Finally the much awaited first game of the season has arrived. So what can we expect? The favourites coming to the Cottage expecting to romp through the Championship, steamrollering all in their path? I, for one, don't think so. So, let's look at Newcastle. Granted, they have kept many of their squad from last season, but so did Hull and they sneaked into the automatic promotion spot. It should be remembered that for most of last season, they were awful, with many critics saying that they had too many good players to go down. But, the plain fact is that they did go down. There was some improvement when Benitez came in, but they still went down. Whether Benitez knows enough about the Championship is open to debate, but nobody can deny his acumen as a coach. His main problem may be in how he adapts his style of football to the rough and tumble of this league.
Newcastle United-
Most pundits suggest that there may be some defensive problems with Newcastle, although the acquisition of Kieran Clarke may alleviate some of those frailties. Whether Clarke plays tonight, or not, we should remember that he was part of an awful Aston Villa side last season. Janmaat is probably their most experienced defender, and he likes to get forward, so it may be a case of keeping him busy defensively which should be the job of Ayite. Midfield is where the Geordies look strongest, with Anita and Shelvey expected to do much of the hard work. Shelvey has undoubted quality on his day, but Liverpool didn't fancy him, and he hardly set the world alight at Swansea. Ahead of these two are likely to be Perez, Ritchie and Aarons. Perez is a conundrum, as he can either be brilliant or totally anonymous, but he could be the game changer tonight. Ritchie signed from Bournemouth, could also be a game changer, but I always worry about players who overachieved under one manager, as he did with Bournemouth. My point here is, that Howe built a team at Bournemouth and did so excellently, but are some of those players as good when taken out of that team? Time will tell, if Ritchie has the quality to transfer his quality to a new system. Up front will be Gayle, who has undoubted talent. My worry, if I was Toon fan, would be the amount of playing time he got last season under Pardew at Palace. Talent doesn't disappear, but it may take him some time to get up and running. Although the Geordie fans will expect their team to go flying forward, i would expect a more cautious approach from Benitez, as can be seen from his time at Liverpool.
Fulham-
If Button is recovered we should expect him to start in goal, especially with Betts injured. The defence will likely be Odoi, Madl, Kalas, and Sessignon, but Jokanovic may just go with Stearman above Sessegnon, purely for experience. This defence looks much better, and more positionally aware than last season, so I would not expect too much Keystone Kops' defending. Midfield is where the battle needs to be won, so we can probably expect Parker and McDonald to sit, with McDonald's passing ability running the midfield. Cairney, Ayite and Aluko will be expected to join the attack where possible with Aluko becoming an occasional striker. Whether Jokanovic goes with Smith or Woodrow, could be decisive. I would go with Smith to bully the defence allowing Aluko, Cairney and Ayite to pick up the scraps. Although, there is talk that Slavia may go with both Cauley and Smith, I think he will prefer to win the midfield with 5 men in it. Fulham need to start of the front foot and hustle the Magpies, disrupting any game plan Benitez has put in place.
Prediciton-
I think we are likely to see a tactical first half, almost like a game of chess, as Benitez is not known for throwing caution to the wind. This is where Fulham need to keep their shape, win the midfield, and push on when opportunities arrive. Kalas and Madl will need to keep a close eye on Gayle, as if we push to far forward, Newcastle are likely to look to use Gayle's pace. If it is 0-0 at half time, I would expect much of the same in the first 15 minutes of the second half. Much will depend on whether Benitez is going to be happy coming away with a draw or whether he goes for it in the last half hour. Slavisa knows what he expects and may just be a little more adventurous, and I wouldn't be surprised to see him go two up front in the second half. If Fulham get an early goal we are likely to see an open game, but if Newcastle score early on, we can expect them to try and hit us on the counter attack. Playing Newcastle early on is a godsend for Fulham and we may just surprise the bookies, and the pundits. Probably 1-1 is the best bet, but 2-1 to the Whites is also likely, in my opinion.
Whatever happens the Whites' fans need to get behind the team, as this is only one of 46 games. COYWs. IN SLAVISA WE TRUST.
© Nic Smith
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