Fulham have made a lukewarm start to their Premier League season and the Cottagers currently sit 15th in the standings with 5 points from their first 6 games.
Slavisa Jokanovic ’s men were held to a 1-1 draw at home by visitors Watford last weekend but the result should do a world of good to their confidence since they were drubbed 3-0 by Manchester City in the previous game. Fulham should take heart from the fact that they managed to find the equalizer after trailing for large quarters of the game and did well to rescue a point against a team that has performed exceptionally well this season.
And the confidence showed in the League Cup on Tuesday, as Fulham overcame Millwall by a 3-1 margin with a second string line-up. However, the Cottagers will face a stiffer test when they make the trip to Goodison Park to face Everton on Saturday.
Although Fulham have been a bit sloppy in the early stages of the season and have dropped points in games they should have won, the manager still has plenty of positives to take from their displays so far.
On the other hand, Everton’s story has hardly been different from Fulham’s. After a bright start to the season, Everton have suffered a dip in their performances and have lost two games on the trot against West Ham United and Arsenal. With 6 points from the first six games, the Toffees sit 12th in the standings.
Both teams have faced a lot of problems defensively. Despite taking the lead on several occasions, they haven’t been able to capitalize due to some sloppy defending. Another similarity is that both Everton and Fulham have some quality attackers in their ranks which should account for an intriguing clash on Saturday.
Fulham’s summer signings – Aleksandar Mitrovic, Jean Michael Seri and Andre Schurrle – have made a difference to the team. Quite surprisingly, they haven’t taken much time to adapt to the demands of the Premier League. While Seri has been the team’s midfield powerhouse, Schurrle and Mitrovic have been devastating up front.
Meanwhile, Everton have also suffered due to their vulnerable backline. Injuries to the first-choice defenders at regular intervals haven’t allowed Silva to field a solid backline and that has proven costly. The Toffees have not only been guilty of giving away possession in dangerous areas but have also given the opposition far too much space at the back to exploit.
To put things into perspective, Aleksandar Mitrovic, with the physicality and the aerial ability that he possesses, should be Fulham’s strongest bet to help the Cottagers come away with all three points on Saturday. Everton’s central defence has been susceptible to aerial balls and a majority of the goals they conceded came from aerial balls played into the penalty area. As for Mitrovic, who joined Fulham for £22m, winning headers inside the box is his biggest strength.
The Serb has already scored five goals this season, out of which three came from headers inside the penalty area. He has shown an appreciable presence of mind and excellent positional sense to lose his markers and win headers. He seems to have developed a habit of getting into the right positions at the right time.
On the contrary, Everton’s centre-back Kurt Zouma has struggled to find his feet this season. Even if Silva decides to go with Michael Keane and Mason Holgate in the heart of the defence, there is a strong possibility that Mitrovic will get the better of the young Holgate.