Fulham lost Marco Silva to Benfica after 7 years in charge. Were fans disappointed to see him go after so much stability and success?
I think it’s a bit of both. Marco Silva was exceptional for Fulham, establishing us as a Premier League side after years of “yo-yoing”.
We did have a tenancy to drop-off when it mattered under Silva and last year particularly we felt that. Fans were after a change but I do wonder if this will be a case of be careful what you wish for.
The man to replace him was interim
Real Madrid manager Alvaro Arbeloa. Although he played in the Premier League as a player, did that appointment surprise you given his lack of coaching experience both overall and in England?
Honestly, I think everyone was a bit shocked by this one. I think one thing was apparent, Arbeloa was not first choice.
It took us an eternity to bring a manager in and we were linked to a lot before Arbeloa’s name entered the forefront.
Fulham began the season with a 3-2 defeat to Chelsea. How would you summarise the team’s performance and did it leave you confident coming into this match?
I think it’s exactly how we expected it to go following pre-season. Fulham will be exciting and attacking going forward but leave a lot to be desired defensively.
That’s what panned out with swashbuckling, edge of your seat football to go alongside almost comical defending at times. I think we’ll score a lot this year, I just worry how many we’ll let in at the other end.
To start your summer transfers, Fulham made a double signing from Real Madrid in striker Gonzalo Garcia and midfielder César Palacios – how have they both looked in preseason and on their debuts?
Garcia had the stronger of the two debuts. Throwing himself about, pressing absolutely everything and scoring a poacher-like goal to round out a decent day the office for him.
Palacios was the one who impressed fans the most in pre-season with intricate passing and desire to always get on the ball. That fell short on Monday night and he often felt a bit too weak on the ball, bullied in possession and at times looking way out of his depth. I think he’ll come good, he just needs time.
To add to that, Fulham signed Shea Charles in what was the most expensive deal ever for a Northern Irish player – what are you hoping he can bring to the table?
Charles is a signing that excites me a lot.
Fulham have needed bodies in midfield for what’s felt like 2-3 years (ever since we lost Palhinha really) and Charles is the profile we should be signing.
Strong in both boxes but also young enough to continue to develop.
One huge loss in the summer was Harry Wilson joining Leeds on a free transfer. Who do you think can step up in his place?
At the time of writing we only have one right-winger at the club in Oscar Bobb who seems to be lacking confidence in-front of goal at the moment.
We’ll hopefully bring one more in but I think fans are hopeful we can start to see goals in other areas of the pitch to help replace this in the aggregate.
Josh King should have a good year, Charles should add goals from deeper and we’re hopeful Kevin will have a strong year after finding his feet at the end of last season.
Aside from your new signings, who are the Fulham players who you believe will cause Sunderland problems?
Josh King was at the heart of all things great on Monday night and a goal off the bat will do wonders for his confidence.
If he can get a foothold of the game, he’ll dictate how Fulham go forward.
What style of play can Regis Le Bris’ side expect to encounter from Arbeloa’s team?
Kamikaze football is the best way I’d describe what we’ve seen so far.
Fulham will want lots of the ball and will want to press forward without any hesitation.
This will leave us exposed in midfield and at the back though so I wouldn’t be shocked if both sides had chances in abundance.
Are any players missing and who do you think will start the match?
The only notable return from Monday night is Joachim Andersen who returns from suspension. There was encouragement on Monday, but I do think we’ll make a few changes.
(4-2-3-1) Leno (GK), Castagne, Andersen, Bassey, Robinson, Berge, Charles, King, Palacios, Bobb, Garcia.
Fulham did the double over Sunderland last season – what is your score prediction for this time around?
I wasn’t overly impressed with Sunderland last week, I thought Ipswich took the game to you and limited chances.
That being said, Stadium of Light is a tricky place to go and you’ll be desperate to get a win and alleviate any pressure. I’m going with a draw, 1-1.
