At the start of this season, Fulham Football Club entered uncharted territory. In doing so, they became the second team in history to beat Liverpool at home and first to beat them at Anfield since 2018. This victory is a testament to their strong renaissance. Perhaps more remarkably, it underlined a sea change in the Whoscored.com club’s mentality since Marco Silva took over 18 months ago. Fulham has made historic victory a reality. They went beyond those expectations even after losing stars Aleksandar Mitrovic and Joao Palhinha to the summer transfer market in recent years.
Make no mistake, the Cottagers have exhibited historic resilience this season. In attack, they recently showed their potential with Jimenez and Muniz each scoring double-digit tallies in all competitions. Fulham’s defense has gotten a lot better, too, with Antonee Robinson being ranked first in the Premier League among defenders in tackles with 10.
A good run of form has ensured that they will stay comfortably in the top half of the Premier League table. So far this season, the club has beaten Nottingham Forest and Newcastle twice—home and away. They recorded a comeback win at Chelsea too, showing they can be true giant killers. This is especially impressive considering three other promoted clubs—Southampton, Leicester, and Ipswich—are set to be relegated.
Under Silva’s guidance, Fulham is pushing for a European spot while aiming to surpass the club record for points set by Roy Hodgson’s team in 2009. Ever since they were promoted to the Premier League, the club’s arc has completely changed. After finishing 10th and 13th the last two seasons, they’ve long been out of the danger of relegation.
Marco Silva recently stated that changing the team’s mentality has been the most important factor in their current success. Speaking about his first experiences of the Premier League, O’Neil recalled how difficult it was to compete with teams ranked above you.
“I remember the first season in the Premier League, against teams that were below us, most of the time we were able to get the points. Against teams that were above us, we were not able to,” – Marco Silva
Their ability to remain resilient and find the gems to replace star players when they’ve lost them has been impressive. Silva then went on to explain that whilst other clubs may have splashed the cash after selling their top talents, Fulham have done something else with the money.
“It was something that we changed completely in terms of our mindset. Slight things in the approach, but mindset much more. Our bravery and our ambition for those games and to not change anything. To respect our identity and our philosophy as well.” – Marco Silva
New marquee recruits Alex Iwobi and Calvin Bassey have raised their games this season. Their contributions are most important to Fulham’s chances of success. Their input has deeply improved the team’s collective output.
“Other teams when they sell their main strikers, they go and they spend everything in their position. We are not able to do it. We solve it in a different way,” – Marco Silva
As Fulham continues to strive for improvement, Silva maintains a laser focus on what he can control—his team’s performance and adherence to their philosophy.
He ended by reiterating his pride in the team’s on-field achievements.
“What I can control is the way my team is going to play. It’s the philosophy that I want in the team. The identity that I always try for my players to have, to make them better players individually and collectively,” – Marco Silva
He concluded by expressing pride in the team’s accomplishments on the pitch.
“We have been doing fantastic things on the pitch.” – Marco Silva
Leave a Reply