Overall I'm really pleased, and think we definitely merited our point. At the same time though that's tinted with frustration because we could have won the game if we'd just had a little more quality and composure in and around the box, or if the referee had not incorrectly denied us a penalty.
Our passing and movement to get into those passing positions was excellent, as it has been throughout pre-season. Defensively at times we did look exposed particularly in the first half. As I said a few posts up that was because the midfield often pressed a bit too high up the pitch, so when Fulham did manage to pass their way out they'd have a lot of space to exploit in our half. Also the two wing-backs were caught out far too many times. Husband struggled massively to deal with the pace of Fulham's right sided players, and Wildschut didn't seem to have a clue when it came to defensive positioning, and should've been stronger in the tackle in the build-up to their goal. That all said there are definitely more positives than negatives, most notably how well we moved the ball and how dangerous we looked when going forward. Fulham may have created a fair amount of chances but so did we and the ones we had were more clear-cut. Wildschut got into good positions a couple of times before completely fluffing the finish. Vrancic also should've done better with a chance from the inside of the box even though he was on his weaker foot, but was unlucky with another effort from outside the area. Watkins though could've had a hat-trick, and it's poor from him that he didn't convert at the very least one of them, most notably the first one.
As for the players, Gunn made a couple of good saves and couldn't of done anything about their goal. Martin and Franke were both ok. Got caught out a few times but generally solid, Franke slightly more so than Rus, although no blame can be attached to him for the own goal. Zimmermann was excellent, probably my man of the match. Great in the air and made a few crucial blocks and interceptions. I've said already what I thought of the wing-backs, although I will add Husband was tidy on the ball, and Wildschut was brilliant at surging through Fulham's midfield and creating openings, which he did half a dozen or so times and created a number of good chances, mostly for Watkins. He also worked very hard, but his shooting did leave a lot to be desired. Reed was key for us in terms of keeping hold of possession, though he doesn't quite have Tettey's defensive instincts. Vrancic was also great in terms of retaining the ball but was slightly more attack-minded than Reed. I think it'll take him a few matches to properly get going but I don't doubt he has quality. Maddison was slightly disappointing. He wasn't bad but he often wanted to keep hold of the ball a bit too long. Watkins in all honesty didn't have a great debut, mainly down to those 3 golden chances that he missed. Jerome did the job he was asked to do but was unexceptional. He has his own skill-set but he is no Nelson Oliveira, who I fall in love with a little bit more every time he plays. Fantastic control and finish for the goal, and I for one loved the celebration, shows a bit of passion that so many players have lacked in the last 2 seasons. He is a hothead and I don't doubt he'll pick up cards this season, including a red at some point. But he's more than worth it because he is a special player. Lovely pass from Wes as well.
Don't know what to make of Farke not starting Oliveira to be fair. On the one hand I think it may have been a great decision, in the sense that Fulham played a very high pressing game, making it difficult to pass out from the back meaning we often had to go long towards the striker, but when they started to tire we were able to play out on the floor from deep. Of our strikers Jerome would probably be the one whose more suited to the high ball approach, with Oliveira the one better when the ball's on the floor. So in that sense I can see why Farke started him. Maybe he did that or maybe it was a completely unrelated reason and I'm reading too much into it
Really happy with Farke though. Switched the formation at half-time and we looked more in control in the 2nd half for it. Also thought he got his substitutions spot on.
I don't doubt Fulham will be up there come the end of the season, they looked a really dangerous side. With that in mind a point is a good result, and certainly one I would've taken before the game. Really looking forward to the first home game against Sunderland next week, and also to what this season will bring! But yeah, only 1 game but right now I'm feeling positive.
