Close to relegation for much of this season, I examine the evidence and find some positive signs for the West London team.
By the end of gameweek 4, on the 4th October Fulham had collected 0 points from the first four games, sitting rooted to the bottom of the table. They seemed to be the pundits’ choice to head straight back down to the Championship. Defensive reinforcements were clearly needed, with the Cottagers conceding 11 goals in their first 4 games. So in came Joachim Andersen and Tosin Adarabioyo, both highly rated centre-backs. Alphonse Areola was also added as a goalkeeper, formerly playing for PSG and Real Madrid. This looked to be a potential turning point in their season. Whilst there was a loss to Crystal Palace and a frustrating draw to Sheffield United, Scott Parker’s outfit were next victorious against West Brom, winning 2-0. However, despite beating Leicester 2-1 away from home, Fulham never really built on this platform. By Boxing Day, they were back in the relegation zone and the gap seemed to widen over the next month.
Parker’s team have shown some bright sparks of development. The defence has made major improvements. Fulham have kept 6 clean sheets since early December. However the attack has been weak. Ademola Lookman and Bobby Decordova-Reid have been the only goal scorers and their input hasn’t been able to turn draws into wins. The addition of Josh Maja in January seemed to be an instant hit. On his debut, he netted twice to win 2-0 against Everton, a vital win. As of today, (28 February) Fulham sit 3 points off safety. Their next fixtures look increasingly difficult with Liverpool, Tottenham and Manchester City all to play in the next two weeks. However, there is growing belief that Scott Parker can keep this side up with their possession-based football. Fulham fan Mathieu Dubreuil expressed his thoughts on their chances of survival: ‘We’ve found our stride under Parker and I have belief that we can stay up with our strong defence’. My own prediction is that if Josh Maja can score more goals, the West London outfit have a chance of scoring more points than relegation rivals Brighton and Newcaslte, and ultimately staying in the lucrative Premier League against the odds.
