier League club it's an opportunity for them to show that they can match us. It's a normal situation.

"I'm not talking about the attitude of my players. It's just reading the game, to know what's happened, taking the best decisions, is something that we didn't do, which created these problems for us.

"Unfortunately we are out of the competition, now we have to analyse it with the players, and look to the next one."



https://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2022/august/23/post-crawley-press-conference/

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Marseille Man Not Keen On Fulham Move

Marseille striker Bamba Dieng is not interested in a move to Fulham and would prefer to continue in France.

The Ligue 1 outfit want to sell the 22-year-old striker and have kept him out of their matchday squads at the start of the season.

Marseille want around €15m from his departure and are hoping to receive offers from clubs in England.

Dieng has interest from several sides, but Fulham have been pushing to take him to the Premier League.

But according to French sports daily L'Equipe, the forward is not keen on a move to Fulham in the coming days.

He is not excited at the prospect of moving to Craven Cottage and is looking at other options first and foremost.

Celtic have also been keeping tabs on him but the forward would prefer to stay in France moving forward.

Dieng is even open to a simple loan move to a club in France after signing a new contract with the French giants.

Lorient are the only club who have tabled an offer for him, which was a loan deal with an option to buy, but it was rejected by Marseille.



https://insidefutbol.com/2022/08/23/marseille-man-not-keen-on-fulham-move/574838/

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Fulham ousted from English League Cup by 4th-tier Crawley

LONDON (AP) — At least Fulham can now focus more on its main aim of Premier League survival.

Fielding a team full of fringe players, Fulham was beaten 2-0 by fourth-tier Crawley in the second round of the English League Cup on Tuesday.

Fulham's first-teamers have been doing much better this season on the club's return to the Premier League after promotion, drawing with Liverpool and Wolverhampton and then beating Brentford on Saturday in an unbeaten start for a club whose priority will simply be staying up.

Leicester and Bournemouth needed to win penalty shootouts against lower-league opposition to avoid slipping to the same fate as Fulham in the round that sees Premier League teams enter the competition, except for those clubs in Europe.

Leicester goalkeeper Daniel Iversen saved three spot kicks as his team won a shootout 3-1 against fourth-tier Stockport, after a scoreless 90 minutes, while Bournemouth beat second-tier Norwich 5-3 on penalties. That game had finished 2-2.

Other top-flight teams to advance included Aston Villa, Everton, Wolves and Crystal Palace.

Villa was the biggest winner, overwhelming third-tier Bolton 4-1 thanks to second-half goals from Danny Ings, Lucas Digne and Leon Bailey.

Demarai Gray scored Everton's goal in a 1-0 win at third-tier Fleetwood.



https://apnews.com/article/sports-soccer-premier-league-daniel-iversen-b647332f08d5fe1b32c8a16ac76b0ba3

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Fulham suffer shock League Cup exit against fourth-tier Crawley

LONDON

Fulham suffered an embarrassing League Cup exit as the Premier League side were beaten 2-0 by Crawley in a second round shock on Tuesday.

Marco Silva's side are 83 places above League Two Crawley and beat Brentford 3-2 in the Premier League on Saturday.

But the Fulham manager's decision to make 10 changes backfired badly at the Broadfield Stadium as struggling Crawley upset the form book.

Former Fulham striker Kevin Betsy, who has taken only a single point from his first five matches as Crawley manager, masterminded a memorable victory thanks to goals from Tom Nichols and Liverpool loanee James Balagizi.

The Cottagers joined Norwich and Leeds on the list of top-flight clubs who have suffered cup embarrassment at Crawley in recent years.

Silva handed debuts to Issa Diop, Marlon Fossey and 17-year-old academy graduate Luke Harris, while Shane Duffy and Kevin Mbabu made their first starts.

But Fulham fell behind with 16 minutes on the clock when Nichols took Ashley Nadesan's pass and drilled a low left-footed drive across Marek Rodak into the far corner.

Just four minutes into the second half, Fulham midfielder Tyrese Francois conceded possession deep inside his own half and Balagizi seized on Nichols' reverse pass to slot home.

Despite warnings on the public address system and footballing authorities threatening stricter punishments this campaign, many of the 5,000-strong crowed spilled on to the pitch in celebration at full-time.

The Premier League clubs involved in this season's European competitions have a bye into the third round, leaving the spotlight on Aston Villa, Everton and Leicester in the other second round ties.

Villa came from behind to spare Steven Gerrard's blushes in a 4-1 win at Bolton.

After a frustrating start to the season and just three wins from 14 games stretching back to March, questions were being asked of Villa's direction under Gerrard.

The Premier League side were stunned as Dion Charles gave third tier Bolton a 24th-minute lead, but Douglas Luiz levelled directly from a corner.

Danny Ings put Villa ahead with a 62nd-minute penalty and further goals from Lucas Digne and Leon Bailey eased Villa into the third round.

Everton are also off to a slow start in the Premier League and they only scraped into the third round with a 1-0 victory at League One side Fleetwood.

