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Match review Monday: European dream officially over
45 Plays1 month ago
Gavin looks back on a disappointing evening for Fulham as they were beaten at home by Manchester United.
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Transcript
Introduction to Match Review Monday
00:00:01
Speaker
Every club. Every day. The Global Sports Podcast Network. work Hello and welcome to the Daily Fulham Podcast. Thank you very much for tuning in wherever it you may be, whatever time it may be, whether you're a first time listener or a long time listener, equally happy to have you here.
Fulham's Struggles Against Manchester United
00:00:22
Speaker
My name is Gavin Ruffell and today I'm bringing you your Match Review Monday where I am looking back at the game on the weekend where Fulham went down to defeat against Manchester United.
00:00:33
Speaker
yes a very familiar story isn't it when these two teams play doesn't seem to matter what for Manchester United are in where they are in a league table generally they come to Craven Cottage and they take three points it's certainly their home away from home for a lot of Manchester United fans it's closer to their actual home than all Trafford is but disappointing evening for Fulham and one that's probably set them back as far as European football goes for next season.
Managerial Showdown: Silva vs Amrim
00:01:02
Speaker
So let's get into it then and for the first time ever this pitted Marco Silva against Ruben Amrim, two men of Portugal, two men of Lisbon, two very good friends and enjoying very different seasons. Fulham coming into this one off the back of that win against Leicester so looking to make it back-to-back wins for the first time since early November. Manchester United in contrast having suffered that defeat against Brighton were able to bounce back in midweek in Europe against Rangers.
00:01:32
Speaker
Hence the later kickoff time which they requested. As far as the teams went, well for Fulham it was pretty easy for Marco Silva just to keep the same team that played against Leicester that kept that clean sheet. We saw some images from training with Riese Nilsson smiles on his face so it looks like he's not far away from fitness and not far away from a return.
00:01:51
Speaker
which would be welcome news to all Fulham fans but he wasn't quite fit enough to take a place in the matchday squad. for this one As for Manchester United, a few changes from midweek as you would expect, 5 in total as they look to win their first away game since the Manchester Derby and only their third away win in the
Uneventful First Half Analysis
00:02:07
Speaker
Premier League.
00:02:07
Speaker
All season on to the action then and it was a pretty drab first half if i'm being honest very uneventful Fullum were making the running if either of the two teams were making in any running However, I thought they were a bit sluggish considering they had the extra a few days recovery on manchester united Probably didn't make the most of that And were quite sloppy in their play I lost count of the amount of times that yokimanderson gave the ball away in the first 20 minutes We know how good he is with those long diagonals but there were a number of times where he just played the ball long going forward and aimlessly almost and 99 times out of 100, well not 99 times out of 100 but 99% of the time it just ended.
00:02:47
Speaker
ended up being intercepted by a player in a red shirt. The majority of Fulham's good play was coming down the left side. We know they'd like to attack from that side. They have left side dominance. Awobi did have a couple of chances. They were only real half chances driving through the middle but Anana wasn't really made to work.
00:03:06
Speaker
Emile Smith Rowe had another sort of half chance where he was crowded out by Maguire and the Lick or it might have been I think it might have even been the Lick and Martinez Manchester United on the other hand they lacked any creativity lack of imagination and they were quite happy to sit off and give fud on the ball and we saw Robinson get into good positions at times to get the crossing but his final ball was more of the robinson we've seen in recent seasons and not the robinson we've seen this season that has had nine assists so there was overall lack of quality no clear-cut chances for Fulham but any half chances that were created were were blundered Jimenez having a couple that went
00:03:48
Speaker
over the bar and there was just a lack of urgency from both sides Manchester United weren't causing a threat at all I think it took until the 42nd minute where they registered their first shot on goal and even that wasn't really a meaningful effort it was ah from a wide corner which the lip managed to get head on but come off a couple full embodies and he was easily collected by Leno so to tell the truth the halftime whistle couldn't have come quickly enough because it was a half devoid of any quality No purpose from both teams, happy to play in second gear and you were just willing them both on to raise the tempo to just to make it more of an exciting game at least for the neutral perspective.
Why Zencastr?
00:04:26
Speaker
But both managers would have been probably content the half time the fact that they went in nil-nil, they yeah hadn't conceded and I'm sure both managers would have been thinking the same if they could slightly raise the tempo then three points were there for the taking.
00:04:40
Speaker
I'll come on to the second half action in just a moment but before I do that, let me just tell you a little bit about our sponsors. Here at the Global Sports Podcast Network, we spent a lot of time selecting our delivery platform.
