In Claudio Ranieri’s first game in charge of Fulham, a second win of the season was finally delivered for the Cottagers, as an unsustainably poor Southampton side slipped to their relegation rivals.
Ranieri has an immediate impact – but defensive problems remain
In the first week of his immediate appointment, Claudio Ranieri warned Fulham’s fans that sometimes they would have to win ‘ugly’ to preserve their Premier League status – a suggestion that the free-flowing, attacking football from the previous tenure of Jokanović would be perhaps slightly more muted. A potential to be more boring did not become apparent in Saturday’s match – an enthralling game that was not devoid of defensive calamities from both sides.
Although confidence was badly lost near the end of his tenure, this is not entirely dissimilar to the kind of performance Fulham were putting in under Jokanović; two sloppy goals conceded in an otherwise dominant game for Fulham must have provoked flashbacks to the season’s earlier 4-2 victory over Burnley in the same ground. This was a win for Ranieri, but he will know performances such as this will not keep them up on their own.
Ryan Sessegnon’s days of defence should be over
Deployed as a left-back for the final few games of Jokanović’s time at the club, much to the disappointment of fans, one of Ranieri’s early decisions has been to move Ryan Sessegnon, the immeasurably talented teenager, into an advanced left-wing role, in which he performed so devastatingly last season.
Fulham’s second goal was Ranieri’s reward for this decision; Sessegnon went on a mazy dribble on the left touchline before delivering a delicious ball, an un-defendable ball, for André Schürrle to tap in from close range. The goal had Schürrle’s name on it, but all the credit rightfully went to Sessegnon – a reminder of what he can offer to the team in an attacking sense.
Mark Hughes is running out of time to turn this team around
Southampton can be counted as slightly unfortunate for having to play Fulham straight after a managerial change – the difference in confidence between Fulham’s last game at Anfield, and this one, is quite remarkable.
That should however not be an excuse for Southampton’s points tally so far; so much has been made of the weakness of Fulham’s defense, or the levels to which Cardiff are supposedly out of their depth in the Premier League, but shockingly Southampton have the same points total as both of them after thirteen games.
Mark Hughes is under huge pressure from fans, who were singing “sacked in the morning” in his direction on Saturday, and Southampton’s board and owners must be worried.
Since his appointment for the club last season, during which he credibly kept them in the Premier League, a style of play has not been established properly, excitement is not being delivered; the question is, if they were to sack him, would they go for another short-term option? Would Mark Hughes out, Sam Allardyce in, be an upgrade for the South Coast side?
Stuart Armstrong finally impresses – but the Saints need Danny Ings back, and quickly
A seven million pound transfer from Celtic in the summer, it has taken a while for Stuart Armstrong to make an impact for his new club in the Premier League but he finally exploded into life against Fulham with two goals. He took the first goal well, controlling a bouncing ball with his chest and sweeping a shot away in the area, but it was the second goal, a first-time finish from the edge of the area, that really impressed.
This is a major boost for Southampton, to have a fully fit Armstrong finding form, but they still dramatically missed Danny Ings today, whose tenacity and ability to poach goals is invaluable for a side so lacking in confidence. Southampton are strangely overstuffed with strikers, a facet of them that has been well-publicised, but apart from Ings, Hughes does not seem to trust any of either Austin, Long or Gabbiadini to win the team games. If any one of those three strikers found form, Southampton may begin to start looking up the table rather than down below them.
A crucial December for both teams
The famously packed December period is nearly upon both of these teams, with both sides having to play a baffling seven games in a month that may help decide their season. Both team’s play Cardiff in what proves to be a crucial game for both sides, and they also have their fair share of tough opponents – Fulham travel to Chelsea next week while Southampton have a dreaded visit from Manchester City at the end of the month. Overall Fulham have the easier set of fixtures but both sides, despite the result today, have some thinking to do as to their approach and personnel in the weeks ahead.