A first-half goal from Demarai Gray, playing after Tom Davies was injured in the warm-up, ensured Frank Lampard's side progressed.

Leicester needed a 3-1 penalty shoot-out victory to avoid a shock defeat at fourth tier Stockport, who held Brendan Rodgers' troubled side to a 0-0 draw.

Without a win in three Premier League games and with Wesley Fofana and James Maddison linked with moves, Leicester needed debutant keeper Daniel Iversen to make three saves in the shoot-out before they advanced.

Bournemouth edged past Norwich as Todd Cantwell missed the decisive penalty in the Cherries' 5-3 shoot-out victory after a 2-2 draw at Carrow Road.

Adam Idah thought he had marked a return from a six-month injury lay-off with a late winner, only for Brooklyn Genesini to pull Bournemouth level in stoppage-time.

Wolves striker Raul Jimenez celebrated his opener by wearing an eye patch and pirate hook as his team beat Preston 2-1 at Molineux.

Southampton cruised to a 3-0 victory at Cambridge and Nottingham Forest beat Grimsby by the same score.

Crystal Palace won 2-0 at Oxford and Brentford eased to a 2-0 victory at Colchester.



https://japantoday.com/category/sports/fulham-suffer-shock-league-cup-exit-against-fourth-tier-crawley

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Fulham boss Marco Silva says Crawley 'wanted it more' after shock cup defeat to the League Two side
Premier League side Fulham were the big losers in the second round of the Carabao Cup after being dumped out by League Two strugglers Crawley Town.

Manager of the minnows Kevin Betsy was thrilled with the 2-0 victory, saying: "The players put in an amazing performance.

"We were relentless in our pressing and our application. We stuck to the game plan extremely well. It worked. It was a fantastic night for everyone.

"Fulham are a good side. When I looked at the team sheet, I was like 'Oh my God, there are a lot of good players in there'.

"We're going through a little difficult patch in the league but in the cup we're doing quite well."

Fulham boss Marco Silva made 10 changes for the visit to Broadfield Stadium, albeit his selection included a debut for £16million centre-back Issa Diop and first starts for international defenders Shane Duffy and Kevin Mbabu.

The Cottagers were second best from the outset and offered no response to Nichols' 16th-minute opener before England Under-19 midfielder Balagizi doubled the lead just after the restart.

Silva conceded Crawley, who have now beaten top-flight opposition three times in the past four seasons having already taken the scalps of Norwich and Leeds, played with greater desire.

"Congratulations to them," said the Portuguese.

"From the first minute they wanted it more than us and we lost a bit of control of the game and started to make some mistakes, then they scored and everything was more difficult for us.

"I tried at half-time to change some things and we started the second half in the worst way possible.

"These type of games you have to equalise with the same enthusiasm, the same intensity as our opponent. They wanted to match us and this is a normal situation.

"We are not talking about the attitude of my players. Sometimes it's not always just everything about attitude, it's just to lead the game, to know what's happened, to make the best decisions, it's something we didn't do in the best way."



https://www.planetsport.com/soccer/news/fulham-boss-marco-silva-crawley-wanted-carabao-cup-defeat-league-two-side

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Silva keen to make more signings after cup defeat

Fulham boss Marco Silva defended his decision to make 10 changes from the side that beat Brentford on Saturday, after the Whites crashed out of the Carabao Cup to League Two side Crawley – and said it proved his squad needs reinforcing.

Fulham were well beaten at the Broadfield Stadium by a vibrant Crawley side who caused them problems, with experienced defenders Shane Duffy, Kevin Mbabu and Issa Diop all enduring difficult full debuts.

Highly-rated academy starlet Luke Harris was also given a first start, but the game passed by the 17-year-old midfielder, who was taken off at half-time as Crawley dominated from the opening whistle.

Silva denied his players showed a bad attitude against a side that sit second-bottom of League Two, but said it shows to the Fulham board just why he needs more signings to ensure they stay in the Premier League.

The long-term injury to Manor Solomon has been a huge blow to Silva.

Promising young forward Jay Stansfield cut an isolated figure in Tuesday's 2-0 defeat, with his easily-saved effort in injury-time the only shot on target registered all evening by Silva's men.

"In these types of games we have to have the same enthusiasm and intensity as our opponents" Silva said.

"As a Premier League team they want to show they can match us, but I am not upset by the attitude of our players as I take the responsibility for making the changes.

"I know what is happening with our squad right now – with some of our positions we don't even have a second solution, so I don't want to take the risk of players getting injured.

"Tonight I took the decisions that were the best option for the game. Players came in, they gave their maximum but it was not enough.

"It is not just Aleksandar, (we need cover for). I took the decision to change 10 players from the last game and it was my decision to do it and we will look back at this game and then move on.

"Nothing has changed from the last few days about any players coming in. I am hoping that will change."



https://www.westlondonsport.com/fulham/football-wls-silva-defends-team-selection-and-eyes-new-signings-after-fulham-cup-defeat