Fulham vs. Southampton

Fulham closes out one of their best years ever - certainly the best one since I started following - with Southampton at home. The match will be on Peacock at 10am on Saturday.

Southampton have been dreadful this season and currently sit at the bottom of the table after Wolverhampton's win last week. Fulham fans are looking at this as an excellent chance to pick up three more points. But anything could happen - Southampton's most recent point came when they drew against Arsenal. The Saints got a new manager over the international break, former Luton manager Nathan Jones. Hopes are always high when a new boss comes in, but his inaugural 3-1 defeat against Brighton on Boxing Day felt like more of the same.

Fulham should have the same squad available as on Boxing Day and after their dominant performance against Palace it won't be a surprise to see things unchanged.

I am a little worried about over-confidence in this one that could lead to a disappointing draw. However, if Fulham gets three points they would be just a point behind the total from the 2018-19 season with 21 matches remaining this season.

 

@MicahMan your worry about a over-confident draw looked like coming to fruition, Joao to the rescue!!!! Happy New Year Everyone!!

 

Wasn't our prettiest win, but they kept at it and grinded out the W.

 

Highlights:


Southampton seemed to be much better organized defensively than what I've seen and did a pretty good job of allowing Fulham to have possession but few good looks at goal. Southampton had half the possession of Fulham but had more shots and shots on target than Fulham. Southampton's primary weakness is their goalkeeper, so by not forcing him into action Southampton was able to stay in the match.

I also thought Fulham was on track for a disappointing draw until Palhinha saved the day. Prior to his goal I had though Palhinha had a mixed day - he was fantastic on defense (especially that goal saving block), but when in possession he had committed a number of turnovers. Palhinha made up for any passing errors with his perfect execution on the corner. And credit to Pereira and Tete for the doing the corner just like they did in practice. I love that Silva has turned Fulham in to a team that is so dangerous on set pieces. For years I felt like I could go get a snack when Fulham had a corner, but not anymore. Palhinha also gets points for a very nice knee slide for a guy who doesn't score much.

A side note: were there Southampton fans singing during the George Cohen tribute? I'd like to give them the benefit of the doubt, but it sounded like there may have been a contingent that didn't have much class.

 

I agree with @MicahMan. Palhinha had a poor first half by his standards, especially in distribution and on the pivot, but cleaned up the mistakes, by and large, in the second half. He's my MotM today.

I also wonder why we don't pull the trigger more often when we have the ball 25 yards out. If nothing else, that would force teams like Southampton or Bournemouth to come out of the low block and create space for Mitro, Pereira (or Cairney) and the wingers.

I loved how Marco singled Tom out for praise after the game. Cairney doesn't get to start, but that hasn't caused him to sour on the team--he always brings something new and fresh when he comes on. It's great to have someone like Tom Cairney as an option.

It was a great year for Fulham, but not so much on many other counts. I'm hoping Fulham keeps performing AND that 2023 is better for everyone than 2022 was.

Happy New Year!

 

Six HUGE points to end 2022! And look! Up to seventh in the table! A point ahead of Brighton and only three behind scousers! Agree with all of the prior assessments. They were the better side until Ward-Prowse stuck his foot out on Pereira's effort from the training ground corner that was, as also previously noted, well executed. There's no shame in conceding a Ward-Prowse free kick goal. He's the most underrated free kick specialist on the planet. The shame is in conceding the free kick in that spot in the first place, regardless of who's taking it for the opponent. Whatever else Ward-Prowse can or cannot do on a football pitch, I put him on my World Cup team for his set piece ability alone. Calling Gareth Southgate... Likewise, whatever else Palhinha's sins were today, his scrambling first half block on Che Adams and the calm, spot on finish on the 88th minute flicked on header earned him absolution.
Cairney's contributions from the bench were exactly what you need from a sub, and so, well, Cairney-ish.
I miss him as a regular starter, but I hope today's hugely positive outing portends more such effective appearances in 2023. And let's not forget Leno's huge save on Adams' clear breakaway on goal in the first half. He looked onside to me, and Leno getting out early and getting big was the perfect play to deny their best scorer. I'll take winning ugly over drawing or losing pretty any day of the week, and and twice on the last Saturday of 2022.
Happy New Year Fuhamerica! It was a good one for our heroes! 2023 promises to be even better with these final results from '22.
On to the King Power (and struggling 'choke, choke' Leicester City) on the first Tuesday night of 2023!

 

When I was growing up playing and refereeing, obstruction was a foul. You had to play the ball; not the man. Apparently this rule has gone by the wayside. I realize that things have been this way for quite a while, but it has become much more common. Especially when a team's (let's call them Southampton) entire strategy revolves around grabbing, holding, pushing and OBSTRUCTING their opponent's primary striker (who I'll refer to as Mitrovic).

As was previously mentioned, Southampton looked better and more motivated. Fulham was quite sluggish and less accurate than usual. It's no surprise that Southampton had a higher expected goals from open play. Fulham have definitely gotten better at corners. I thought the right side was pretty ineffective the whole game. Decordova-Reid, Tete, James and Reed (when he went wide) produced very little and wasted much of their time on the ball.

The matches are coming quick over the next few weeks. It'll be interesting to see how Silva handles the squad.