Fulham host Livrpool at 0 dark hundred

I think we’ll be competitive Saturday. We played them really tough in both outings last time we were in the PL, and they’re essentially the same team. Although that’s certainly no guarantee we’ll get a result this time around, we’ve got enough guys who remember the 1-1 draw at the Cottage that we really deserved to win, and the 1-nil win at Anfield. I’m going to be bullish on this team until they prove to be otherwise. It’s a new season and everybody’s 0 and 0!
COYW!

 

Like @jumpkutz I found myself looking back at the 2020/21 season and the win and draw that Fulham earned against Liverpool. Fulham's home draw came only after a questionable penalty gave Liverpool the equalizer deep into the second half so Fulham were within a sniff of getting two wins.

I think this will mostly come down to Tim Ream. Everyone wanted an Andersen-esque upgrade, but we aren't getting it in time for this match so Ream is going to have to play at his very best for Fulham to have a shot. When Liverpool played Man City for the Community Shield last weekend they were so quick on the attack that I felt a knot in my stomach thinking about what that could look like against Ream and Tosin.

Elsewhere on the pitch, Fulham should be equivalent or better to when Liverpool last came to the Cottage. On the wings Fulham will have Robinson as before, but I'd say Tete or Mbabu are an improvement over Aina. A midfield with Palhinha, Reed, and Pereira should be a significant improvement over Lemina, Anguissa, and Loftus-Cheek. Up front I'd feel much better if Wilson was on the pitch, but it will probably be DeCordova-Reid along with Mitrovic and Kebano. That is still a better front three than BDR, Cavaleiro, and Lookman. Areola was in net before and I'd say he was a step up over the likely week one starter, Rodak.

I think Fulham is very close to having a squad that could keep this one competitive, but I think there will be too much speed from Liverpool and too many gaps opening up at the back for Fulham to avoid falling behind early.

 

Jedi’s thoughts;

https://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2022/...lPRNjaGhQyC9ff5C7cuaMtLKUxcrsMnh230&fs=e&s=cl

 

The big day is almost here. It's an early kickoff, 7:30 for those of us in the Eastern time zone. Peacock will carry it in the US.

https://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2022/august/05/pre-liverpool-press-conference/

The bad news is that Williams and Chalobah are out. Even worse, Williams may be out two months or longer. On the very positive side, all the new signings, with the possible exception of Duffy are available to take part.

Marco will need to decide whether to reward the team that got us here, or put out the strongest 11. Crossing fingers for a 2 - 2 draw; we won't keep a clean sheet, but may hit them for a couple.

COYW!

 

I just set my alarm. Gonna walk the dogs before in hopes they let me watch the game in peace.

 

Rodak and Ream get the start today. Barring injury, this may be their only one this season. Ream also wearing the captain’s armband.

I’m hoping the defense can keep it tight but I’m not sure they’ll be able to do so for the full 90.

Mostly, I’m just excited for competitive matches. COYW

 

COYW’s!

 

Good stuff so far. I'm pleased.

 

Promising start!

 

COYW!!!

 

Mitovic is currently the Premier League's top scorer and is on track for 76 goals this season!!

 

(Sorry about starting the other thread; forgot about this one.)

What a pleasant surprise! I prefer these over the other kind. On to Wolves, who will be angry and motivated after losing to Leeds today. I'm tempted to engage in hyperbolic plaudits, but the performance speaks for itself.

 

Here are the highlights:


Although a win seemed in sight, this was still a great result for Fulham and an all around great performance. I told myself not to overreact too much to any result because it is only the first game of the season, but there were a number of encouraging things to take from this match.

First off, Silva managed this match very well. Gone was playing up from the back, but that didn't mean Fulham was surrendering. When the ball was sent up the pitch, Fulham worked to get the ball back and if that failed then they pressured Liverpool in the hope of causing a mistake. Pushing as much of the game as possible into the Liverpool half was a great and welcome strategy. This squad only had two new players start, the back line was unchanged, and the front three wasn't even as strong as a typical week in the Championship with Wilson out. Despite that, Fulham looked like they belonged in this league and that was due in large part to Silva's leadership.

Palhinha was my man-of-the-match for the way he was able to control the midfield. More than anyone else he was responsible for disrupting Liverpool's offense. He was winning the ball back, applying pressure, and getting into passing lanes. It was a fantastic start for him.

It was great to see Mitrovic get two goals, but also to see him play so well on and off the ball. He played a complete game and showed great skill beyond just getting headers in the box. Hopefully this will quiet the doubters a little.

The back line did make mistakes, but overall they played well. I'm still not ready to give Ream a starting role for the whole season, but he played an excellent game and deserves a lot of credit for playing so well despite people like me thinking he didn't have a chance out there today.

It is a long season, and things could go a lot of different directions, but this was a great, positive, fun start.

 

Didn’t get to watch the match, and it’s always tough to judge from even extended highlights whether or not we deserved three points, but you’ve got to be positive about the result. We more than held our own, gave ourselves a great chance to win and didn’t get blow out and crushed by a league superpower. The penalty was soft, but fair. I love it when the opposing keeper, especially one as good as Allison, guesses right and still doesn’t touch it, much less have any chance to save it. Mitro’s worked hard on improving his penalty technique. You can really tell. He’s almost automatic now.
T’wasn’t always so, Serbia and Fulham fans.
They got a bit of a lucky bounce on the final equalizer, but we probably got a break on the penalty, so even Steven. Very encouraging to see Mitro get off to a good start. Just an overall positive opening day. Now comes the first litmus test: building upon it at Molineaux. That will tell us a lot about this team’s fortitude. For now, let’s celebrate a positive performance and result.
AND WE’RE OFF!!!
COYW!

 

And, why the hell not?

 

Fulham put together a video using pitch-side cameras to show the players entering the grounds and warming up, but the best part is when they have game footage. They have a great look at Mitrovic's first goal, but my favorite part is getting to hear the fans yell "REEEEEAM" has he shockingly drove forward and then the exclamation of disappointment when Kebano's shot clanged off the post. So nice to hear the roar of the Hammersmith End!



The club highlights are short and don't show anything new, but if you like hearing GJ getting very excited then you'll like this: