Fulham, Serie A
Fulham slip-up as Italians invade Craven Cottage
Never should much weight be given to pre-season friendlies, and Fulham's 2-2 draw with Torino indicated why after an unlikely comeback by the Serie A outfit in the final 10 minutes after the hosts had thoroughly dominated in the opening half.
Never should much weight be given to pre-season friendlies, and Fulham’s 2-2 draw with Torino indicated why after an unlikely comeback by the Serie A outfit in the final 10 minutes after the hosts had thoroughly dominated in the opening half.
Fulham have only lost one pre-season match but won just three with draws dominating the calendar. After managing 12 last campaign as relegation was avoided only via a miracle, Roy Hodgson will not be keen on replicating the form of friendlies in the league, but it nevertheless has been an encouraging period, much more so than under Lawrie Sanchez’s management a year ago.
Against Torino, Fulham again exhibited the style of football Hodgson has instilled in the squad since his arrival at the beginning of the year. Slick passing and swift movement proved too much for Gianni De Biasi’s side with all the goal action coming at Matteo Sereni’s end, the stopper conceding twice in the drizzle before the break.
Bobby Zamora netted the opener following good build-up play by the ever-inconsistent Seol, his driven effort eventually going in after Sereni got hands to the shot, before fellow summer signing Zoltan Gera doubled Fulham’s advantage with a far more convincing arrowed shot into the roof of the net. Again, Seol was the provider, and after nearing the exit door both in January and earlier this summer, Hodgson looks set to keep him and if the Korean can manage some more constancy in his performances, he has the ability to terrorise opposition defences in the coming months.
The Toro tifosi were making all the noise inside Craven Cottage, undeterred by the two-goal deficit but understandably baffled by their side’s poor performance.
The More Things Change…
Thinking the game was done and dusted, Fulham failed to attack with any concision in the second half, instead gradually allowing Torino to come more into the game. They were made to pay as Abbruscato and Ogbonna netted in the closing ten minutes to stun the home support and send the 400 or so visiting fans into unanticipated ecstasy.
For the thousands dressed in white, the familiar sensation of déjà vu was aroused. Last season, Fulham were the league experts in losing points from a winning position and conceding goals in the final ten minutes. Once again, in the final friendly before their opening game at Hull, they lost concentration and when Abbruscato pulled one back, an equaliser seemed inevitable as nerves dominated the closing stages.
Sure enough, via a deflection, a leveller was found and the visiting supporters found their voice once again. After a mid-table finish last season, it seems not much more can be expected of De Biasi’s men after an underwhelming performance although the Serie A campaign doesn’t begin until the end of August.
Yet while Torino have a few more weeks to get into shape, Hodgson has to ready his troops for next Saturday and a demanding trip to Premier League new-comers Hull. The hosts will view Fulham as a team they need to beat if they are to survive and with a capacity crowd behind them, life will undoubtedly be tricky for the Londoners at the KC Stadium.
Fulham’s other critical problem from last season came on the road, where they didn’t succeed in winning away from home until mid-April. The Torino game brought to the fore one of their central problem areas in conceding late goals, but whether Fulham have improved away from the Cottage is as of yet unknown.
The answer to this conundrum is likely to help decide whether Hodgson and Fulham avoid the pain and anguish which accompanied the closing months of the 2007/8 season.
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erm - hodgson wouldnt be keen on replicating the form of friendlies during the season? 3 wins 2 draws and 1 loss is top 8 form. We would be delighted to have that sort of finish after being 17th last season.