We seem to be playing on the line and opening up space for others to get involved. A couple of weeks ago playing the players out of position was resulting in everybody cramped in the middle of the park making too easy to defend. We generate space, have width, the ball is moving. Come on Fulham. We can do it...
Solid looking win for us. Begs the question: where was this performance two, three and four weeks ago? Can a manager change really make this much of a difference? Along the same line, Berbatov's performance was outstanding in every sense. So why now?
I really hope the change of attitude is due to the new manager. However I'm guessing he's putting himself in the shop window for a January move to another club.
Wonder if anyone watching TV can clear something up for me. While I was in the ground at the bar watched the tele and they were showing the warm up when they showed a Fulham player who seemed to be Kaca receiving treatment for what looked like an injury. The Tele then switched to Emirates and I couldn't hear the sound. Call me a cynic but wonder how long this Berbatov revival will last!!! The Duracell Bunny aka Karagounis was my MOTM, and the Dejagah/Reither combo gave us more of a balanced feel. A Riise revival ? In the second half we nearly fell back into old habits of defending too deep. But luckily snapped out of that quickly, and pushed Villa back again. Thought the Ref was poor, no consistency, players didn't know if they could tackle, Poor old Karagounis got kicked black & blue. He allowed Villa to get away with pushing players in the small of the back, the reason Berbatov had a moan at Dean early on, and Villa kept that up throughout the game. As Lambert said Dean just had a poor game, but for both sides.
I think the players had lost respect for Jol. His comments blaming part of the team had a lot to do with it. He came out and blamed the defense, effectively his captain, and one of the most solid people who gives everything. Put too much weight on Berba but not providing the right support for him to play. On and on he admitted that he doesn't know how to play Berba and Ruiz and kept doing it. Fitness-wise the players were knackered and could only play 45-60 mins. Having coaches who disappear during international breaks does not help.
Parker wasn't lacking in application but, particularly in the first half, his passing was quite sloppy and I can think of 3 occasions where he lost possession. Overall he was solid but I think quite a few others had a better game. On Jol - I felt his main priority was himself, before the club. Over and over again he would point to our lack of resources, our weakness in the squad, individual errors. It was all geared toward absolving himself for any shortcomings and emphasising his managerial value. He didn't take enough responsibility or instill in the players this idea of playing for the fans. Instead it was playing for safety and not much beyond that- last seasons run of form after we appeared to be safe was indicative of this. He overvalued technical ability and underestimated the power of a collective will and team play. It will be interesting to see where he pitches up next and how he goes about the job.
I thought Sidwells finish was terrific yesterday. Thats 3 goals this season. I have been critical of him lately but he played well yesterday. Made some good tackles. Another player I've been very critical of but Berbatov was class yesterday. I hope he does that every remaining game now. we need those touches andetc. Goals will come I'm sure. Humble pie is being eaten. However, swallows and summers etc! We are still in the s**t! The teams above us have got results and it's still going to take an enormous effort.
Statistical Phenomena In the past there have been many moans and groans about our failings at corners, free kicks and throw-ins. What a turnaround on Sunday: - 100% of our corners cleared the first man; - 100% of our free kicks went forward (10 out of the 13 were successful); and possibly the most revealing statistic of all - 88% of our throw-ins went to a Fulham player (22 out of 25 were succesful) Link to the full gambit of stats from the game: http://www.fourfourtwo.com/statszon...3/team-stats/54/1_PASS_01#tabs-wrapper-anchor
A key player who has gone under the radar is Stekelenburg. I thought he has played exceptionally well in the past 2 games, pulling off a few great saves. He has come for crosses and taken them under pressure and with confidence. One thing I have noticed is how strong his hands are, he doesn't just parry the ball he pushes it away to a safe area or behind the goal. An example was where he dove out to the 6 yard line and whacked it into touch at the near post against Spurs. Perhaps he has been overlooked because the rest of the team have clicked, along with the fans! Happy days.
I've got to agree - To make that good save right at the end yesterday shows the level of concentration and strength.
And notably his distribution was really good yesterday. The stats show that he succesfully 'hit' a Fulham player with a bit more than 50% of his clearances. What they don't show is that most of the other 50% were in areas where we had one or more able to immediately put Villa under presuure.
Whilst I would not be surprised if there is an element of that, why wouldn't he have done the same last week in that case? I think the change in effort has a lot more to do with how Meulensteen set the team up. Berbatov likes playing with fast, direct wingers who can pick up on his flicks (e.g. Kaca & Dejagah). Without the complication of Ruiz or the lack of effort from Bent, Berbatov was in his element with the right players around him. With Kara linking Sidwell/Parker with the front three, Berba didn't have to drop deep that often either. It also helped that we restored the Riether/Dejagah combo and had a surprising turn around from Riise (the main improvement I'd put almost solely on Meulensteen). I appreciate that Jol was trying to change and improve the way we play, but when you have Berbatov it makes sense to play the way that draws the best from him.
Banging on with the stats - the pair of them shared 46 successful passes. (29 Riether to Dejagah and 17 Dejagah to Riether).
