Premier League team performance: Fulham make exciting signings but still face a fight for salvation

Fulham drew 2-2 with Liverpool at the start of the new season, yet they are one of the main aspirants for relegation to the Championship. With what squad will they go into the fight to stay among the English elite?

The management team

Fulham are led by only 45-year-old coach Marco Silva, despite his young age he has coached Everton and Watford. He has taught the team to play pressure football, which Liverpool felt in the first round.

Goalkeeper

The number one goalkeeper should be summer signing Bernd Leno. The German goalkeeper and wider national team member lost his place in the Arsenal line-up, an excellent bargain for Fulham given the ridiculous £8m price tag.

There are voices coming out of Slovakia that Marek Rodak has been used for the second time to snatch promotion back to the Premier League and subsequently sidelined, but Leno is simply a name and a guarantee of quality.

Defenders

The opening game of the season suggested that Kenny Tete is not about to give up his place on the right side of defence following the arrival of Kevin Mbabu. He has oscillated up and down, as has American Antonee Robinson on the other side.

In the middle, he mixes youth with experience. Although a decade separates Tosin Adarabioya and Tim Reem, they are matched up and both are not afraid to play under pressure. The younger Adarabioyo is the speed type, while the thirty-four-year-old Ream is ideal for duels.

The Cottagers also brought in a solid stopper into the rotation over the summer. Shane Duffy will be a good fit in the save battle, Terence Kongolo is more of a stopgap option. Joe Bryan alternates on the left side and Mbabu on the right.

Midfielders

In the midfield, debutant Joao Palhinha gave a very good performance on Sunday and should form a defensive-minded duo with Harrison Reed. But both have some qualities going forward as well, Palhinha is excellent in terms of movement, while Reed has an accurate pass even at longer distances.

The coaches brought in Andreas Pereira on the sub-field in the summer, who rotated a lot with Bobby Decord-Reid against Liverpool. As a Brazilian, he’s logically good technically and can pick up decent speed.

Nathaniel Chalobah can fill in at the shield position, then Tom Cairney and Josh Onomah are slightly more offensive, and Reid will be looking for a number ten, or of course one of the mainstays in Harry Wilson, but he is injured for a long time.

Forwards

There are two very good options at left wing, stalwart Neeskens Kebano and summer signing Manor Solomon. However, it is expected that one of them will move to the right side and play together.

The top of the offensive line belongs to club megastar Aleksandar Mitrovic. He’s currently considered a classic second-league scorer, but this year he definitely took a big step in the first round to shed that moniker.

The nimble all-rounder Reid can start basically anywhere in the attack, with the talented Brazilian Rodrigo Muniz on offer at the tip and Ivan Cavaleiro or Anthony Knockaert on the flanks.

Leno – Robinson, Adarabioyo, Ream, Tete – Reed, Palhinha, Pereira – Kebano, Mitrovic, Solomon

Rankingtip:: 19th place

Source: Premier League