Fulham achieved promotion to the Premier League in the summer and have punched above their weight in the 2022/23 campaign.
The Cottagers are ninth in the Premier League table with 19 points in 15 matches under Marco Silva. A strong summer transfer window has contributed to a solid start with Marco Silva focusing on adding proven Premier League commodities to his squad.
As the 2022 World Cup is underway, it is perhaps the best time to analyse Fulham’s season. That being said, here are three things we have learned so far.
#Andreas Pereira is the team’s creative glue
Fulham raised quite a few eyebrows when they splashed £10m including add-ons to sign Andreas Pereira from Manchester United, but it now appears money well spent.
Pereira, 26, has amassed two goals and four assists in 15 Premier League games, delivering 2.3 key passes per game. The Brazilian has been a pivotal cog in Fulham’s engine room, establishing himself as the team’s chief creator since his arrival from Man United as demonstrated by the aforementioned statistics.
Fulham have played an attacking, energetic and exciting brand of football upon their promotion this season, scoring the sixth most goals in the division, with Pereira a key element of Silva’s attack.
#Aleksandar Mitrovic has silenced his naysayers
Aleksandar Mitrovic has managed to silence a lot of his doubters after enjoying a superb Premier League season so far with Fulham.
The Serbian was the Championship’s top scorer last season, netting an eye-catching 43 goals in 44 games to help the Cottagers earn promotion. Upon his return with the big boys, many doubted whether he would be to able perform at high standards after previously only delivering 24 goals in four top-flight seasons.
But Mitrovic, who is currently at the World Cup in Qatar, has shown he is more than capable of producing the goods at the highest level provided he gets decent service in and around the box. He has scored nine goals in 12 games, whilst combining very well with Andreas Pereira in the final third.
Marco Silva continues to show his ability to get the best out of the players, and now Mitrovic has a manager whose system is built around him. As things stand, the Serbian international looks set to enjoy the prime years of his career at Craven Cottage.
#Three points behind European places
Fulham fans have suffered heartbreaks after losing back-to-back games against Man City and Man United in stoppage-time, but they remain just three points behind sixth-placed Liverpool.
This marks a very good first half to the season and gives Marco Silva and co. something to build on when everyone returns from the World Cup. Silva is doing an admirable job at Craven Cottage and deserves to be backed strongly in the January transfer window to push his team’s hopes for a top-six finish.
