Defensively, Fulham have been a tough nut to crack, losing just four games so far. Recently, Silva has leaned on a three-centre-back set-up, initially defending in a 4-4-2 shape. In this system, one winger pushes forward to support the striker in the press, with Timothy Castagne operating as a right-back and Calvin Bassey moving wide into the left-back role with Robinson ahead of him. However, Fulham’s press intensity across the pitch is below average, and they quickly transition into a 5-4-1 block to defend in the middle and defensive thirds, dropping Robinson back into a more familiar wing-back role. This structure makes them particularly difficult to break down, as they allow the fourth-fewest touches in their penalty area and the second-fewest penalty box entries via dribbles.
While Fulham can be tough to break down in open play, they do have somewhat of a soft underbelly when it comes to set-pieces. Despite ranking among the bottom five for set-pieces conceded, they’re in the top five for shots conceded from dead-ball situations, suggesting that set-pieces could be a potential weakness to exploit. A big factor here is Fulham’s below-average duelling stats across the board. As a team, they rank fourth-worst in the division for aerial duels, winning just 48.1% on average, with centre-backs Andersen and Bassey both sitting in the bottom 45% for their individual win rates. This is compounded by their tendency to allow 16.8 crosses per match, the eleventh most in the Premier League. With the aerial prowess of the likes of Tomáš Souček, the Hammers could exploit Fulham’s weakness by getting the full-backs forward to deliver dangerous crosses into the box.
Whatever the plan, Silva’s Fulham are a tough side to beat this season. Spurs, Arsenal, Liverpool, Brighton, Bournemouth and Chelsea have all failed to take three points from them in the last six weeks alone. For West Ham to do what those sides couldn’t, they’ll need to match the intensity of Silva’s team, defend their box impeccably, and find those difference-making moments of quality in the final third. A difficult task, yes. But, with players like Maximilian Kilman and Souček leading the aerial charge, West Ham have the quality required to get the job done.
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of Analytics United and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of West Ham United.
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