We get the Fulham lowdown ahead of the London side’s trip to South Wales tomorrow. Jack Collins of the excellent Fulhamish pod spoke to our man Scott Salter ahead of the game.
VFTN: How would you rate your season so far?
JC: It’s not desperate, but we’re just shy of where we want to be. The 2-2 draw to Brighton probably the most frustrating, given that we were 2-0 up – and if we’d held on there then we’d be 14th and I don’t think anyone would be complaining. That said, we didn’t and people are. These next three games should be the real barometer of where we stand this season, however.
You spent a lot of money in the summer, how have those signings settled in so far?
Offensively, not bad. Mitrovic, Vietto and Schurrle have gelled quite nicely in parts, and Jean-Michael Seri has shown some real moments of quality, although we’re yet to see it consistently. At the back, however, it’s been a bit of a shambles. We can’t work out our best back four (or five) and we look vulnerable whenever teams have come at us, which is something that’s going to have to change fast if we want to stay up.
What’s the view of Cardiff in Fulham?
Not as bad as the other way round, if things are to be believed! There’s obviously a bit of needle in two contrasting managerial styles and differing methods on the pitch, but ultimately at the end of last season, the general feeling was that, annoying it was to face another playoff campaign, you accrued more points and therefore deserved to go up automatically. Obviously, the stats about long throws in the Burnley game don’t do the argument that ‘Cardiff aren’t a route one team’ any favours, but there are plenty of ways to win a football match, and you have to do what you have to do.
Who should Cardiff watch out for on Saturday?
Luciano Vietto goes under the radar a lot of the time, but he’s got the most assists in the Premier League so far this season; and his trickery on the ball is crucial to the way we play when Fulham are in full swing. In the continued absence of Tom Cairney, his guile might be what unlocks the door for Fulham on Saturday, against what promises to be a resolute Cardiff defence.
How do you see the game going?
I’d like a repeat of last season, but I’m too abashed to go for it fully. I think it’ll be a reasonably open game, with chances for both sides, but I’m hoping that Mitrovic’s clinical nature will out and be the difference. 3-1 Fulham.
Thanks to Jack and Fulhamish for speaking to View From The Ninian this week. Scott featured on the Fulhamish preview podcast, which you can catch here.