Friday Fulham Stuff - 26/01/24...

[WhiteJC]

Chris Sutton seriously unimpressed with 'useless' Fulham player in Liverpool defeat
Pundit Chris Sutton has criticised Fulham goalkeeper Bernd Leno after the Whites fell to a 3-2 aggregate defeat to Liverpool in the Carabao Cup semi-final.

Marco Silva's side had to overturn a first-leg deficit but Luis Diaz made sure they made a mountain to climb in the early minutes of the game.

Speaking on the Football Daily Podcast, Chris Sutton has called out the German international for his role in Fulham's 1-1 draw on Wednesday night.

Liverpool are the best side in the country right now, but on each occasion the two sides have met this season, Fulham have run them incredibly close.

It took four of the best goals scored in the Premier League this season to defeat Silva's side in their first meeting.

After taking a 1-0 lead in the first leg, Leno was only beaten by a heavily deflected Curtis Jones strike before Cody Gakpo immediately scored the winner.

Sutton wasn't impressed with Leno's attempts to keep out Liverpool star Luis Diaz's effort in the 11th minute.

Joao Palhinha had already missed a great chance for the hosts, but a poor attempt to clear a long ball by Timothy Castagne handed the Colombian his chance.

However, Sutton's criticism seems very harsh when taking a closer look at the goal.

Sutton not happy with Leno during Liverpool defeat
Speaking about Fulham's performance, Sutton said: "I think they were affected by some average goalkeeping, well useless goalkeeping and that's the truth.

"You can't do it at this level against a team who are seemingly growing in confidence, a team who have won so many trophies over the past however many years, you can't do it against a team like Liverpool and that was the deciding factor in the game, weak goalkeeping cost Fulham."

Leno did get a hand to Diaz's shot but Sutton's verdict on Liverpool's only goal of the game is harsh, to say the least.

His shot arrived by two deflections off Fulham defenders and at that point, Leno is simply hoping that the ball hits his hand and deflects away.

Unfortunately, it only tucks inside his near post and he more than made up for that with a fantastic stop to deny Darwin Nunez in the second half.

Harry Wilson and Issa Diop combined to give the Whites a way back into the game but unfortunately, it wasn't enough.

Fulham fans have witnessed some unbelievable performances from the German during his time at the club.

He's likely to drop out of the side for Saturday's match against Newcastle in the FA Cup.

Marek Rodak typically gets the nod in the early rounds of cup competitions and has performed admirably thus far.



https://www.fulham.news/2024/01/25/chris-sutton-seriously-unimpressed-with-useless-fulham-player-in-liverpool-defeat/

[WhiteJC]

Fulham cool interest in Jhon Cordoba

Fulham have reportedly been linked with the move for 30-year-old Colombian striker Jhon Cordoba this week.
A report from Football Transfers has claimed that Fulham have now cooled their interest in signing Jhon Cordoba, as they have decided to walk away from the move. The Cottagers were in talks with Krasnodar regarding a January transfer, and the move was expected to be completed soon.

Fulham Showed Interest in Jhon Cordoba
Fulham have abandoned their pursuit of the striker because they do not want to deal with Russian clubs following the invasion of Ukraine by Russia. If they had signed the Colombian this month, they would have had a £7 million option to make the move permanent in the future.

It is no secret that the Londoners will have to bring in a quality goalscorer, and Cordoba had emerged as a viable target. Fulham have looked toothless in the attack recently, and they will need to bring in a reliable goalscorer to finish the season strongly. Cordoba has 15 goal contributions across all competitions this season, and he has been linked with Crystal Palace as well.

Fulham Need a Striker
They recently crashed out of the EFL Cup, and they will feel that they could have done more to book their place in the final. Despite doing quite well against Liverpool over the two legs of the semi-finals, they failed to put the ball in the back of the net, and Marco Silva will need to address that problem before the January window closes.

Fulham sanctioned the departure of Aleksandar Mitrovic in the summer, and they have not been able to replace him adequately. Raul Jimenez has done reasonably well with his overall play, but his output leaves a lot to be desired. The Mexican international has not been able to score goals consistently, and Fulham will need to bring in a reliable finisher. They have also been linked with Petar Musa.

