Fulham vs Chelsea

I've been avoiding starting threads since I felt like me starting threads was bad mojo, but then I realized @SoCalJoe started the Brentford thread and not me! So clearly I'm not a source of bad mojo. Until maybe now since I mentioned it. oh no.

Anyway, Craven Cottage will see a struggling underdog team from West London take the pitch who only have one win to their name this season, who have been shut out in half their matches, and who haven't beaten a team that was sitting in the top 10 since April 2022. It is mind boggling that the team in question is Chelsea and not Fulham or Brentford. I would be delighted if Fulham could continue to heap misery on Chelsea, but they clearly have far more potential than their current record suggests. They will have 10 players unavailable due to injury or suspension, but they will have Chukwuemeka and Madueke back. They are also coming off of a win against Brighton in the Carabao Cup that gave them some encouragement.

Meanwhile Fulham will have Lukic available again while Traore and Tosin are still sidelined. Tete's availability is still unclear.

With both teams struggling to score (just 5 goals in six matches for both) I think this match will likely come down to who can score first. Fulham's offense looked improved against both Norwich and Palace, but Chelsea should put up a stronger defense than those two squads. If Fulham scores I think they win. I'm just not sure they can score.

 

What better way to start a week is there then heaping more misery on the Scum?

 

I thought I'd be able to catch this live, but since Congress kind of did their job on Saturday I'm sadly at work and not furloughed.

 

Likewise, but I did just set up the recording and am about to turn off my notifications.

I would love for Fulham to continue their unbeaten run against Chelsea and, honestly, think that they have a good shot at it. I'll just have to wait a bit longer than everyone else to find out.

 

We were poor. Marco has some decisions to make before the next game.

 

I didn't get to see the match, but based on the highlights it seems like the first half was especially rough. Every clip seemed to start with Chelsea galloping toward the goal. And then that turnover from Ream, oof. The second half looked better but still no one who can finish. I don't know what those headers by Vinicius from the outer part of the box are supposed to accomplish.

The highlights

 

Wow. That was…very disappointing. We were dominated by a decidedly sub-par scum side that looked more like our record (better, actually) while we looked like the team with their record. They took us to the woodshed. They really should have scored at least 3 more goals. Our few scoring chances resulted in extremely poor efforts on goal. The question is, was this just a bad day at the office, or a revealingly accurate exposition of who we reallly are? As ever, the truth probably lies somewhere in the middle. Which begs the real question…which end is this “middle” is it closer to?

 

The play of the squad sounded dire on the radio call...and "dire" is euphemistic. It's not a bad day at the office - 5 goals scored (I believe) so far this season...Fulham were fortunate not to get hammered by Everton on opening day, and on the overall performances, haven't been good. Luckily, I still think 3 other squads will prove to be more shite than Fulham over the long haul ...but its hard to watch/listen at the moment.
COYW

 

Welp, I stayed up late to watch the match and, when it ended, I kind of wish I hadn't. Every comment that's been said here over the last few years with regards to 'without Mitrovic, where will the goals come from' came flooding back into my mind. Yes, we are seven matches into the season and Tim Ream is tied for the most goals in the squad.

Fulham have no bite in front of the net. They do very well at getting wide and using width but then that's all that they do. They form nice triangles along the touchline and pass it back and forth until their opponents send an extra player over to take the ball away. I forgot that Raul was in the starting lineup until he was subbed and the announcer justified my forgetfulness by stating Raul's 13 (maybe it was 15?) touches was the fewest of any player on the pitch.

Like @nevzter, I don't think that Fulham are bottom three (as long as the defense doesn't deteriorate) but we'll get a good test of that hypothesis against Sheffield United this Saturday.

 

Attack
Muniz couldn't get on the field in the Championship last season, and he may be our best option on Saturday. We have 3 backup strikers but no Prem-quality starter. Might as well give an academy boy a chance--there won't be any drop off from last weekend. Willian and Wilson were both ineffective, but we don't have better options out wide. I can see BDR getting back into the 11; at least he will do some work on defense.

Defense
It was Tim Ream's worst game in the Prem since the last promotion. It was almost like watching the Tim from a few years ago when he would routinely misplay passes. I think he can clean this up if given a chance, but I can also see a rationale for Bassey. I hope Tete recovers by the weekend; there is a drop off with Castagne. Great hustle but not as much quality.

Midfield
Pereira has been off this season. I'd be all for letting Iwobi show what he can do on Saturday. Or start Cairney and see how long his knees last. Reed was bad on Monday, too. Between him and Pereira, they made our midfield unable to progress the ball. Even Palhinha was off his game and was part of the reason Ream looked so awful.

General
Regardless of who plays, I expect the team will deliver a better performance against Sheffield U. It would make my day if a couple of academy boys got significant minutes in the game. Our team is full of old, injury-prone hamstrings and knees and needs younger blood.

 

Agree that the old legs need a respite. And 5 goals scored for Sheffield Utd, Bournemouth and Fulham. Luton, Everton and Burnley have 6 goals. Despite the lethargic offensive output, Fulham sit 13, while those other clubs fill spots 16-20. A bit of good fortune, and a late Paulinha strike, is worth 3 spots in the table for the Whites.
So who's gonna score? Maybe more minutes for Awobi portends an offensive spark. Fulham's association with those names in the table (while commonplace in the past) is unsettling. I know it's still early days, and goals may begin to fly in eventually, but the squad isn't playing as if its on the precipice of a goal scoring spree. Still, this weekend's match is a bit of a litmus to see if Fulham really are above the dross.
COYW