Battling the big boys

Cast your mind back, if you will, to Fulham’s first game in this new Premier League era under Marco Silva. It was 6 August 2022, a 12:30 kick-off in the baking sun. The league’s new boys were facing a titan of English football, and we came away with a surprising (and probably slightly undeserved) draw. It didn’t get better for us that season against the big six: we lost nine of our 12 meetings with them, and the only game we managed to win was Chelsea at home. Lest we forget – and I choose not to – we finished above Chelsea that season.

Of course, there were highs that season as well, as we demonstrated an impressive level of consistency against teams near the bottom of the league. It was as if there was a ceiling on our performances: we were confined to mid-table because we couldn’t beat any of the big guns.

Last season, the tide began to change, as we dropped five points to Burnley and were unable to do the double over a near-record-breakingly bad Sheffield United, but secured wins against Manchester United and Arsenal. Now we find ourselves in the midst of a horrid run of four fixtures – Tottenham away, Brighton and Arsenal at the Cottage, then a trip to Anfield. Coming off the back of a frankly embarrassing 1-4 defeat to Wolves, I was concerned that we wouldn’t be good enough to pick up a single point in these fixtures – and yet, we find ourselves unbeaten in December. 

It’s difficult to know what to credit for these successes. Luck is surely a part of it – we played Tottenham on a day where they were not at the races, and we were a slight (and correct!) offside decision away from losing to Arsenal. But you’re not picking up five points in a week through luck alone, and the credit here has to go to Marco Silva and this group of players.

For a while, we’ve wondered how to solve a problem like Fulham’s midfield, and it seems – in these tough games – we’ve found an answer for its base (though I’m not sure the number 10 position is totally locked in, yet…). And this is even more impressive after losing our tackling talisman, Joao Palhinha, in the summer. Sasa Lukic and Sander Berge have proved a formidable duo against both the North London clubs, providing stability and tenacity. It’s hard to believe that Berge only joined us in August when you consider the way he’s grown into this role: against Arsenal on Sunday, no player won possession more times, won more duels, or tackled more (per Squawka).

Against Brighton, Silva demonstrated his nous once more: with Sasa Lukic suspended, he relied on Alex Iwobi’s adaptability, playing him a deeper role alongside Berge out of possession. And, of course, Iwobi was given license to gallop forwards and score a brace. Last year, we had some impressive results against top teams, but when Palhinha left us for Bavaria, I was worried that we would be unable to hold our own once again. On the contrary, it’s starting to feel like the sky might be the limit – and, whisper it quietly, we travel to Anfield this weekend…