Jhon Cordoba would have been attracted to the idea of competing in the Premier League with Fulham, and it would have been a major step up in his career. It will be interesting to see how the situation develops over the next few days. Fulham will probably have to move on to other targets now that they have made a decision on their pursuit of the Colombian.



https://thehardtackle.com/transfer-news/2024/01/25/fulham-cool-interest-in-jhon-cordoba/

[WhiteJC]

'We were too emotional'- Marco Silva has his say on Fulham's EFL Cup semi-final exit to Liverpool
Marco Silva felt his Fulham players were too emotional at the start of the second leg of their 3-2 aggregate defeat against Liverpool in the EFL Cup semi-final.

Fulham drew the game 1-1 at Craven Cottage after a second-half Issa Diop goal cancelled out Luis Diaz' early strike on the night, but it was not enough to help Fulham to their first-ever League Cup final.

The Whites were left with a mountain to climb after just 11 minutes when Diaz got the better of Timothy Castagne and sent a deflected shot beyond Bernd Leno following their 2-1 loss at Anfield in the first leg.

"The first 30 minutes were difficult for us," said Silva.

"We were probably too emotional and more nervous than Liverpool, and we were not able to keep possession like we normally do – to make three or four passes between us. We lost many balls when we were building our attacks or when we could counterattack.

"We wanted to play better tonight than we did. In a semi-final, sometimes it is not easy to play good football or the football that you planned."

Joao Palhinha had already squandered a presentable chance from a corner before Diaz struck, and Andreas Pereira hit the post early in the second half as Fulham tried to pull off a comeback.

Diop's close-range finish on 76 minutes created a chaotic end to the contest, but Silva's side were not able to force the tie to extra time.

"We were not ruthless enough and Liverpool are in the final," said the Fulham boss. "The first time Liverpool were a little bit more dangerous, they scored.

"They were much calmer than us. For them it was just another game, for most of our players it is new to play semi-finals of this competition. I think the club is going to grow in these kind of moments.

"Any club that is not used to being at this stage is going to grow. For the players to develop and get more used to it, to not be so nervous and so emotional at the beginning of these type of games, comes with experience of these type of games.

"Of course, I want more. You know my ambition and the players do as well. What we have to do is to keep working really hard to keep growing as a football club."



https://londonnewsonline.co.uk/sport/we-were-too-emotional-marco-silva-has-his-say-on-fulhams-efl-cup-semi-final-exit-to-liverpool/

[WhiteJC]

'Quite complicated' – Despite concrete approach for Fulham player, transfer difficult to do
Earlier this week, we covered claims from the Dutch media which revealed Feyenoord's interest in Fulham player Kevin Mbabu.

The fullback is currently on a season long loan at Augsburg, and they'd need to agree to cut short his spell so he'd be free to move to the Netherlands.

As outlet 1908 today features an update on this situation, they explain it's difficult for Feyenoord to take Mbabu from Fulham.

They say even though there's been a 'concrete approach' for the signing, the negotiation is proving to be 'quite complicated' because Augsburg aren't keen on letting him go.

The German club want at least a 'light compensation' to cut short the spell, and by the way 1908 writes, Augsburg and Fulham won't be paying that.

Despite missing a couple of games because of injury, Mbabu has been a regular starter at the Bundesliga side, with 12 appearances this season so far, and it wouldn't make sense for the club to just let him go in the middle of the season.

So if Feyenoord really want the player, they better get in touch with Fulham in the summer. For the Premier League side, it makes little sense to pay any money for a simple loan swap, especially given Mbabu is being used.



http://sportwitness.co.uk/quite-complicated-despite-concrete-approach-fulham-player-transfer-difficult/

[WhiteJC]

Positives and negatives: Fulham 1-1 Liverpool

Don't be sad because it's over, people. Smile because it happened. Fulham bowed out of the Carabao Cup, all good things must come to an end but Cam won't look back in anger.

Positives

We will dream again

Conflicting emotions are present throughout this article because as this draw is effectively a defeat, a so close but yet so far scenario, I'm torn between what I should and shouldn't feel, however what we cannot discount or discredit is the gripping journey that led us to our first domestic semi-final in 22 years, and the wonder that grew at every single step along the way.