00:04:54
Speaker
Zencaster came out the clear winner. With 4K video recording from your phone and AI editing that automatically removes all those ums and r's, it's super easy to start a podcast that sounds great and is delivered
Second Half Substitutions and Struggles
00:05:06
Speaker
efficiently. If you're ready to tell your story, check out the link in the show description to learn more about Zencaster. On to the second half now, and the logical thinking was that both teams could only get better, both teams could just liven up a bit more, show a bit more urgency a bit more,
00:05:22
Speaker
intensity in order to get the free points on offer here no changes by even manager at halftime but it actually wasn't too long into the second half when fullulham were forced into a change harry wilson going down with an injury and having to hobble off bit of a worried air bit of concern for fullham but a dharmit trori came on to replace him But quite curiously, it will be switched over to Harry Wilson's side and Adama Troy came on to play on the left. I always feel like he's more effective coming from the right hand side, but for some reason Silver saw it differently, switched it will be over to Wilson's side and Adama played on that left. What he was trying to get out of that, I'm not quite sure. They did end up changing later on in the game, but maybe it was too late by that stage.
00:06:04
Speaker
I spoke about Manchester United's lack of creativity in the first half and the fact that they didn't really muster anything. In fact, their first genuine attempt at goal didn't come until 5 or 10 minutes after half time where Kostanya committed a foul on Mazzraoui. It was just outside the box, initially I thought the referee had pointed to the penalty spot but it was just outside so Fernandez was standing over a free kick.
00:06:24
Speaker
He tries a cute little attempt to go under the wall. Fulham didn't have that stopper, that what you call it draft excluder, I think that's the term for it. So he has a free kick, he tries to go under the wall but ends up hitting the side netting. Manchester United made a substitution of their own Joshua Xerxes, who was the match winner in the first game of the season when the two sides met.
00:06:44
Speaker
he replaced the ineffective Hoyland. Hoyland was dispossessed a number of times in the game, struggled to make any sort of impact, any sort of impression, so that change going to Xerxes was inevitable. And the game was continuing where it left off in the first half. Quite scrappy, very mediocre, low on quality, if any team looked like they could score it was full and but at the same time given the pass record between these two teams, pass meetings,
00:07:10
Speaker
it wouldn't surprise you if Manchester United were to pop up but with a late goal especially the longer the game went on. With Adama Troi right now on the pitch we saw a continuation of that battle with Lissandra Martinez which we saw in the first game of the season a bit of banter after that game on social media and there was almost a flashpoint moment in this game between the two as well was Adama Troi who cuts in from the left hand side Martinez obviously is playing more central He clashes with Martinez. Martinez makes a strange challenge towards Adama, where he jumps in two-footed, but doesn't make any contact with the player. If the ad made contact, then it would have been an interesting interesting one for VAR, but nothing came as a result. The first corner of the game didn't actually come until the 72nd minute, which just indicates how poor of a game there was and how uneventful it had been. There was a slight opening for Adama Troyori. He's played in by Emil Smith Rowe.
00:08:05
Speaker
he dummies Yoro who has come on at this stage but fires over the bar and Manchester United find the crucial goal not that long after.
Martinez's Goal and Fulham's Missed Chances
00:08:16
Speaker
For one of the first times in the game Manchester United were able to get in behind Fulham, Ghanacho more specifically but it looked like Fulham cleared the danger as Burgerhead intercepted the ball comes out to Lissandro Martinez he's from range so he decides why not we haven't had many shots on goal in this game let me have a go and in the flukiest manner possible it ends up in the back of the net he fires it from about 20 plus yards out
00:08:40
Speaker
Sassilukic is the nearest full and player to him. It looks like it's a tame effort to be quite honest. It looks like it's not it looks like it's not going to trouble the goalkeeper. but However, it takes a wicked massive deflection off Sassilukic. It lopes over Bernd Leno who manages to get a fingertip on it but not enough of a hand on it to prevent it. Going in from the back of the net and Manchester United have the lead at Craven Cottage. Once again, late on, although not late enough,
00:09:06
Speaker
so Fulham are unable to salvage something from the game. There is enough time where they can get back into it but obviously you doubt whether they can do that given what we've seen in the game beforehand. So massive goal for Manchester United, massive slice of luck that they seem to get in this fixture.
00:09:22
Speaker
After the goal, Awobi and Adama did switch sides. Very surprised it took this long for Marco Silva to do that. As I said, I do feel like Adama Troyer is less comfortable on the left side to why he was playing out there. I'm not really sure. And there were some final changes. Tom Caine and Andreas Pereira coming on.
00:09:41
Speaker
Rodrigo Muniz at this point had also replaced Raoul Hymnes, Tom Kearney, interestingly enough, sporting a new look, a new hairstyle for the first time in his career, first time I can remember anyway. And Fulham did almost get their equaliser, it comes from a corner, Manchester United have had their problems defending corners, Fulham have had their problems scoring from corners, but it comes from an Andreas Pereira corner,
00:10:02
Speaker
Joachim Anderson manages to get in at the front post, makes good contact with his header, but there's Collier who's able to clear it off their line, so that was Fulham's by far Fulham's best chance of the game. He looked to all intents and purposes that he was 1-1, but the Manchester United defender was able to clear it just in the nick of time. And on that stage you're thinking it's not going to be it's not going to be Fulham's night again at home to Manchester United.
