Scott Parker has hinted that he could ring the changes for Fulham’s trip to Newcastle United on Saturday night – with the in-form Bobby Decordova-Reid a doubt for the St. James’ Park clash after going off injured during last night’s draw with Brighton and Hove Albion.
The Fulham boss recognises that rotation will be necessary as his side embark on a packed festive fixture programme but Decordova-Reid’s absence would be a significant blow, given how spectacularly he has taken to a new right wing-back role over the last fortnight. Parker told his pre-match press conference earlier this afternoon:
Bobby’s got a bit of an issue with a quad that he picked up in the first half. It’s a recovery day, so we’ll see where we are a bit nearer the game.
We’ll have to consider rotating the squad. It would be physically impossible for a player to play so many games as what the schedule is and we have to look at it and see where we can brighten things up.
Parker professed himself impressed with Aleksandar Mitrovic’s late cameo after the Serbian striker played the last fifteen minutes of last night’s dour draw having missed Sunday’s clash with Liverpool due to an ankle injury.
I thought he did very well when he came on. He brought his quality. He’s in a good place, he’s getting up to speed. There’s no doubt, with a lot of games coming up, that he’ll be in and around it.
The Fulham head coach is wary of underestimating Newcastle, despite Steve Bruce’s side being on the wrong end of a 5-2 thumping at Leeds last night.
They’re a good, well-organised side. They’ve got individuals in the team that can cause problems. They have a manager who has done a fantastic job, throughout his career. It’s a tough place to go, St James’ Park. I played there for a few years so know what it’s like
