Date: 22/12/2018
K/O: 15:00
Venue: St James’ Park
Referee: Martin Atkinson
A somewhat rejuvenated Newcastle side, who have been steadily climbing the table in recent weeks, host a Fulham side whose own resurgence has stalled under Claudio Ranieri, in this important Saturday afternoon fixture.
Although inconsistency still remains in the Newcastle results, it was no injustice that for the month of November, Rafa Benitez picked up the manager of the month award. Guiding Newcastle to three straight league wins was unexpected to say the least and seriously bolstered confidence in both the dressing-room and the fanbase that they can avoid a relegation battle this season.
December, however, has been slightly less kind to Benitez and his team. Two disappointing home defeats to both West Ham and Wolves were not in the script, yet four points on the road away at both Everton and Huddersfield have kept the positive feelings going. Salomón Rondón, on loan from West Bromwich Albion, is proving exactly the kind of physical striker that Benitez has been craving for some time; minus the potential baggage that someone, namely Aleksander Mitrovic, clearly provided. It was his finish at the end of an excellent breakaway move, away at Huddersfield, that sealed the three points and kept the revival on track for another week.
Unfortunately, as is often the case with Newcastle, drama and expectations off the field are overshadowing their performances on it. There are suggestions that controversial and much-reviled owner Mike Ashley is welcoming bids for the club. Is this another branch of false hope given to the fans that he may leave? Or, as has happened before, will the bids fail to meet his standards? Turbulence is never far away these days around St James’ Park. One can expect the contract situation with Rafa Benitez, expiring in the summer, to become a big issue sooner rather than later.
And what of their opponents, Fulham? Any hint of a potential recovery under Claudio Ranieri has been totally extinguished by the same old problems, and problems that Ranieri is yet to find a solution to. The tactics have not changed a great deal under Ranieri but what was hopefully going to change was more of a focus on consistent defensive line-ups, with Ranieri’s predecessor, Slaviša Jokanović, picking erratically different defensive personnel each week. This seemed to be an immediate problem rectified by Ranieri; he chose a back-four and stuck to it for his first few games but, although a single win was delivered under their defensive gaze, they have since been chopped and changed again by Ranieri, a potentially worrying sign.
The last three games for Fulham have been disappointing for a number of reasons. Firstly, the home game against Leicester, that ended in a 1-1 draw, was a game they must have been targeting to win and instead possibly should have lost. The away trip to an at the time and even more so currently, calamitous Manchester United ended in pretty humbling fashion, losing 4-1. Finally, last weekend’s home match against West Ham was a pretty tepid affair, with Fulham’s initial attacking verve being totally undone by a fast, clinical performance from the Hammers, who have found a vision and identity which they can begin to call their own: something that Fulham will be aspiring for under Ranieri.
The Tinkerman must have been targeting the home games as Fulham’s most obvious means of survival but it already feels like there is pressure on the club and the team to steal some points away from home as well, such is their dire predicament. Two home matches, against Wolves and Huddersfield, follow Fulham’s trip to St James’ Park. If the three points aren’t stolen from their opposition’s ground, the words ‘must-win’ will begin to be said a lot sooner than expected.
Team News:
Newcastle have been given multiple fitness boosts prior to this tie, with centre-backs Federico Fernandez and Jamaal Lascelles both recovering from knocks to be available for selection. After his somewhat controversial sending-off against Wolves, DeAndre Yedlin is back in contention after serving a one match suspension as well, a welcome return for the Magpies. Interestingly, both Ki Sung-Yueng and Yoshinori Muto will soon be unavailable for some time, with both of the summer signings set to play for their respective nations in the Asia Cup in January. Does Benitez make the most of their availability now, before they go, or does he select other players, to prepare the side for their inevitable departure? Muto would find it hard to displace Rondón from his position anyway, but both players are useful squad depth at the very least, and it will cause Benitez problems to lose them both.
Fulham’s only injury concern is a big one. Teenage starlet, Ryan Sessegnon, who was looking irresistible on the left-side for under Ranieri, is a doubt with a groin issue, the same injury that kept him out of the West Ham encounter. Despite this, the kind of line-up that Ranieri will choose to face up against Newcastle is anybody’s guess – his options are at once both wide and also uninspiring, especially when, in the defensive positions, both Ranieri and Jokanović have seemed to use every combination of personnel in the back-four that you could dream of. Denis Odoi was a surprise pick at right-back last week (a decision rectified at half-time), while Joe Bryan on the other side of the defence was somehow too adventurous and also not effective in the slightest. Up front, is patience running out with André Schürrle? Is Calum Chambers now entirely established as a defensive midfielder? And what on earth does the team do when, inevitably, Aleksander Mitrovic picks up another yellow card and is suspended for a game?
Predicted Starting XI’s:
Newcastle United (3-5-1-1): Dubravka; Clark, Lascelles, Fernandez; Kenedy, Atsu, Ki, Diame, Yedlin; Perez; Rondon
Fulham (4-2-3-1): Rico; Bryan, Mawson, Odoi, Christie; Chambers, Seri; Schürrle, Kamara, Cairney; Mitrovic
Score Prediction: Newcastle United 2 Fulham 0
With Fulham’s recent level of performance and subsequent results, it is hard to confidently predict anything but a win for the Toon this weekend. We are still waiting for Ranieri’s style of play to take charge of this team, especially in a defensive sense. Perhaps this weekend will be the weekend where we get to see a new Fulham, a sharper Fulham.
Coming up against the tactically astute Benitez however, who is expertly getting the most out of a limited squad and someone who targets home games as the means of surviving relegation, may mean Ranieri has his work cut out for him. They may battle, it may be reasonably close, but it would be a surprise if Fulham managed to get a draw, let alone a win, out of this fixture.
