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Fulham 5 conclusions

14/08/2021

First game back with home fans in over 500 days for Huddersfield Town and it was a derisory performance from The Terriers. Individual errors from Town and the officials really cost Town as they were thumped 5-1 by recently relegated Fulham.

Town looks a threat from set-pieces this season.

It is going to be the only positive conclusion from the match, so it may as well be first! Town only managed to score 11 goals from set-pieces in 46 games last season and have managed 2 already this season and they should have had a third if it wasn't for the linesman just guessing it was offside. The additions of Colwill and Pearson are not just an upgrade in defence, they also add a lot of firepower for attacking set-pieces.
Sorba Thomas emergence as a starter in Town's team has undoubtedly helped, Town now know they can rely on a player to provide a good set-piece - something that Town have not had since Gary Roberts.
Attacking-wise, Town are looking a threat, but defensively it is the polar opposite. Whether that is because the keeper doesn't know whether to claim a cross or because of poor marking. It's just the basics Town are getting wrong.

The lack of concentration in the Town squad is worrying.

The dreaded hangover from last season has happened, individual errors and poor concentration is costing Town time and time again. In all honesty, for none of Fulham's goals, Town can hold their hands up and say: 'there was nothing we could do about that goal'. The first goal came from an unneeded back pass, the second was horrendous marking from the corner, the third came straight of kick-off after pulling one back, the fourth came straight after a Fulham substitution and then for the fifth, the team looked like they were already thinking about Preston. It was embarrassing watching some of the individual errors out there today, if you can't be focused and switched on playing in front of your home fans for the first-ever time in most cases, I don't know what will.

Player's didn't take their chance

4 first team players were out due to COVID, Sinani out due to injury and a change of system which was a great chance for those squad players to prove their worth. Schofield, Sarr, Vallejo, Holmes, Ward and Rhodes had an opportunity to get another chance or cement their place in the side. Fulham combined with the Derby game didn't really produce any performances of note, from those listed players. Sarr may have scored against Derby and Holmes did look like he was run off his feet today, but it was just disappointing. I think Scott High and Sorba Thomas were the only players that have stood out from that periphery group. They both were sharp towards the back end of last season and in pre-season so it was no surprise to see them playing well.

The Officials.

I don't want to use the officials as an excuse for today, but I think it is worth mentioning how poor they were - I would go as far as to say they were the only people who put in a worse performance than Town today! It is clear that the Championship officials have not improved in the off-season. Today there were three key decisions that the man in the middle completely missed. Firstly the denial of a clear Huddersfield goal that would have put Town 1-0 up. Secondly, the first Fulham goal should not have counted, as the ball had gone out of play and thirdly the red card - the referee would have not given it if it wasn't for the fourth official advising him to. Like Town, it was just the basics the officials got wrong today and it shouldn't be happening at this level.
Every season it is the same, the officials never improve, they make the same mistakes, they spoil and alter games by their sheer incompetence.

Bacuna and Mbenza need to be back into selection contention

Town don't have the financial muscle to not play their highest earners as they look to offload them. We are not in a position where we can be freezing players out the side, it gives off a bad impression to sides looking to sign them and they are still of use to our first team squad. Secondly, for them to be referring to each other as 'toxic' is worrying, and you would have to question the reasoning behind why they are calling each other that. They are still Huddersfield Town footballers, and they should still be treated like them and not ousted to train with the academy players. It's also a risky way to run a club, what happens if they don't leave? or if clubs are seeing we are desperate to see the back of them, their value will only depreciate.
The other point surrounding them is that they are not bad players. Mbenza is hot and cold, but Bacuna is the only midfielder we have that can do what he can do and especially as 4 of our first team players have COVID, Town can't afford to be missing any of their other first-teamers by choice.

Town side:

Starting 11: Ryan Schofield, Ollie Turton, Matty Pearson, Naby Sarr, Levi Colwill, Sorba Thomas, Duane Holmes (67' Jordan Rhodes), Jonathan Hogg, Alex Vallejo (45' Scott High), Josh Koroma, Danny Ward (45' Fraizer Campbell
Subs: Nicholas Bilokapic, Pipa, Scott High, Reece Brown, Tom Lees, Fraizer Campbell, Jordan Rhodes
Formation: 532