#19 Fulham: All Eyes on Mitrovic
After thrashing Huddersfield Town 5-1 on matchday two of last season, Fulham rose to the top of the Championship. They dropped as low as fifth after defeat by Coventry City at the start of October, but from the middle of that month until the end of the campaign, Marco Silva’s side did not fall out of the top two. By the end of the season they were two points clear of Bournemouth in second place having scored the most goals and posted the best goal difference in the division. In other words: deserved champions.
But Fulham have been here before. In 2017/18 they won promotion to the Premier League through the play-offs, amassing only two fewer points than they did last term. The following season brought relegation, with the Cottagers unable to compete at the top table.
See our predictions for all the teams in the 22/23 Premier League season here.
Promotion in 2019/20 was again followed by demotion the next campaign, as a team managed by Scott Parker finished 11 points adrift of safety. They were not the worst Premier League team, but only because of West Bromwich Albion and Sheffield United’s incompetence.
It is therefore fair to say that no one at Craven Cottage will be getting carried away after last season’s performance. Silva is still not entirely happy with the squad at his disposal, with the Portuguese manager believing further recruits are required to give Fulham the best possible chance of staying in the top flight for more than a single campaign.
They might have won the Championship last season, but that is no guarantee of success in the Premier League. The Cottagers know that better than most.
Predicted XI (3-4-3)
Marek Rodak; Kenny Tete, Tosin Adarabioyo, Tim Ream, Antonee Robinson; Harrison Reed, Joao Palhinha; Harry Wilson, Andreas Pereira, Neeskens Kebano; Aleksandar Mitrovic.
The coach
Marco Silva’s first job in England saw him relegated with Hull City, but he emerged from that episode with credit. The Portuguese had inherited a very sticky situation, with Hull second-bottom in the standings after a run of one win in 18 matches. Silva got them playing some good football and closed the gap to 17th, but his side were demoted on the penultimate weekend after a 4-0 defeat by Crystal Palace.
Silva quickly jumped ship to Watford, where he got off to a flying start before having his head turned by Everton. He departed in January of his first season and took charge at Goodison Park that summer, but Toffees fans lost patience in his second campaign at the helm and he was sacked in December 2019.
Silva had to drop down to the Championship for his next job, but he did brilliantly in guiding Fulham to the title last time out. His side played attractive, attacking football throughout, and the fact they amassed 90 points and scored 106 goals speaks to their dominance. Now Silva must show he is capable of building on an encouraging start, something he was unable to do at Everton.
Player to watch
All eyes will be on Aleksandar Mitrovic after his phenomenal season last time out. The Serbia international set a new second-division record by scoring 43 goals in a 46-game campaign, although he only featured in 44 of those matches. Everything Mitrovic touched turned to gold last term. There have been few better individual showings over the course of a Championship season than his in 2021/22.
Can he carry that form into the Premier League? That is the million dollar question. In many ways Mitrovic embodies Fulham’s general experience in recent years: too good for the Championship, not quite good enough for the Premier League.
In his last top-flight season, Mitrovic scored just three times. He fared better on his previous stint at the top table, finding the back of the net 11 times in 2018/19, but the jury is still out on the 27-year-old at the highest level. It will be fascinating to see how he gets on this time around.
Transfers
In
Joao Palhinha (Sporting CP), Andreas Pereira (Manchester United), Kevin Mbabu (Wolfsburg)
Out
Jean Seri (Released), Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa (Napoli), Fabio Carvalho (Liverpool), Alfie Mawson (Released), Cyrus Christie (Released),
Our Premier League score card
Goalkeeper: 5/10
Marek Rodak began last season as Fulham’s No.2 behind Paulo Gazzaniga, but he ended it as Silva’s go-to choice between the sticks. He remains in position of the No.1 jersey as the new campaign approaches, but the strong links with Arsenal goalkeeper Bernd Leno suggest Silva is not entirely convinced by Rodak as a top-flight custodian.
He would be right to have doubts. The Slovakian’s form dipped in the second half of last season. He is not a very dominant presence inside the penalty area, which could be an issue given that Fulham will be obliged to do a lot more penalty-box defending this year. Perhaps Rodak will raise his game in the Premier League, but it seems unlikely.
Defence: 6/10
Fulham had the Championship’s third-best defensive record last season, with Bournemouth and Nottingham Forest (both of whom also won promotion) the only teams to concede fewer goals. At times it seemed like Fulham’s philosophy was simply to outscore the opposition – they registered back-to-back 6-2 wins in January – but their backline did a pretty good job for most of the campaign. Keeping Premier League frontlines quiet will be an altogether tougher task, though.
The right-back Kenny Tete does not offer a great deal going forward, but his defence-first mindset might be well suited to this division. Antonee Robinson will provide more of a threat down the left flank, although Fulham will have to be mindful of the American being caught out of position.
Tim Ream was one of the team’s best performers last season, but can he cut it in the Premier League? His centre-back partner, Tosin Adarbioyo, has a better chance of thriving at this level.
Midfield: 6/10
Jean Seri got his Fulham career off to a poor start, and many expected him to leave after that dire debut season in 2018/19. The Ivorian once came close to joining Barcelona, so he seemed an unlikely figure to help lead a Championship promotion push. But that is exactly what he did last season, and his departure will be keenly felt at Craven Cottage.
The signing of Joao Palhinha should help Fulham get over the loss of Seri, though. The former Sporting CP man is a fine passer and a tough tackler, so adapting to the physicality of the Premier League ought not to be an issue. Yet Fulham have experience of exciting midfield additions not living up to expectations, so supporters will be cautiously rather than openly optimistic. Harrison Reed is not a flashy operator but his tenacity and energy means he could be an important figure.
Attack: 7/10
Although Aleksandar Mitrovic struggled in his last Premier League season, we are willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. He was far from the only Fulham player who failed to do the business two years ago, and he will have learnt from that experience. He will also arrive in the top flight full of confidence after his magnificent exploits last season.
Harry Wilson will be all the better for his own experience in the Championship; the Welshman reached double figures for both goals and assists, and has the talent to thrive in the Premier League. Andreas Pereira could prove to be a smart addition, but it remains to be seen whether Neeskens Kebano is cut out for the highest level.
Bench: 5/10
With the departures of Fabio Carvalho, Alfie Mawson and Jeri Seri, Fulham’s squad already looked thin. There is still a month of the transfer window remaining and Silva will want to see more new faces through the door before the market closes for business.
Joe Bryan provides cover at left-back and Kevin Mbabu does the same at right-back, but there is little depth in the heart of the backline. In midfield, Tom Cairney and Nathaniel Chalobah have flattered to deceive in previous spells in the Premier League despite impressive periods in the second tier.
If Mitrovic gets injured, it is hard to see where the goals will come from. The Serbian and Fabio Carvalho, who has joined Liverpool, contributed more than 50 per cent of Fulham’s strikes last season. Adding a competent back-up to Mitrovic will be one of Silva’s top priorities in the next few weeks.
Final score: 29/50
The gap between the Championship and the Premier League seems to have grown wider in recent years, so Fulham’s dominance last season will count for little this time around. If Aleksandar Mitrovic can thrive, the Cottagers have a chance of staying up – but they are likely to be among the relegation battlers.
