Yesterday saw the White's notch up their first post-Christmas win, in what is a tough period of games. A first away win at Ipswich for 53 years was an excellent way to begin this run of games, and in a manner where the home side had no shots on target, other than an own goal attempt by Tim Ream. We shouldn't underestimate the gaffer's role in this victory, even though Ipswich are hardly setting the division on fire. But we should applaud Slavisa's tactical changes.
So where did Slavisa change things? Two teams playing 4-5-1 could have meant a first half of cancelling each other out, but the fluidity of the Fulham players meant that we totally dominated possession in the first half, apart from a short spell at the end of the half. With Odoi and Malone pushing forward it meant that the two Ipswich wide men were being dragged back. At half time McCarthy made two changes, going with two up front, which meant that Odoi and Malone had to be more defensive. Within 10 minutes Slav subbed Aluko for Sigurdsson which could be seen as protecting the lead. But, in reality it was clever tactics from the Boss. It allowed us to switch to 3 at the back to combat their two strikers, which in turn allowed Odoi and Malone to play as wing backs, again dragging the two Ipswich wide men back. The tactic worked immediately and once again the Whites were in control of the game.
There also seems to be another tactical change, whereby Cairney is dropping a little deeper to pick up the ball. This is down to the eternal stamina of Johansen who has blossomed into one of the best box-to-box midfielders in the Championship. With Cairney dropping deeper, at times, it not only allows Johansen to roam more freely, it means that Cairney is harder to pick up. This in turn drags the opposition's defensive midfielder out leaving gaps between the lines for Ayite, Aluko, and our two wing backs, to exploit.
With no disrespect to Kit Symonds, we would not have seen so many little details being employed to combat changes made by the opposition. Slavisa has always said that we are a work in progress, but now the new players are bedding in, and blending, all those hours spent at Motspur Park, are starting to reap dividends. I am certain that Slavisa believes there is more work to do, but we can already see the vast improvement in the team. As the gaffer said after the game "But in the end we scored this goal to close the game out. We changed the system when we started to have some kind of problem, and it’s a great day for us." .This result is as much down to the tactical changes made by Slavisa as by the excellence, and intelligence shown by the lads on the pitch. Khan and co. need to tie up Slavisa to a long term contract soon , as I truly believe he is the best coach at the Cottage since Tigana.
IN SLAVISA WE TRUST
COYWs
© Nic Smith
After the weird and wonderful at Wolves, the Whites should get back to winning ways at home to struggling Rotherham tonight. The game on Staurday was more than a rollercoaster, with Fulham 3-1 up at half time, before going behind and then Floyd Ayite nicking the late equalizer. Whether we were too complacent, or maybe too cocky, Lambert must have fired Wolves up for the second half. Maybe there was a hangover from the 5-0 thrashing of Reading, and we thought that at 3-1 we could go on and score more. We remember that the lads and Slav had been saying, after Brighton, that we need to push on when we lead by the odd goal, and that the second goal is all important. It is possible that, at 3-1, the lads wanted more. This comes down to game management, and we are still a work in progress, and that game management will come in time. The bottom line is that we stilled scored four, and with a poor history at Molineux, a point isn't that bad.
Rotherham are a different kettle of fish, and we have every right to expect the Whites to get 3 points, but it will not be as easy as the table would suggest.
Rotherham United- What a disastrous season they have had so far. The 1-0 win over QPR was a massive boost for them, but they were hanging on near the end, against a Rangers side in their own doldrums at the moment. Whether Warne can inspire Rotherham to put a decent run together, remains to be seen. Saturday's win may have restored a little confidence, but players look at tables, and it is hard to imagine that their dressing room is brimming with confidence. Looking through their squad there are no household names, apart from Peter Odemwingie, but he has only started 4 games and, at 35, he is near the end of his career. Ward has 8 goals which is impressive enough given where the team are in the table. An away record of W0 D1 L9 F9 A30, hardly bodes well for a team who have to travel down to London midweek. With the Whites in fine scoring form, we can expect Rotherham to "park the bus", and hope for a break away or set piece goal. Having said that, they will work hard and be physical.
