What should Fulham’s deep-lying midfield duo be?

Throughout the opening nine games of the season, Fulham have predominately looked wide for chance creation, with the marauding runs of Antonee Robinson and Adama Traore helping Fulham put up 2.78 crosses into the box per 90, the most in the top flight. While Fulham’s wealth of wide talent gives the Whites numerous different offensive options out wide, the question of which midfield pairing can give Silva’s side the perfect blend of ingenuity and industry still remains.

Inoffensive Andreas

Andreas Pereira’s struggles have been well documented through the opening quarter of 2024/25. He’s been pushed into a deeper role, in an effort to utilise the Brazilian’s work ethic in a deeper lying role. Pereira has come under fire for numerous lacklustre performances in the eight. It’s not a hugely attacking role and the 28-year-old hasn’t been able to ignite a creative spark from the middle of the park, often relying on his eye for a set piece to produce deceivingly high creation statistics.

Despite playing three times the amount of minutes, Pereira has only put up two more tackles and interceptions than Tom Cairney and is being outperformed defensively by Raul Jimenez and Emile Smith Rowe almost three times over. While partnerning this with ranking ninth in Silva’s squad for passes into the final third, excluding set pieces of course, I struggle to see what Pereira offers this Fulham side.

Vital Lukic

Sasa Lukic struggled in his opening 18 months by the river; however, after Joao Palhinha’s departure to Bavaria, he’s thrived in his newfound role screening the back four – well, before injury curtailed him. The Serbian international has been sat at the base of the midfield, adding a much needed element of tidiness to the middle of the park, as Fulham rank as the least disposessed side in the top flight, losing out in possession just 64 times.

The former Torino man has certainly stepped up in Joao Palhinha’s absence, with the third highest amount of tackles and interceptions across this Fulham side, perfectly counteracting Palhinha’s defensive output with added possessional quality to allow Fulham additional control of the ball in all three thirds of the pitch.

Since his recent injury on international duty, Fulham have looked nowhere near as adept in possession. Without the Whites’ midfield metronome, the ball is being shifted at a far slower pace, noticeable stunting Fulham’s fluidity in build-up play. With this obvious Lukic-free midfield drop-off, this further strengthens the 28-year-old’s claim for Fulham’s player of the season across the first 10 games, becoming the first name on the team sheet in this new-look Fulham midfield.

Promising Berge

After being brought in for £20m, the expectations around Sander Berge’s arrival at the Cottage were high. Despite not exactly setting the world alight away at Deepdale or at home to Aston Villa, Berge put in his best performance in black and white away at Goodison Park on Saturday night. Playing as the disruptor, the 26-year-old put his six-foot-five frame to use, with five recoveries and a big chance created in a physical battle against a typically physical Dyche side.

The Norway star puttng in his best 90 minutes of the season as a defensibly astute six shouldn’t come as a surprise, as he has the ideal physical profile to screen the defensive line. His long legs allow him to stride touchline to touchline at ease and become a physical sitting six when resting on a lead. The Genk Academy prodigy is yet to show perhaps his most impressive asset yet, his ball-carrying and passing ability.

Berge’s aforementioned height allows him to shrug off defenders as he progresses through the lines, an unstoppable force against perhaps more technically skilled, diminutive midfielders. The skill set the Scandanavian possesses is unique, not only in this Fulham squad but in the wider Premier League itself, being a key reason why the former Sheffield United man was touted by the likes of Manchester United and Newcastle in this recent summer window. In spite of a rocky opening first few games in SW6, Sander would be my candidate to be a breakout star in the remainder of this Premier League season.

Outdated Reed

Dubbed the Ginger Iniesta by the Fulham faithful in the midst of a season that proved Reed could play at the highest level, the ex-Southampton man’s evolution into a box-to-box number eight stunned most.

Despite proving his worth as a useful squad asset in numerous impressive substitute appearances this season, the engine room in 2022/23’s top-half finish has been phased out by Marco Silva, with the former Estoril boss pursuing midfielders with an adeptness to keep or advance possession in tight pressure situations ahead of Reed.

Tom Cairney and Harrison find themselves in a similar scenario; both players have been assured squad members when called upon across the last three seasons, but sentimentality aside, utilising the flourishing Motspur Park academy to allow young players, like the lauded Josh King, to progress will ultimately be what sees the club move forward on and off the field.

The ideal blend

With Fulham’s wide players being involved in seven out of 12 of Fulham’s Premier League goals, the introduction of a Lukic/Berge pivot will completely transform the way Fulham attack, with central players given the license to attack with freedom without having to compensate for a lightweight midfield partnership behind them, whilst also being presented with additional creative support from midfield.

A Lukic-Berge duo would give Fulham the perfect amalgamation of ball retention, advance, and ball-winning dexterity. The duo’s comparable ability to screen the defenders behind them will allow Fulham a foothold in physical battles lower down the table and will simultaneously allow Fulham to dominate the diminutive top six sides, providing Marco Silva and his coaching staff with some such needed tactical flexibility.

Supplying each other with the stability for both central midfielders to interchange between both of their box-to-box and a defensive sitting role, or when protecting a lead, allowing both to sit deep, to provide enhanced protection to Calvin Bassey and Joachim Andersen.

With Lukic’s ability to dictate the tempo of the midfield in a deep lying playmaker role being exhibited across the opening portion of the season, Berge’s explosiveness to progressively carry his side up the pitch will make Fulham an increasingly dangerous proposition in the transition, with the 26-year-old’s ravaging forward runs often ending with the giant arriving late in the box to finish moves he started, or conversely, making use of his fountain of stamina to be a factor in pressing opposing defences, or tracking back at galloping speed to defend our own 18-yard box.

A Lukic and Berge midfield pairing will go a long way in providing Fulham with some much-needed creativity and physical presence from the middle of the park. I can’t wait for it to happen.