00:10:26
Speaker
The ball stayed in play from the resulting corner but Rodriguez had an effort that was fired over the bar as he hit it into the ground. there was another chance for Rodrigo Moniz moments later this went a better chance as he's in the area, he's close to the six yard box as defenders around him but gets a decent strike on it unfortunately it goes over the bar. If this was rugby or Aussie rules football then Fulham would have been having success at least for a kicking standpoint because they had no problems firing the ball over the bar between the sticks unfortunately they were unable to keep it down between the sticks and
00:10:58
Speaker
This was kind of a familiar tale all throughout the game. Not many clear-cut chances, but the ones they did have, they were very wasteful. It looked like Manchester United had sealed the game very late on in the 95th minute. It looked like an Amadeus United so many times this season. Put the icing on the cake and secured a 2-0 victory, plays a 1-2 with Cobie Maynew and the ball goes into the back of the net via a deflection.
00:11:22
Speaker
but he is adjudicated offside via our pictures showing us that Castanha is the last man but Amadiello barely is barely offside however it doesn't have any impact on the game and Manchester United are able to ride out that 1-0 win to secure their third Premier League win away from home all season and their
Fulham's Competitive Edge: A Strategy Review
00:11:41
Speaker
first clean sheet since December the first for Fulham it's a setback it's one that probably has long lasting effects as far as European aspirations go and I will give my final thoughts on this game and where it leaves both sides after I tell you a little bit about GSPN. The Global Sports Podcast Network is changing the face of football podcasts with dedicated daily content for every Premier League team, women's football, fantasy football and a daily Premier League wrap-up broadcast
00:12:13
Speaker
in five different languages, it's your one stop shop for your daily football fix. Find GSPN wherever you find your usual podcasts. now this just seems like a cursed fixture for fullulham doesn't it it doesn't matter how bad manchester united are they always seem to come to cran cottage and get the free points fullham haven't been able to get a victory against manches night the home since 2009 and this is probably the worst Manchester United team we've seen since then and it's almost gotten to that stage now where losing to Manchester United is a bit of an embarrassment just because they lose so many games, they don't look great, they look like a bottom half club
00:12:52
Speaker
And that was no different here. Manchester United didn't win this game through brilliance and quality. They won it through a lucky goal and the fact that Fulham weren't able to do enough to win the game. I know Marco Silva in his interview afterwards, he said we deserved more and that we dominated.
00:13:10
Speaker
Did they though? I think stats show that this was the lowest combined XG in the game for the last two seasons, which just again emphasises how poor of a game it was, how both teams were just as bad as each other. Yes, Fulham probably looked livelier of the two teams. If there was a team that looked lively, not that that takes much effort. but you can't keep coming out after the games with the same narrative of we were unlucky, we were unfortunate, we deserved more. I've said it a number of times how full and probably feel they should be hiring a table just on the balance of playing some games and how they've let points slip but if you continue to keep saying it at the end of games then maybe you're not unlucky, maybe you're just lacking in certain departments wherever teams are just better than you and you've just got to face the facts that your tenth in the league, the league table doesn't lie does it,
00:13:58
Speaker
So it is kind of where you deserve to be and there's various reasons why Fulham aren't hiring the league. You can put it down to game management, you can put it down to switching off at games, you can put it down to not being clinical. There's a various number of factors why they haven't quite accumulated the points that they would have liked, the points that they feel they should have and it's not down to being an unlucky. There's enough games gone in the season now where you just have to face up to it and accept that the team just isn't quite good enough to make that next step. I think that the worry now is you're in a position in the league table where you're not going to go down but you're not involved in the European fight at least as far as the league's concerned the FA Cup they're still in and I feel that takes on more of a priority now given for them standing in the league table.
00:14:47
Speaker
you just don't want the season to peter out. There's still our internal targets you probably want to set. I feel like Fulham's record points tally in the Premier League is still achievable and it would still be a great achievement to reach that target. And you want to finish in the top half as well, especially after spending most of the season. They would be disappointed if they were to fall off now and finish in the bottom half. And of course, the fans, they'll want to finish ahead of Brentford, won't
Rashford's Role Under Amrim
00:15:11
Speaker
they? But yeah, there's disappointment coming from this fixture because Manchester United didn't have to be good to win today and as I said with Manchester United any wins they do get they're unconvincing and they're just a ah shadow of their former selves but they probably wish they could play Fulham every week. Fulham have failed to score in three games this season and and two of them have been against Manchester United and Manchester United as I said they haven't been used to keeping clean sheets lately that's the first since the start of December so it's just something
00:15:41
Speaker
When they play Manchester United, it must be a mental block they have when they play against them because they almost seem like, the players seem like they play against Manchester United and they're playing against the name, they're playing in against the size of the club rather than the players on the pitch. So yeah, it's kind of same old story, wasn't it? Fulham haven't changed. This fixture hasn't changed, has it? It always ends up in a Manchester United win whatever way. Generally it's with a naive minute goal.
