In defeat at St James\u2019 Park, Fulham may have proven their credentials for an unlikely European odyssey next season.<\/p>\n
Against a backdrop of late heartbreak, angst and controversy, following Alexander Isak\u2019s winner for Newcastle United, Marco Silva\u2019s side will know in themselves just what they can achieve. They took nothing from their Tyneside excursion, far less than they deserved, but it was their bravery that proves how their push for a top six finish, while unexpected, is in no way fortuitous.<\/p>\n
In an interview with The Athletic, released on the morning of the game, Fulham\u2019s top scorer and talisman Aleksandar Mitrovic spelled out the difference between this season, their third in six following promotion from the Championship, and the previous two, which ended in relegation. In short, it is Silva himself. Mentality, Mitrovic says, is what he brings.<\/p>\n
But on the evidence of Sunday afternoon, and Thursday\u2019s 2-1 win over Chelsea at Craven Cottage, that is not all Silva brings. The tactical intelligence in their play is clear; he has encouraged them to play the same way regardless of the opponent, pushing, pressing, trying, getting the best out of his tools. The best way to demonstrate his impact is with Mitrovic himself; ignored, isolated and on the verge of leaving two seasons ago, when Scott Parker was in charge, Silva\u2019s arrival changed everything. Mitrovic went from on the periphery to the centrepiece of the team; last season, the manager set him a target of 20 goals. He scored 43, obliterating the existing Championship record.<\/p>\n
So far, there are 11 Premier League goals this season, as many as his best previous top flight record. Fulham have more points after 20 games than they managed in their entire campaign in 2020\/21. He caused more problems for Newcastle\u2019s defence, which has 11 clean sheets and just 11 goals conceded all season, than most. It held strong as it so often does, but Mitrovic would have scored a penalty if he didn\u2019t slip and kick the ball twice, forcing a free kick for Newcastle in one of the most bizarre moments of the season.<\/p>\n
Newcastle dominated and missed chances before Isak made his moment count. But Fulham were a threat, because they had a plan. Sven Botman\u2019s distribution is vital to Eddie Howe\u2019s side\u2019s attacking approach, and the visitors were proactive in recognising that and cutting that supply line, either by swarming Botman himself, or waiting for the pass and springing into a press. Newcastle were flat and uninspired for long periods, but the persistence they showed was typical of their own rise up the table.<\/p>\n
The way Silva has made Fulham a genuine threat to the elite has been remarkable. From the outside, that turnaround has been extremely quick, but he has also mended his own reputation in English football too. Sacked by both Watford and Everton, Silva had been somewhat dismissed, but it is his attention to detail that has been behind both rehabilitations.<\/p>\n
Mitrovic leads everything, aided in attack by Willian and Joao Palinha, who add so much creativity in the final third; the signings this summer were more considered than before. Perhaps, though, it is the improvement in the likes of Harrison Reed and others Silva inherited that have held the key.<\/p>\n
Fulham play with the handbrake off in every game, and now they look completely safe from relegation. Not that they\u2019ve been in the conversation at all since the start of the season.<\/p>\n