The anticipation heading into our all-or-nothing encounter with Liverpool evoked feelings that I personally haven't known since 2010's Europa League semi-final second-leg against Hamburg, a game that shaped my adoration of our beautiful football club and all that it traditionally stands for. We've had stomach churning finals at Wembley in Championship Play-offs, FA Cup quarter final controversy but there's something spectacular about nights under the lights and the grandest auditorium English football has to offer and Wednesday was no different. In fact, it was exceptional.

I couldn't care less if the flags were last-minute Happy Shopper specials, once everyone had safely entered the stadium all that the eye could see was a shimmering ocean of black and white, the Hammersmith End was on its feet and it remained so for the duration, Johnny-on-the-spot, and the noise that washed across the Cottage was deafening and constant. It wasn't meant to be, we'd been built-up for inevitable heartbreak but even in the pain of what could've been, I am still immensely proud of the boys that wear our famous jersey because they really do care about the betterment of our club, and what they've achieved under Marco's command in two-and-a-half years proves that we are indeed progressing.

Perhaps we could've turned the screw earlier than we did, maybe our squad depth simply wasn't skilled enough to carry us over the line but we have to have perspective here, and there are factors we also have to be conscious of. Liverpool are the country's in-form force, even without Mohamed Salah and Trent Alexander Arnold et al. They're equipped with world-class superstars that have gone the distance in some of the planet's most taxing and testing competitions and we gave them a bloody good run for their money.

It wasn't a humiliation, it wasn't one-way traffic, Jurgen Klopp's table-toppers didn't have it all their own way and while our own football jumped between emphatic and pathetic over 180-plus minutes, while we could've capitalised on key opportunities in both legs, we went down swinging and against one of the deadliest teams on the planet, that is all we could've hoped for once the the teams were pulled out of the hat.

I won't remember this Carabao Cup campaign as a failure. Our imaginations ran wild, knock-out delirium was rife and by way of nail-biting penalty shoot-outs and stress-free victories over East Anglian challengers we were labelled contenders, one of four that could lay claim to silverware and though we couldn't slay the giant but we didn't suffer.

We have come a long, long way from early exit upsets on the outskirts of Gatwick airport. Clubs like Fulham simply aren't meant to rub shoulders with footballing royalty when trophies are up for grabs, we either fall flat on our faces or we dig our own graves, but this team of Marco Silva's is learning how to rattle cages, it isn't foolproof but it is evolving and if it continues to take me back to the boy I was 15 years ago, awestruck and astonished as my heroes wrote history and defied odds, then I am going to back this project no matter what because it is worth believing in. We will dream again.

Wilson's drive and determination

As soon as Bobby Decordova-Reid was replaced by Harry Wilson, Fulham slipped out of neutral and the wheels were set in motion. The Welsh winger's flitted in and out of Silva's starting selection this season, it's thought he's much more effective off the bench and on Wednesday evening, that particular opinion was fully validated.

Against his boyhood club, Wilson hit the turf with a purpose, with next to no time at all to influence things he made his introduction count, and his intent along the left was instantly appreciated. Jetting along the touch line, Wilson approached the by-line and in stealth bomber style, he screeched inside Conor Bradley and pressed the little red button. He manoeuvred into clear space, his cross ricocheted into the danger zone and that is how we fired ourselves back into contention, through drive and determination.

We could've done with Wilson's incision from the off, never mind from the dugout. He was direct in possession, supportive off the ball and with fresh legs, he didn't stop for anything. There's something extra about Harry, he may not impress on every outing but there's an edge to him, an energy that's so unique and for 25 minutes or so we saw it in full flow, and it couldn't have been more needed.

Up top Diop

Who wouldn't thought they man we really needed up top was Issa Diop, the man who sounded a spirited yet futile fight back from the Whites. If our recognised strikers can't tuck it away, our marauding centre-back certainly can and as Diop charged onto Wilson's deflected cross, he readjusted his posture to divert the equaliser. The improvisation of a proper No.9, exacted by a defender prone to self-inflicted calamity.

To even have the inclination to bomb forward is bold, it's gutsy, and possibly a bit stupid, but given his result-defining mistake at Stamford Bridge, it is his atonement and it was received well by all in attendance of a Fulham persuasion. Issa wanted to force the issue, to change the narrative and even if his leveller stood for nothing come the final whistle, he was committed to the task at hand at both ends of the park and that cannot be denied.

