D-Day in Hounslow (Photo: Jack Kelly/X)
If this is – as seems probable – Harry Wilson and Marco Silva’s final west London derby, then it why not go out with a bang? The Welsh winger has already written his name into Fulham folklore with his exploits in a white shirt over the past two seasons, scoring crucial goals in victories over Chelsea as well as those memorable goals to seal last term’s double over Brentford and ruin Thomas Frank’s final home game in charge of the Bees, and few would bet against him being most likely to trouble the home defence again this afternoon. That might have been the reason Silva took him off with ten minutes to go at Anfield last week, although the in-form winger from Corwyn was far from happy with having to leave his old stomping ground early.
Silva and Fulham’s propaganda machine have pumped up the rhetoric in advance of the derby with Timothy Castagne, guilty just like Wilson of giving gifted Rio Ngumoha the freedom of Liverpool in his own penalty area last weekend, suggesting in the run-up to this game that the Whites have six games to do something special. Let’s home the visiting defence aren’t as generous as the executives who run the club after their disgracefully dodgy decision to offer tickets to one of Fulham’s most eagerly-awaited fixtures to Foundation fun-runners. Make no mistake, Silva’s team have subsided again in the closing weeks of another campaign – and, after a performance the head coach charitably described as passive on Merseyside, there will need to be an improvement in intensity, desire and outcome this afternoon.
That won’t be easy. Brentford looked rather shambolic when they visited Craven Cottage last September – even after an ill-judged no-look pass from Josh King gave them an early lead. The decision to promote Andrews to succeed Frank seemed a bold call, but most of Matthew Benham’s punts have paid off. This one has in abundance. Brentford embraced no frills, pragmatic football under Frank and Andrews, remembered by most Fulham fans as a particularly one-eyed Sky Sports Championship co-commentator, has done a remarkable job in weathering a tricky start to steer his charges to seventh place in the Premier League table, three points ahead of Fulham, and in prime position to enjoy a first European campaign.
They have an extensive injury list – which will rob them of the services of an experienced Jordan Henderson or us of another reunion with the breakout star of Silva’s first season, Fabio Carvalho – but the under-rated Aaron Hickey will return from injury. But the Bees have coped well with the loss of Frank and many of his lieutenants as well as the leadership of Christian Nørgaard – under-utilised as Arsenal’s season seems to be imploding – by trusting the core of an expertly assembled squad and seeing the incredible Igor Thiago blossom into one of Europe’s deadliest finishers just in time for the World Cup.
Other key performers include defensive trio Nathan Collins, Sepp van den Berg and Kristoffer Ajer whilst the know-how of Vitaly Janelt and class of Mikkel Damsgaard have come to the fore in the absence of Norgaard and Henderson. Kevin Schade has efficiently – if quietly, in comparison to Thiago – cracked the top tier and all those weapons, as well as the ability of Michael Kayode to raid forward from right wing-back, will pose serious problems for a Fulham side that has looked both leggy and jittery since that shambolic FA Cup slip-up at home to Southampton five weeks ago.
Silva has yet to sign the new contract put in front of him by Fulham’s board and insists that the uncertainty has not influenced his side’s performances. That plainly isn’t the case. Several key players futures are bound up with the inspirational head coach, including decisions on the options or renewals of the likes of Wilson, Ryan Sessegnon and Raul Jimenez. His decision to make wholesale changes for the FA Cup fifth round clash with the Saints, with a fortnight off after that fixture, backfired badly and the team selection at Anfield left the Whites unable to lay a glove on an out-of-form Liverpool and the beleaguered Arne Slot.
That abject first half demands changes this afternoon for a fixture which carries far more weight than who finishes highest in the league table. Sessegnon should come back in left back and Sasa Lukic, who made it a totally different game after coming off the bench seven days ago, has to play in the middle of the park – perhaps even alongside another man who made a statement at Legoland last season, Tom Cairney. The skipper might not have the legs to last the full ninety but he’ll be able to dictate proceedings in a manner that Fulham have badly lacked of late. Alex Iwobi can cut in effectively from the left, mirroring Wilson on the right, whilst this fixture is crying out for Raul Jimenez up front.
COYW!
MY FULHAM XI (4-2-3-1): Leno; Castagne, R. Sessegnon, Andersen, Bassey; Lukic, Cairney; Wilson, Iwobi, Smith Rowe; Jimenez. Subs: Lecomte, A. Robinson, Diop, Berge, Reed, Bobb, Chukwueze, King, Muniz.