This Saturday sees us back in South London as Palace welcome Fulham to Selhurst Park.
Ahead of the game I caught up with super fan, Fulham season ticket holder and football author Matt Walker to hear how fans from the Cottage are feeling.
TEB – So Matt, a slightly odd summer for Fulham? Seeing your main striker leave for Saudi Arabia, who also tried to tempt your manager away? How are Fulham fans feeling?
MW – It was a very unsettling period, especially compared to recent years. Additionally, the summer window was slightly underwhelming in terms of incomings. We’ve brought in Iwobi, Castagne and Bassey who are all good players, and able to play across a number of positions. There is a question about who is going to replace Mitrovic – both his goals but also his all-round ability to occupy the opposition.
It is great that Silva stayed, especially considering how much they were offering, but he proved a better man than being entirely swayed by the money. It’s also very important for us that Palhinha stayed, and he played well last time out so a sense he is fully focussed on our season, rather than sulking about the Bayern move that fell through.
TEB – So, without Mitrovic, who is going to score your goals?
MW – Well – (pause) – I think Vinícius is likely to start at the weekend, and arguably he is more of a goal threat than Jiménez. He has a good goal-to-game ratio, but perhaps doesn’t offer that much in terms of wider build up play and pressing. The rest of the team need to chip in – most notably our wide attackers Wilson, Willian, and our attacking midfielders Pereira and Iwobi.
TEB – Okay, so who is going to be your star player this season more broadly?
MW – Leno was incredible for us last season, and we hope he continues to be brilliant, but arguably our most important player is Palhinha. He’s a regular for the Portuguese national team, wins tackles he has no right to win – and statistically has won the most tackles in the league over the last year – by a million miles. He’s also underrated going forward. Overall, he is integral and we’re very happy he’s still with us.
TEB – What is the ambition for the season, given last year was a massive overachievement compared to expectations?
MW – I think a reasonably good season would see us end in the ‘Palace zone’ of 11th-15th, a bit of a cup run would be great. We have Norwich in the next round who we always beat!
TEB – Who are your pantomime villains at the moment?
MW – For Fulham fans, historically anyone associated with Chelsea! The absolute biggest remain Lampard and Terry. We still occasionally sing ‘John Terry, your Mum’s a thief!’. The chaos at Stamford bridge continues to go down well.
TEB – If you had a magic wand, which Palace player would you love to have?
MW – There are a few! Would love to see Eze play in the number ten role for us. But to be honest I still miss Joachim Anderson – a wonderful player with an unbelievable passing range.
TEB – Cheers Matt. Lastly, what’s your prediction for the game?
MW – A tight, exciting 1-1 draw.
Matt’s excellent account of his quest to experience top division league football in all 55 UEFA member countries in a single season is well worth a read – available here.
