Fulham are curently ninth in the Premier League, sitting just two points behind seventh-placed Brentford.
Marco Silva’s side have sensed their chances of qualifying for Europe this season. They looked to add extra firepower to their attack, spending big on Oscar Bobb in the winter transfer window.
Now, the Cottagers have lost two of their past three Premier League games. But prior to that Fulham were unbeaten in five. They dragged themselves up the table and are in a strong position to push on in the second half of the campaign.
In this article, we’ll cover:
Fulham’s season so far
Silva looks to have his side play on the front foot. The Cottagers average 51.64% possession in the Premier League this season, sitting ninth in this metric.
They also average 478.42 passes per game, the fifth-highest in the division. Only Manchester City, Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal average more.
Fulham have scored 34 goals this season from 27.64 Expected Goals, an overperformance of 6.36. Only Tottenham Hotspur (+9.93) have overperformed against their xG more in the Premier League this season.
A huge part of Fulham’s attacking prowess this season has come from the combination of Raul Jimenez and Harry Wilson, contributing to 21 goals between them so far.
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Marco Silva’s diagonal affordances
Diagonal entry passes are a large part of Silva’s attacking tactics, looking to provoke the opposition’s defensive scheme.
Fulham’s centre-backs split fairly wide on the ball, with the full-backs ready to provide overlapping runs from deep. The wide players are ready to move inside and offer passing angles for progression.
These moments allow and encourage the attack-minded players to receive with their body orientation facing forwards, combine with teammates in close proximity and find solutions.
Jimenez is a huge factor in this. He can become the receiver between the lines, allowing the narrow wide players to run in behind and create tension for the defensive unit. He offers options both beneath and beyond the ball.
Fulham’s new spark
As mentioned, Fulham added Bobb to their attacking unit in January. The 22-year-old Norwegian is a right-foote winger who predominantly plays on the right.
While slight in grame, Bobb exudes confidence and technical ability on the ball and looks to find solutions via combination play.
This is where Silva’s principles could really play into Bobb’s development. By looking to encourage diagonal progression and allow Fulham’s technicians to play in close proximity to eachother.
Bobb is a young and exciting player to add to this already electric Fulham attack, consisting of Kevin, Wilson and Jimenez.
Exciting attacking line
A wing pairing of Kevin and Bobb gives Fulham brilliant 1v1 threat on both flanks. It should make it difficult for the opposition to decide how to cover them.
With such an electric wing pairing, Wilson could be utilised in the attacking midfield position behind Jimenez which he has done multiple times already this season.
Their connection is a driving force in this Fulham side. The diagonal access is a key principle for bringing the pair to life, which can be even further tapped into with this attacking midfield and striker dynamic with 1v1 wingers on the outside.
This is without even mentioning other players such as Alex Iwobi who has been playing deeper alongside Sander Berge in midfield, Emile Smith Rowe and Samuel Chukwueze, who all add extra creativity to Silva’s side.