Fulham vs. Bournemouth

For the second week in a row Fulham hosts a team who haven't won a match since winning against Fulham. This time around it is Bournemouth rather than Burnley. The match kicks off at 10am EST on Peacock.

The conventional wisdom right now on Bournemouth is that their new manager finally righted the ship after a rocky start. The Cherries went winless for their first nine matches. Then they won seven of their next nine. But now they're again winless in four. I'll be contrarian and say that I think this is more about scheduling than anything else. Yes, there were wins against Manchester United and Newcastle, but mostly they were playing teams in the bottom half of the table during that time. I think the single point between Bournemouth and Fulham is probably a fair reflection of the difference in quality between the teams - not much.

Fulham will still be without Iwobi and Bassey, but thankfully AFCON is almost over with Nigeria in the final against Ivory Coast on Sunday (please no injuries!) Fulham does have some good news with Traore and Wilson both healthy enough to return to the squad. I'd like to see either of them brought in as early subs. And I'd also like to see Broja start despite Muniz's excellent goal against Burnley.

One stat I find interesting is that while Solanke's 13 goals puts him one goal behind leading scorers Haaland and Salah, Bournemouth and Fulham still have the same number of team goals this season - 30. I think Fulham have a much better shot at a win if they prevent any archer goal celebrations on Saturday.

 

Even Steven. This one could go either way. Neither team is in great form now - which means it might be quite exciting… or super boring.

I also would like to see Broja given the start. Hopefully a full week with the team has given him enough preparation.

This is a winnable match. And given Fulham haven’t won any of the past four winnable matches, it’s time to turn the record over. I’ll be rather disappointed otherwise.

 

My 3 favorite words…Cue It James!!!


Here is a shocker , our manager is getting the best out of Muniz. I loved Woy, Cookie, and have heard the exploits of Tigana, but Marco is the best on the sideline I’ve seen.

 

So glad I didn't what I wanted - Muniz on the bench! Where was this guy before?! I loved that first goal because he got it just because he wanted it more. I didn't think he'd get there in time and neither did the Bournemouth defense. I hope Cairney's nose is okay - I was sad to see him go off because he was having another terrific game in his return to top form. DeCordova-Reid surprised me with his confident finish for the first goal (old Bobby would have sent it just wide) and he was key in both the other goals. His run on the final goal is what allowed Muniz to have such an easy finish. Willian, Castagne, and Robinson all did well too. I also thought Broja looked pretty good although he didn't get too many scoring changes.

Fulham still made it a little more tense than I would have liked. I feel like Fulham sits too far back in the box once they have a lead and let teams put in too many unopposed crosses. That's why Bournemouth had so many corners because Fulham had to turn away so many crosses they just let them drop into the box.

This team was really singing today, hopefully with Iwobi and Bassey returning soon Fulham will be able to do even more and make a strong run on the back half of the season.

 

I like what Marco said about Muniz after the game: "it's important I keep developing him as a player." That's precisely it. He doesn't just give up on people, and that's a key to having a confident, tight-knit team.

I wouldn't mind if Broja--since we don't have a permanent option for him--never got a start in a Fulham shirt if that means we get to keep today's Muniz.

Question: where is Tosin?

 

I got to be honest when Bournemouth got on the board I started getting flashbacks of last week.

I suppose Muniz has to be man of the match, but I could make a strong case for Ream, Willian, and Decordova Reid.

 

Apparently if that happens Fulham owes Chelsea a lot of money. There is some minimum amount of play time Fulham is supposed to give him as part of the loan agreement.

Also, excellent question about Tosin. He wasn't listed on the injury report.

@stlouisbrad thank you for calling out Ream too. He also had a very good match dealing with all of those corners and covered when Diop had a few shaky moments.

 

Right. I just read that. I cannot see Marco getting swayed by 4 MM. If Muniz plays well, he'll keep playing even if it costs us. That is, unless TK puts pressure on Marco to try and save that money.

https://www.si.com/fannation/soccer...=The loan deal does not,10 or more EPL starts.

 

Fulham definitely need some work on closing out games. It seems like they completely sit back and hope their opponents aren’t competent enough to catch up score wise. They certainly play with a reduced intensity.

I certainly hope Muniz continues his form (even if it comes at a cost). I am admittedly surprised at his performances the last two matches, which is why I was calling for Broja to start. Though Broja was pretty much only brought in as cover and as long as our first choice striker is producing, there’s nothing to cover. So now I’m happy seeing him come on as a sub until our first choice falters.