Marco Silva admitted Aston Villa thoroughly deserved the three points after his Fulham side fell to a 3-1 defeat in the Villa Park drizzle.
The Fulham head coach rued what he described as a lack of calmness from his side as the Whites were well beaten by Unai Emery’s in-form outfit. Silva told his post-match press conference:
“It was a frustrating afternoon for us. I have to say that Villa deserved the three points. A football match is much more than just playing the first half or second half, you have to be consistent from the first minute. The frustration for us is the way we conceded the goals this afternoon. A second own goal this season so far in 12 games, the number is too big.
We have to be much more relaxed. We know the quality of the teams that we are playing against and we have to be much more calm, much more relaxed in some moments when the ball is around our box. The second goal, again the way two players clashed with each other in one moment when we had that moment under control – easy to solve that problem there. And after they clashed, from that moment they built the second goal and made things much more difficult for us.
To be honest, what frustrates me more from the first half was the way we played on the ball. We had one or two moments, one good moment on our right side when probably we should have created the clear chance to score. We planned to attack them in behind, we tried to do it, but first half was poor on the ball. We didn’t express ourselves on the ball.
We spoke at half-time, from a tactical point of view we didn’t change many, many things, we just had to adjust and give the players the belief, and show them that we have to do much better on the ball, to start to express ourselves, and to be Fulham Football Club on the pitch that didn’t exist first half. Second half, we did it from the first minute. I felt Villa dropped off the pitch, waited much more for us, didn’t try to press so high to try to punish us on the counter attack, but from the first minute I felt that we were there.
We were trying to score [to make it] 2-1, to get into the game again. We were commanding the game, and we cannot give another goal like we gave. We gave the third goal to them, after an offensive corner for us. We had the moment again to be calm, to be relaxed, to build the attack again, and we gave the ball away and we were sloppy. And they scored 3-0. When you make this many mistakes, we don’t deserve nothing from the game.
In the second half, from the first minute until the last, we tried. We scored a good goal with the way we planned to punish Villa, and we had one or two more moments on the right-hand side with Timothy to square the ball to Vini in a way we planned. With better finishing in that moment, we should have scored to at least make it 3-2, and after we can go for the game again. The players fought until the end. The second half was much, much better than the first, but the football match is not just one half. It’s 95, 100 minutes. We have to start from the first minute in the way we did second half.”
He knows what’s wrong but Villa wasn’t a one off – we’ve played this way and as poorly often, all season. The worry for me is that Silva isn’t in denial as previous managers often have been but is failing to correct the faults he knows are there. If he can’t put things right we’re in real trouble and a few signings in January won’t put things right. Force me to bet for or against relegation and my money would be on us going down. We’re way too timid and weak.
So why did our professional football team turn up with such a poor attitude in the first half? Why? No aggression, passive. I keep hearing these words from Silva yet we did it again. Our attitude in the 2nd half was a complete change so why the first half? Unacceptable. At least have a go and go down fighting. I don’t want to watch us play like that in the first half again. It’s not acceptable.
I agree we keep doing nothing in the first half of games we just sat back and let them have the ball, i also think Silva should have started with Wilson as Reid did nothing once again, Cairney would be better than Periera so why not start with him in our next game also Traore and Vinicius. We have to start playing the full 90 minutes or we are going to be in big trouble no more excuses it’s time for Silva to deliver.
We’ve conceded two OGs so far this season (and Robinson is our joint top scorer), but when you consider Reams mistake against Chelsea and Man Utd., you could say the total is four.
Our play is too pedestrian from back to front, easy pickings for any decent side. Silva seems afraid to cull the persistent offenders and try different players and maybe the shape to suit the players, not the players to fit the shape. Also, maybe it’s time to find a new captain, who provide leadership and drive on the pitch. There will be no Joao for the Wolves game, so he has to change something.
Oh dear. Looks like we are in a bit of trouble. I look back and think where did it all begin? I point to a man once our “god” and “Judas” – Mitro! Not so much what happened but the way in which happened. If he was still with us he would have possibly scored 5/6 goals by now, and potentially 4/5 assists as well. so at around 10 goals to our draws and one goal defeat things would be so different. So with money to spend in the transfer window, and in need of quality players, lets be honest are quality players wanting to come to us with the possibility of the championship on the horizon? Fingers crossed COYW.