Fulham (H) | PL | Post-Match Thread

[chedinho]

That was awful and law of averages says we are not going to keep getting away with it. Fair play to Fulham but in years gone by, we dispatch that level of opposition with ease. Not so this season.

We don’t have a midfield. Kova two goals, the 2nd of which was fantastic but it should not mask the fact that we have a gaping hole right in the middle. Gundo is either unfit or finished. I hope it’s the former but I’m leaning towards it being the latter given what we are seeing from him. The guy couldn’t move for the last 30 mins.

The two wide men of Grealish and Bernie is fucking terrible. Easy to defend against and offering zero threat. Grealish hasn’t scored in 2024 and Bernie well over 20 games. If I was the opposition manager and saw those two out wide, I would be fucking delighted. I actually think, we might actually be better served if Bernie and Grealish moved central. Bernie definitely.

Our defence also needs a kick up the arse. I have some sympathy because they are getting little to no protection from the midfield but at the moment, Josko is the only one that is switched on.

Eddie was fantastic today and has certainly won us points.

I agree it wasn’t the greatest of performances. But there are a few mitigating factors.

We are still playing ourselves into full fitness. You can see this with the Gundog. I bet he had forgot how fast the prem is. Rico is probably the only one who is playing at full fitness. Haaland too, I should add.

And Fulham were happy to defend and play on the counter in the first half. With Traore, you know he’s going to get chances. So we have to limit them. That’s where we went wrong.

On the seventy minute mark or thereabouts. Fulham changed tack and went full on press. They had energy to burn and we were tiring.

Grealish and Bernardo found it tough against their respective full backs. And then both were beating them more often than not. And when they didn’t, we often got a corner.

Our problem is the same as last season and the season before and the season before that. Losing the ball and getting hit on the counter.

Their left back is quality. Traore is a nightmare apart from last season at theirs when we kept the ball away from him.

We always seem to do just enough to get through games prior to jan/feb.

 

[dadnlad]

Spent the afternoon in the Beach Cabin Bar in Tenerife with Ricky Hatton and his delightful companion Ms Claire Sweeney.
Nobody left before full time.

No there's two people you wouldn't put together but good luck to them hope happy

 

[Eccles Blue]

Eccles Blue
Apparently Pep was yellow carded for applauding the referee after he yellow carded Ederson for “time wasting”

Thank you. I wondered if it was something along those lines.

 

[Frank the Yank]

It's pretty hard to describe that game. We started like a house on fire and should have scored twice. Just a matter of time we thought. Then Fulham had a couple of breaks and we were wobbling. Around me we all said we know what's coming next and bang, there it was, 1-0 down. Fulham could have scored a couple more, Ederson was great today, really saved us. At last somebody took a shot and we were level.

Second half we got in front and hoped to quickly add a third, sadly it didn't happen. Every single time Fulham attacked they looked like scoring and time and time again we got caught on the break. Fulham then incredibly did a City on us. They were pulling us all over the place and we couldn't get the ball. I've not seen us so totally dominated like that in a long time. An equaliser looked inevitable. Thank God Doku scored that screamer and we all thought we could breath a sigh of relief the points were safe. How wrong we were! Fulham kept going and scored another due to some poor defending. It was such a relief to hear the final whistle.

Credit to Fulham they deserved at least a point. Worryingly for us we looked shattered at times, very leggy. We are also getting caught time after time on the break and look as vulnerable as we did in Peps first season in defence. I hope a lot of our players pull out of the hated internationals, they need a rest.

Pep has a couple of weeks to think about how to try and tighten things up. Obviously Rodri is going to be a huge miss but we are going to have to come up with a solution. If Arsenal or Liverpool don't win the title this season they never will.

Cannot disagree with any of this really I was really impressed with Fulhams attitude the same way I was impressed with Brentfords.

It’s early in the season but maybe we just aren’t as good as we think we are. Not yet anyway as it’s still early. It irks me when some of our supporters think all the team has to do is throw their shirts on the pitch and we win.

I think Bernie would be better used more centrally especially given my opinion that we might have a gundogan problem. His form hasn’t been good. Maybe it’s age maybe it’s just a dip in form. I don’t know. Thought he was below par again todsy and didn’t have much of an influence at all. With Bernie out wide he is. It much of a threat to skin his man and jet past him to the byline. He provides other qualities that might be better suited in a more central area. Hence, I would think he would be the right replacement for Gundogan should he not find his form.

We miss Rodri something fierce. That’s not news. Hopefully KDB (and Ake) come back and hit the ground running. These lousy international breaks don’t help either.

 

[Gumzy97]

The amount of counter attacks in the last two league games is worrying.

It’s Rodri not being there. He’s so important to stopping counters. He’s the only midfielder we have that can cut out passing lanes. Also miss his physicality.

 

[Still Ash of Ashton]

Cannot disagree with any of this really I was really impressed with Fulhams attitude the same way I was impressed with Brentfords.

It’s early in the season but maybe we just aren’t as good as we think we are. Not yet anyway as it’s still early. It irks me when some of our supporters think all the team has to do is throw their shirts on the pitch and we win.

I think Bernie would be better used more centrally especially given my opinion that we might have a gundogan problem. His form hasn’t been good. Maybe it’s age maybe it’s just a dip in form. I don’t know. Thought he was below par again todsy and didn’t have much of an influence at all. With Bernie out wide he is. It much of a threat to skin his man and jet past him to the byline. He provides other qualities that might be better suited in a more central area. Hence, I would think he would be the right replacement for Gundogan should he not find his form.

We miss Rodri something fierce. That’s not news. Hopefully KDB (and Ake) come back and hit the ground running. These lousy international breaks don’t help either.

Think you nailed it with the "we are not as good as we think we are". Without Rodders and KDB, nothing like.

 

[Frank the Yank]

Think you nailed it with the "we are not as good as we think we are". Without Rodders and KDB, nothing like.

I mainly said that in terms of what the supporters think. I don’t think the players or coaching staff care at all.

I am definitely ok with that statement by the way. I think we are off it just a tad. Without Rodri can we find a way to hit another level? Not sure but I am just going to enjoy the ride.

 

[East Level 2]

Liverpool have only played one of the top 10 , we’ve played 5 of them so a fair point!

What's this about "top 10". Surely you know top 14 is the important stat these days.

 

[HelloCity]

It’s early in the season but maybe we just aren’t as good as we think we are. Not yet anyway as it’s still early. It irks me when some of our supporters think all the team has to do is throw their shirts on the pitch and we win.

Probably worth mentioning that we started the last two seasons really slowly and the performances at times were worse than anything seen so far this season - we won the treble and 4 in a row by the time those seasons had concluded.

The fact that this team is even up there and will compete for the league title, even if they don’t win it, and after winning the treble and 4 in a row, is quite frankly absolutely remarkable and the mark of the greatest English team of all time.

It’s true that the absences of Rodri and De Bruyne will mean we might not each the peaks we’ve seen in the last years but seeing the team flying high and fighting on is more than enough for me after everything these lads have delivered.

 

[come-on-barney]

I only remember Rico getting rinsed once by Traore all game

Yet walker was completely rinsed within 5 mins

thought Rico did well overall

Pep disagreed.