00:16:07
Speaker
Fulham did have time to get back in the game weren't able to do so but Manchester United would be thanking their lucky stars They were able to come away with a 1-0 win and look it hasn't changed things dramatically from a Manchester United perspective They go up a couple of places in the league, but I think it's clear to see on that view and they're not a great side They look like a bottom-off side and they have one or two issues They need to sort out in the coming days as well Marcus Rashford, that situation is a bit ugly at the minute for the player. I think Amrim was asked about Rashford after the game and he said something along the lines that he put a goalkeeper coach on before he does players who didn't give maximum effort every day. so
00:16:45
Speaker
read between the lines there that it appears that Marcus Rashford doesn't have a future at Manchester United as long as Ruben Ammerim's the manager. So if I was the player there I'd be trying to get a move away as soon as possible. Difficult for the player of course because he's grown up in that setup, it's his boyhood club but he needs to move on for the better betterment of his career. But just going back to Fulham,
00:17:05
Speaker
I think not only do they have problems playing Manchester United, they have problems playing at home now. They haven't won a league game at home since Brighton in early December and they their recent tendency is to start games slow and it was a real missed opportunity with Manchester United playing in the in the week.
Season End Challenges and FA Cup Focus
00:17:23
Speaker
It was understandable that Manchester United were going to be a bit sluggish Certainly for the first half and Fulham weren't able to capitalize weren't able to take advantage of that and we're just slow and it just probably raises more problems now and it leads people to panic in a way about what's left of the transfer window and needing to bring players in Harry Wilson went off with looks like a twisted ankle so
00:17:47
Speaker
Hopefully, he's not out for too long, but Reece Nelson, his return, couldn't be more timely now, could it? But even then, he's been out for a little while, so you can't expect him necessary to hit the ground running and to be back to where he was before the injury. so Yeah it's disappointing now for Fulham because they have had a good season and now it's just starting to turn and it looks like a good season could end up with disappointment and yeah I just think there's only so many times you can say we were unlucky we were the better team it loses its meaning after a while doesn't it if you say after every game ultimately
00:18:22
Speaker
you know there's a reason why you you haven't won those games and it's just a lack of quality probably probably at both ends isn't it okay it's it's a flute goal isn't it there's nothing you can really do about it no one's at fault and i felt full and defensively were pretty pretty assured they didn't have to do a lot i mean i said jochen anderson was a bit sloppy in the first half i thought calvin barcy was really good i think he bailed anderson out trouble on one occasion and first half and he was generally very solid um So it wasn't the most difficult game for the defense where it needs to be done now And you just don't want the season to peter out feel like the FA Cup does take on my more of a priority now And they've got a decent drawing Wigan, but they can't take that game lightly I think almost now they should be kind of saving saving their best players for the FA Cup and certainly not making 10-11 changes and taking that for granted, but Yeah, the home struggles continue
00:19:12
Speaker
The struggles against Manchester United continue and I think we can say officially now their European aspirations are over but there's 15 games left to go and for the integrity of the league they still have to put in performances. They'll no doubt have internal targets at their own to finish in the top half and to maybe break that record points tally that was set at several seasons ago so yeah ultimately disappointment but there's another game around the corner and you gotta lift yourself back up for that. I mean if you were in neutral watching that game and you made it through the 90 minutes you must have a patience of the saint because it was really bog standard game of football wasn't it?
Conclusion and Newcastle Preview
00:19:52
Speaker
But there we are folks, yeah disappointment for Fulham but
00:19:56
Speaker
Saturday's another game, another tough looking game on paper against an in-form Newcastle side. But you never know, Fulham seem to have done better against the teams higher up in the league. Never disappointing result in this one against the team in the bottom half where they seem to struggle, they seem to struggle to create chances, cut chances against teams that sit in that defensive manner. Not that I'm sure that Manchester United intentionally set up in that way, it's just the way the game panned out. But yeah, I think everyone's a bit frustrated, a bit down beat after that result.
00:20:25
Speaker
Hopefully they'll be able to turn it round and maybe they can get a positive result on the weekend as likely as that seems right now. That'll do it for today's match review. I'll be back looking forward to the game against Newcastle in the coming days. So continue to tune in to the Daily Fulham Podcast. Hope to have you all for that. Every club, every day. The Global Sports Podcast Network. work