Wolves visit Craven Cottage on Saturday, looking to obtain a much needed first three points. Jack Johnson speaks to Jack Collins from Fulhamish, to get the lowdown on Fulham’s league form, a few former Wolves players and what to expect at 3pm on Saturday.
Wolves fans would likely snap your hand off if they could trade league positions, but 17th is a difficult contrast to Fulham’s comfortable 11th place finish last season. What have you made of your results so far?
It’s been a bit of a frustrating start to the season in terms of performances, but if you actually look through the games we’ve played, I probably wouldn’t have predicted too many different outcomes from what we’ve actually seen play out. That said, dropping points from winning positions was our kryptonite, and it was something I hoped would be addressed in the summer – that hasn’t been the case. We are coming into this game on the back of four league losses on the bounce – but they are from three away games against Bournemouth, Villa and Newcastle, with a home game against Arsenal in the midst of it. A win at home here is a must, not just to turn around that difficult run of results, also to just reset into a more appealing run of games on paper.
I would imagine the Fulham side that will meet Wolves on Saturday will be relatively similar to last season’s, given Fulham’s modest transfer window relative to other sides. Do you feel happy with the incomings and outgoings from the summer?
In terms of the players who have actually come through the door, I think most people are at the very least excited about what they can bring to the table – both Kevin and Samuel Chukwueze are additions that are happy to take on a defender and try to make things happen. The frustration is really about the number of bodies as opposed to the quality – we feel particularly short in the middle of the park.
Sasa Lukic and Sander Berge are both solid, Premier League quality midfielders, but neither are particularly forward thinking, and with the loss of Andreas Pereira, I look at the midfield and think we’re missing someone with the ability to pick a penetrating pass from deep.
The deal that fell through on Deadline Day to bring Tyrique George to the Cottage also feels like a missed opportunity – a versatile forward capable of playing across the forward line would have been gold dust given the injury mess we find ourselves in at the moment.
Both sides aren’t in particularly good form, and will be looking to get a positive result to try and steer their seasons in the right direction. What do you think Marco Silva will try and do differently, if anything, to get a result?
There’s not too much that he can do, in some ways, given that our hands are tied a bit behind our back from an injury perspective. Rodrigo Muniz is out, so Raul starts up top; Chukwueze and Wilson are out, so Adama probably starts on the right; Antonee Robinson is out, so I’d imagine Sess continues at left-back; and Joachim Andersen is out, so Diop will almost certainly continue in the middle of the back four. Given the troubles Wolves have faced in the opening periods of recent games, I expect Silva to fire up his team to go out all guns blazing early on – but we went 1-0 up at home against you guys last year and look how that turned out!
Wolves go into this game following a crazy tie against Chelsea in the League Cup, with a very positive second half to take away from it. Are there any players in the Wolves side that you’re least looking forward to coming up against?
I was absolutely devastated when Andre decided that he was heading to Molineux after Fulham had spent about nine months flirting with the idea of signing him, so I’d imagine he’s probably going to drop a masterclass at the Cottage on that basis. Strand Larsen has always been someone I’ve admired – both at Celta and then at Wolves, and after a rest for the majority of Wednesday’s game, would imagine he’s going to be coming out fresh and with a point to prove here. A word for little Rodrigo Gomes as well – every time I’ve seen him play he’s been busy and bright, no matter how bad things have looked; and I am breathing a small sigh of relief that the word on the street is that he might be absent.
Wolves fans will always remember Adama Traore and Raul Jimenez’s partnership fondly. How would you say they have settled into Fulham colours, and are you expecting them to have an impact at the weekend?
I hope so! I think we’ll see both of them from the start, so fingers crossed coming up against their old employers is a red rag to both of these two. It’s been mixed fortunes for the pair, in some ways – Raul has very much grown back into more of the player we saw at Wolves pre-injury after an inauspicious start at Fulham. Part of that was him finding his rhythm again, part of it was us – Fulham had to adapt playstyles after the departure of Aleksandar Mitrovic and that took time. Since then he’s grown into a real leader in this side and right now we are incredibly reliant on him leading the line for us, with no real alternatives.
Adama has blown hot and cold, as I imagine most will understand, and there have been flashes of brilliance, but he remains an inconsistent performer – occasionally absolutely magic, perennially frustrating to watch. Still, if he was consistently brilliant, I appreciate he wouldn’t be playing for Fulham. Two very different players, and whilst neither feel like they’re in their heyday anymore, I am still glad to have both of them at the club.
What is your predicted lineup for Fulham?
Leno; Tete, Diop, Cuenca, Sessegnon; Lukic, Berge; Adama, King, Iwobi; Raul
And finally, what is your predicted scoreline for Saturday’s fixture?
Heart over head, I’m going to say 3-1 Fulham, but an uncomfortable one – a late clincher perhaps with Wolves going hell for leather for an equaliser.
