Liverpool FC v Fulham FC
Anfield, 11 November 2018, 12pm
If anyone had told you that we’d be sitting on 8 wins and 3 draws from our first 11 games, which included trips to Chelsea, Arsenal, Spurs and a home game against City, you’d have taken it with gusto. Go on, admit it. You would.
Yet there was a sense of curious disappointment as we trudged off against Arsenal. A missed opportunity. Because whilst that result saw us summit the table, our spell there was brief. Overtaken first by the rampant Man City who annihilated Southampton in depressingly familiar fashion, and then by Sarri’s in-form Chelsea. For our wonderful start, there remains a real concern that we could go on to have a spectacular season – 90 points or more, but come 2nd to a seemingly unstoppable Man City. A concern that this title race might not just be about getting the points against the “little guys” as we’re so often told, but beating the top 6 too. So while a point against Arsenal, and an Arsenal side who played well, is a perfectly good point – come May it may seem like two important points dropped.
But as may often be the case this season, it may simply have to be a case of “next week”. Next week, maybe we’ll win and City, or Chelsea, won’t. And this game is as good a place to start as any. We are up against Fulham, bottom of the league after their defeat at equally underwhelming Huddersfield, while City host rivals and bus-parkers extraordinaire Man Utd and Chelsea have our dear friends from over the park who love doing us a favour.
Our opponents
Fulham were promoted last year via the play-offs, beating Steve Bruce (he of the giant head and literary genius) and his Villains at Wembley. Initial impressions were of a team who played some nice football but who lacked much steel in defence, a side who were destined for a relegation battle unless they could muster up the kind of run that was to eventually save Huddersfield last season. Their first few results were mixed – after 6 games they had one win, two draws and three losses (albeit two of those defeats were away at Spurs and City and therefore somewhat excusable). In Mitrovic they seemed to have a powerhouse forward capable of scoring important goals in this league, in Seri a talented midfielder to create chances and in Bettinelli a keeper whose performances warranted an international call-up. Since their draw with Watford on 22 September however, they’ve been in freefall. Thumped by Everton, Arsenal, Cardiff and Bournemouth before losing at Huddersfield who hadn’t scored a goal at home since 1974. Bottom of the league. 29 goals conceded (the most in the league) at an average of almost 3 per game. Things are starting to look bleak.
Any glimmers of hope for Fulham? Well, they’ve scored 11 goals in 11 games, a figure better than their Premier League basement contemporaries and as high as the much more feted Wolves, and Mitrovic looks a handful. And Vietto is showing glimpses of the kind of form that led to him being for a time being one of the most highly rated young strikers in Europe. Also, there’s that lovely and oft quoted statistic about Klopp’s Liverpool being at times somewhat underwhelming against teams in the relegation zone. But really… we should be beating these.
LiverpoolSo yeah we’ve been pretty good so far. Some good results in the league even if everyone can appreciate that we’ve lacked some of the attacking fluency that defined our style of play last season, sacrificed (perhaps) for a miserly and impressive defence. On Tuesday in Belgrade, we were made to pay for our lack of fluency for the first time in a game that really mattered. However, domestically, we’ve won all our games against teams outside of the top 6, including some tricky fixtures away at Leicester and Palace, and at home we’ve shown at least some of the attacking flair we’re renowned for, thumping West Ham 4-0, Southampton 3-0 and Cardiff 4-1. In all honesty, we should be hoping for more of the same, and a strong reaction to the disappointment in Belgrade.
Our only known absentee is Oxlade-Chamberlain, though Hendo didn't made the trip to Serbia and there are doubts over Lovren, Clyne and Keita too. Shaqiri was rested for the journey for political reasons and may well start on Sunday as a result. Otherwise, expect as strong a line-up as we can put together with the international break imminent.
Previous meetings
It seems odd that we’ve not played Fulham for four years after their long stay in the top flight, but so it is. And our recent record (albeit not all that relevant) is broadly good. 6 wins in our last 8 fixtures, the only failings being an ‘orrible double they took over us in 2011/2012 under Kenny, a 1-0 loss at their place with a late Clint Dempsey goal after Jay Spearing had been sent off, and an even more demoralising 0-1 home loss in the weeks before the 2012 FA Cup final when an understrength team underperformed and Martin Skrtel inadvertently headed Fulham to victory. It was a bit of a freak result really – in fact so much so that it is our only ever home defeat to Fulham, though we did endure 0-0 draws with them at Anfield in 2010, 2008 and 2004. So maybe we shouldn’t expect too many fireworks…
On a personal note, I was happy to see Fulham back in the league. The away at Craven Cottage is one of the few in the league that those of us who aren’t lucky enough to regularly follow the reds away can attend, though surreptitiously in Fulham’s bizarre “neutral” stand which became a sea of red whenever we visited. I was fortunate to see our 5-2 win there in 2011 which seemed to cement Kenny’s return, with Maxi scoring a wonderful hat-trick, and the 3-2 win in 2014 which formed part of the phenomenal run which for a time looked to be leading us to the title. I was also present for that 1-0 loss when Dempsey scored – I still think Spearing’s red card was harsh. Fulham fans, in my experience anyway, always seem a decent lot who forego the lure of Chelsea up the road and proudly get behind their team with far less pretension than many Londoners. I no longer live in the big smoke but hope that this season will see reds descend in force on Fulham in the reverse fixture.
StatsLiverpool: 3rd
Fulham: 20th
Liverpool league form – WDDWWD
Fulham league form – DLLLLL
Top league goalscorers:
Liverpool – Mane (6)
Fulham – Mitrovic (5)
Most league assists:
Liverpool – Salah (3)
Fulham – Vietto (4)
Referees:
Paul Tierney (Ref)
Adrian Holmes and Mick McDonough (Assistant Refs)
Chris Kavanagh (Fourth Official)
So here’s to a strong, positive performance on Sunday, a positive reaction to our European headache, and hopefully plenty of goals. And maybe, just maybe, Man Utd and Everton will do us favours.
Maybe.