He studied Darwin Nunez's movement at the back and at nose bleed altitude in the opposing penalty area, he got in on the act with certainty and if Liverpool's Uruguayan gunman needs a few golden pointers, Diop's the guy with the unexpected poise the "poo Andy Carroll" has always longed for.

Negatives

Disadvantaged by nerves

It took 70-odd minutes for us to suddenly warm to proceedings but before that, as a collective, we were a nervous wreck and tensions were palpable. Nobody in black and white really wanted to show for the ball, particularly on the counter, and as soon as we retrieved possession, we gifted it straight back to Liverpool via panicked passes, heavy first touches and scrambled composure. We just couldn't make things stick, Andreas Pereira and Bobby Decordova-Reid were particularly thriftless with the ball and it's a mystery as to how they both remained in the pitch for as long as they did.

Balls came to feet and they'd instantly rid possession without design, they tend to be useful distributors but the magnitude of the occasion clearly got to them, but they weren't the only culprits. Antonee Robinson was troubled defensively, he chased shadows as Harvey Elliott periodically cut the USMNT left-back adrift and he was frequently overpowered whilst attempting to shield possession. In the same breath, Raul Jimenez was ineffective up top, too.

He couldn't wait to move possession on with no thought or concept, he was held on a tight leash by a scrawny teenager and for a striker of his size and stature, he was ridiculously easy to contain. Being subbed off for Rodrigo Muniz really isn't a good look, especially at the last chance saloon stage of the game and if that's to be the extent of our depth in the final third after January, we're in for some of the most tedious months we've probably ever encountered in the top-flight.

This wasn't supposed to be a finger pointing exercise, while we eventually retaliated the lads were visibly off it for the majority of the game and I guess with experience, if we're wanting to go even further in future tournaments – maybe even this season in the FA Cup – we have to cope with pressures and expectations better because teams like Liverpool do not wilt at the business end of major tournaments, they thrive and rarely falter.

It's unchartered territory for the lads, two-legged semi finals don't rock up at the Cottage every year like they seem to for the Reds but we now know what it takes to be there, and if there's a next time very, very soon, we'll be wise to channel nerves to our advantage, rather than to the opposite effect which ultimately stung our hopes of jumping the final hurdle at home.

One lapse seals fate

The sequence that led to the tie's defining goal, the first of the evening, is not for the faint hearted. Liverpool took full advantage of unperceptive ball and an uncharacteristically limp wrist and what's more damning is that from that moment onward, the Whites actually defended commendably to limit the visitors. One lapse at the back sealed our fate and it furthers the cruel reality that a date with destiny under the world famous arch in HA9 simply wasn't to be for the Whites.

I have no idea how Luis Diaz managed to chest the ball down above Timothy Castagne's ahead but our Belgian right-back barely left the ground as the Colombian winger soared, it's almost as though he didn't notice Diaz whatsoever and as he back peddled, he obviously lost track of the ball and that spelled serious trouble. It was unsightly from Timothy, he wasn't aware of the risk of not contesting aerially and though Tosin attempted to block Diaz's shot, the ball squirmed towards the bottom left corner and Bernd Leno is also culpable.

Leno should've smothered that effort, it's a strike he'd usually deflect or claim without an issue but our German stopper was unresponsive. He plunged awkwardly to his right, he wasn't in control as he clawed at the ball and while his palm made contact, it wasn't solid enough to flick danger wide of the mark. If he'd have dealt with that, who knows what could've happened but that is what we've been reduced to, again. Empty could could've, as it was in the first leg. A comedy of errors, but there's nothing remotely funny about it and when we needed a pinch of good fortune, Lady Luck just wasn't on our side and Sky eventually got the final they were drooling over.



https://www.fulhamish.co.uk/post/2024-01-25-positives-and-negatives-fulham-1-1-liverpool/

[filham]

So Silva thinks our team will grow, does that mean he is happy to leave it unchanged and in particular give Jimenez more time to find a goal scoring touch. The team has been together for half a season now and there is no sign of us being able to score goals freely. Take away those two 5-0 wins and our scoring record is dismal. In particular visiting teams know they are in with a good chance of a clean sheet or at the worst a single goal against them.

[Thames Bank 1]

Get a life Fulham, you talk utter poo

[filham]

Get a life Fulham, you talk utter poo

It would be appreciated if you could try being a little more constructive when being critical.