Marco Silva is demanding the same high standards from his Fulham side as they travel to Blackpool to resume their Championship campaign this weekend.
The Portuguese head coach insists his team can’t be affected by the praise that has accompanied an unbeaten start to the season, which has seen the Whites take thirteen points from a possible fifteen so far. Silva certainly won’t be underestimating a Blackpool side, who he knows will be hungry to claim their first win of the season at Bloomfield Road tomorrow.
He told FFCTV:
“The approach we had with our last opponents is everything what we are doing now. Nothing has changed for us. We are demanding the same, the approach to the game will be same, the respect between ourselves and Blackpool will be the same. We know they will play with full energy to get the first win of the season. If they can get that against Fulham, it will be fantastic for them. We have to go to play in our best level, to demand this from ourselves first of all, we expect to match them and we want to come back home with the three points. It is our way – and this is how we will do things.
Even when you are winning and winning games, it doesn’t mean that everything is perfect and everything is okay. When you are not winning games, you can do doing things right. Of course, we are doing many things right at the moment but before Stoke I was clear with our players – we achieved two wins before that, I told them that we have to play at our best level and be different to win against Stoke. We have to be honest in our analysis and to be clear with our players. Even if you are winning games and everyone is talking about us, it is up to us to keep the same level and to achieve that we have work hard.”
Silva revealed that Fulham’s new signings have settled in well at Motspur Park during the international break, but it remains too early to say how soon they will feature in the first team.
They are settling well. We work to welcome everyone who arrives in this club in the right way. We want to support them and demand from them but in the meantime give them the feeling that there are at home. That is what we are doing with both and with Rodrigo Muniz as well. It was an opportunity for us to replace Frank Anguissa with Chalobah, a player that I know very well. He signed for Watford under me from Chelsea. Getting a player like Chalobah [for] free was a good opportunity for the football club. We will demand the best for Chalobah that I saw when he was at Watford.
Domingos Quina was an opportunity that came up in the market. A player that comes here on loan. I like the player of the player. One more signing for us – for players to join our football club that they have add something to our squad and these three, they do it. Competition will be very good for Fulham Football Club. Already you have some examples of players who probably didn’t think they would be playing, they are playing well. Fab[io Carvalho] is a good example of someone who got the chance and is planning so well. Denis Odoi is another example. Football is like that. You have to switch on, even if you not playing.”
The Fulham boss was happy to be voted as the Championship manager of the month for August, but wanted to emphasise that the club’s excellent start to the season was a collaborative effort by a number of people working behind the scenes at the club.
“It is always a very good feeling to feel that people see our work. Thanks to the people that voted for this award. It is a consequence from the results but to get results in football there are many, many people working behind the scenes as well. It is not just a matter of the manager. The technical staff, the players, the medical staff, the players, the people in the kitchen, the groundsman as well – so many people work in this football club for us to have the conditions for us to get the results.”
