The Fulham 2022/23 season preview and prediction was originally printed in the Season Preview edition of FourFourTwo. Subscribe today!
The plan? Survival – all fairly straightforward, really. Or is it? To achieve their goal, Fulham must halt a streak of being relegated as soon as they’re promoted stretching back to 2018/19. It can be done – just look at Wolves, who went up as champions in the same season Fulham began their yo-yo obsession.
The Cottagers have achieved the feat themselves, remaining in the Premier League for 13 seasons after they were first promoted in 2000/01, but their last two efforts to stay afloat have not gone particularly well. Despite wildly different approaches to recruitment, both ended in the same result: doom. First, the Londoners made 12 signings costing an eye-watering £100m; on the second occasion in 2020/21, they built a weak side based on loanees. Getting it right this time is essential.
Fulham 2022/23 season preview and prediction: The lesson from last year
Not even the most optimistic Fulham fan will expect the same from their team this season. The Championship victors were scintillating going forward, scoring 106 goals and averaging over nine shots inside the box per game, but it’s at the back where big concerns lie. Marco Silva’s charges were far from impregnable defensively in the second tier, leaking roughly a goal per game, and will need to tighten up.
Maximising chances from all scenarios, then, will be crucial. Silva has improved Fulham at set pieces, scoring 17 goals and conceding just five last term, while talismanic striker Aleksandar Mitrovic is at his best when converting crosses from 19-assist Harry Wilson.
Fulham won’t sit back and become a counter-attacking outfit like many promoted clubs. Can they find a crucial balance?
The coach: Marco Silva
A perfect first campaign for Marco Silva, who was looking to restore his reputation. Fulham needed someone who would allow them to play without the handbrake on, and boy did they do that in 2021/22. This season will be a test for the former Everton and Hull boss, but he has plenty of credit in the bank.
The owner: Shahid Khan
The easily pleased will quickly point to Craven Cottage’s new Riverside Stand (partly) opening this summer and be content. But this is Shahid Khan’s fourth season as a Premier League supremo, and the previous three have ended in relegation. The Jacksonville Jaguars chief needs to wise up in the big league, and fast.
The mood around Fulham…
Sky-high. Fulham didn’t just secure the Championship crown, they smashed records, entertained and won eight games by four or more goals. Yet their past two top-tier campaigns ended in the drop, and there’s an uneasy blend of nervousness and resolve among the Cottagers’ fanbase.
The one to watch
Mitrovic. Yes, genuinely – the Serbian has a reputation outside SW6 as a flat-track bully who can’t cut it in the top division. He won’t replicate last term’s record-breaking 43-goal haul, but if he starts matches regularly – unlike in 2020/21 – then Mitro should prove his doubters wrong.
Most likely to…
Forget that one of their players exists. Centre-back Terence Kongolo initially signed on loan in January 2020 – since then the Dutchman’s made just four appearances in all competitions. An immovable object. In the wrong way.
Least likely to…
Tweet anything about Fulham. Tony Khan, director of football operations and vice-chairman, has all the grand titles, but judging by his social media channels is much more interested in middle-aged men wearing Lycra. Posts about his All Elite Wrestling empire are everywhere. Football not so much.
The fan's view: Jack Stroudley (@FulhamishPod)
Last season was truly amazing. I’ve never been as confident in a Fulham side for the vast majority of it.
The big talking point is recruitment, because we’ve seen two varying approaches on our past two visits to the Premier League. One involved spending massive amounts; the other relied heavily on loan signings. Neither were successful, but now we’re in a better position.
This season will be different because we won’t be putting six or seven past anyone!
Our key player will be Aleksandar Mitrovic. A lot of neutrals think his level is the Championship, but Fulham supporters will completely disagree. He’s still only 27 and coming in off the back of a 43-goal campaign.
I won’t be happy unless we stay up. There’s a fear that if we don’t, a lot of players who stayed for last season probably wouldn’t again.
Our most underrated player is Kenny Tete, who arrived for £2m before our last top-flight campaign and has been really solid.
I’m least looking forward to playing Manchester City. I’ve been to the Etihad three times with Fulham and seen us lose a combined 11-1.
The fans’ opinion of the gaffer is incredibly high – Silva got the fans onside with his attractive brand of football and ability to get the best out of his players. We’ve even looked stronger from set pieces under him.
The pantomime villain will be Fabio Carvalho. It seems inevitable that he’ll score the winner at Craven Cottage on the opening weekend for Liverpool. And it will hurt.
The one change I’d make would be another set of stairs in the Hammersmith End. Fulham fans will get it!
We’ll finish just outside the relegation zone.
FFT'S VERDICT… 16th
Unlike former years, Fulham don’t feel dead certs to drop. One thing’s certain: under Silva, they’ll give this a good go.