FFC- With Derby coming to the Cottage on Saturday, and after the craziness of last Saturday, we may see a couple of changes. No reason to change Button, despite some negative comments on social media. Fredericks and Kalas should continue, but Sigurdsson may replace Ream, and don;t be surprised to see Sessegnon given some game time, in order to rest Malone for Saturday. McDonald and Johansen will give the cover, and Cairney and Aluko will be partnered by Ayite. If Floyd hadn't scored 2 on Saturday, Piazon may have come in with the Derby game in the back of Slav's mind. allowing Ayite a rest and Piazon some game time. Chris Martin cannot play against Derby, so expect him to be fired up for this game, where he will be hoping to bag at least a brace. He has nothing to lose, knowing that he will have a good rest after tonight.
Match prediction- Rotherham will defend, and given that we dominate every game possession wise, expect the ball to be at a Fulham player's feet for most of the game. In fact, we may dominate more than we did against Reading. The problem will be breaking them down, as they will sit deep, probably making us play out wide. Patience is the name of the game for FFC tonight, and we the fans have to show the same patience. An early goal and it could be a rout, but defending any set pieces Rotherham may get is of paramount importance.
Score prediction- 4-0
Key Player- Chris Martin, to be fired up and give us all some early Christmas presents, with a couple of goals at least.
We must get behind the team from start to finish.
IN SLAVISA WE TRUST
COYWs
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© Nic Smith
Yet another difficult game awaits us, as we recover from the Brighton defeat, and face, somewhat surprise team, Reading. Despite some of the negative comments on social media, there should be only positives to take from the performance against Brighton. Last season, we were thrashed at the Legoland (Amex) stadium, so losing by the odd goal against one of the promotion favourites is not a disaster. In the first half we could have been out of sight, but FFC old boy Stockdale made some amazing saves. And, let's not forget that Brighton have one of the meanest defences in the division. Our fans were excellent, and backed the team to the end. That is what we, the fans, must do this Saturday, cheer the team on and give it our all. Slav and the lads have been great in recognizing our support and we owe it to them to get behind them 150% to spur us on to victory against a good Reading side.
Reading- The Royals are on a 5 game winning, league, run and have only conceded once in that sequence. All runs have to end somewhere, so what better if that run ends tomorrow. Stam has assembled a good footballing side, and if he sticks to his Dutch philosophy we can expect Reading to try and control possession, and it is hard to see them "parking the bus". Al Habsi is an experienced keeper, and although an agile shot stopper, he can be prone to mistakes. At the back, Gunter and McShane will provide solid defence. In midfield there are no real household names, but Obita is fast and tricky and Swift has chipped in with three goals. There is plenty of fire power up front with Kermorgant and top scorer McCleary, so Kalas and Sigurdsson will have to be on the top of their game. Reading are likely to start with Stam's preferred formation of 4-3-3, but in reality that will alter to a 4-3-2-1, or 4-5-1. It will be up to the Whites to dominate possession and force Reading deeper where they may be uncomfortable.
Fulham- Only Odoi is out through suspension so expect an unchanged team. Button will undoubtedly start as should Kalas, Sigurdsson, Fredericks and Malone. The only possible defensive change could be Sessegnon, but that is unlikely against high flying opposition, as Malone has much more experience. McDonald and Johansen should continue as the defensive shield, but I would expect, available again,Parker may get a run later on, if fresh legs are needed in that role. Aluko and Cairney are definite starters, and the only unpredictable is who starts out of Piazon and Ayite. Martin will play the lone striker role, and hopefully he will get back to his scoring ways. Slavisa will stick to his philosophy of controlling possession, and will be urging the midfield to shoot from the edge of the box.
Match prediction- Expect much possession from both sides, with the first goal being crucial.
Score- (Based on my dream last night). FFC to be 2-0 up after 25 minutes. After that I woke up, so in reality, I am going for 2-1 to the Whites.
Key man- Aluko to score and run at the Reading back four.
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IN SLAVISA WE TRUST
COYWs
©Nic Smith
