Fulham boss Marco Silva reacts to todays disappointing 4-0 home defeat at Fulham's last home match of the season
Craven Cottage, London UK
Craven Cottage, London UK
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00:00 Despite the promise you stopped, after the first goal went in, it became a very difficult
00:09 game for you, you were really city dominated.
00:12 Good afternoon. Yes, tough game as you expected. Like all the teams that I play against, city
00:25 deciding their best or causing their best is always really tough. We started the game
00:32 with a plan behind the game to mix a bit the position of Bobby Reed in some moments in
00:40 our defensive point of view. Some good transitions during that period. I really believe that,
00:46 as always, the goals play a big part in football matches but this afternoon is a good example
00:53 of that, the way we considered almost all goals. Of course, credit is for City, all
00:59 that stuff, but we have to do much better in almost all the four goals. The first, simple
01:05 combination from Guardiola in that situation, the pass and goal, we have to defend much
01:10 better, we have to be more aggressive.
01:12 And the second as well, a little bit lucky after a good take from João. Probably in
01:18 our best period we had a chance with Rodrigo before the second goal and they scored. And
01:24 the third and the fourth, more or less the same situation. Unnecessary penalty at all
01:30 and that set-piece goal that we considered in the moments that we have been really, really
01:37 solid in defensive set-pieces so far this season.
01:40 And considering goals like that against a top side like City, of course, creates much
01:44 more difficulties for us and that's what's happened in the game. I agree with you, after
01:48 the 1-0, City dominated, completed the first half. We kept them quiet, not big chances
01:54 for them, but the reality is that we were not able to create any chance in the first
01:57 half. And of course, the games have both sides, the part that was important for us to keep
02:04 them quiet, not give them the chance to create chances, but at the same time we should have
02:08 created more. We had one or two moments, more with Alex, that was the player in that pocket
02:13 area where we tried to have him create something. Apart from that, nothing really special.
02:20 At half-time we tried to change, of course, to give more power in our attacking line,
02:23 tried to put a different player on our right-hand side, to isolate a little bit Adama Trolley
02:29 on the right-hand side with the help of André Esperer, more on the right too. To give Tom
02:33 Carney a little bit more quality in our build-up, to have more of the ball and from that moment
02:37 we tried to be more offensive. The start was good, the second half, not created many, but
02:43 I think we had a good chance with Rodrigo. After a cross from Adama, apart from that
02:49 nothing more and the second goal killed the game.
02:51 To beat City, do you need to take risks and be brave? Do you feel you need to be more
02:57 brave and aggressive against what was a physical team?
03:01 Yes, I cannot say that we didn't try it. In some moments against this type of side,
03:09 you definitely have to be brave. We planned the game to be brave. I think the first 10,
03:15 15 minutes we showed that. We knew as well because this team has the capacity to have
03:23 long possessions that is going to take some energy from you. Not just the energy but emotional
03:33 energy as well that is going to take. Crucial against this type of side in this type of
03:37 game when you win the ball, to not lose again quick. I think the first half happened too
03:42 often with us because apart from the first minutes we lost the ball too quick again and
03:46 of course we started to lose confidence. City, sustain the pressure on yourselves, always
03:51 in their offensive half and it is more difficult. I think it was not a case of lack of braveness
03:57 at all. It was much more the way we considered the goals that gave the confidence that they
04:03 needed and took confidence from ourselves and created a difficult scenario for us.
04:06 Did they start the match with full setbacks and cut staff back for a physical team? How
04:10 much more difficult is it to face them when they have that?
04:13 No, they are really physical. It is not just when you see a team like them that their priority
04:18 is to keep the ball and they have the capacity to keep the ball. They don't want to lose
04:22 the ball easy, never. One of the reasons why they did it to start with the four central
04:28 defenders is not something new for them. For sure it was not the first and it is not going
04:32 to be the last. But of course create and put on the pitch a really physical side. When
04:38 you have these four central defenders plus Rodri in front of the back line, they knew
04:45 as well that we are a strong side in our defensive set-pieces as well. Create a really solid
04:51 defensive set-piece for them that is playing a big part in the games too. Of course it
04:56 is difficult in that aspect, the physical point of view. We know that they are stronger than
05:01 us and in some duels we felt that.
05:04 What do you say to the current situation of the manager?
05:11 I don't want to be unfair with the others because if you are at this level of the season,
05:18 at this stage of the season, with two teams being so, so tight there and in a big title
05:24 race, it is going to be unfair for myself to say. I consider City not just one of the
05:30 best in this country but one of the best in the world with no doubts about it. But when
05:35 I played against Arsenal I said more or less the same thing. Arsenal in terms of Champions
05:41 League and Europe, the last few seasons have not been at the same level as City but what
05:46 they have been doing so far this season has been incredible too because they are still
05:51 in the title race until now. Even Liverpool, the last three or four games for them were
05:58 completely different and they dropped a little bit. But the Premier League is so competitive
06:02 that if you drop and you don't get the results one or two weeks in a row, it creates a completely
06:08 different scenario and people start to stop to talk about you. But of course City, when
06:13 you are champions three times in a row or in the last six they won four or five, all
06:19 that stuff of course speaks for themselves. I don't need to say many, many things about
06:23 the title race this season. Yes it has been tight between three clubs before, during the
06:29 ten months or nine months, now it is between the other two and they have to decide.
06:34 We will take the last two questions.
06:38 Mark, you have spoken about your admiration for the White Lions, aside from the tactical
06:45 side of things, I was wondering if City are in the title race, it feels like they are
06:50 driving the team. I was wondering how much you admire that and how much you think that
06:56 is great for the group?
06:58 One of the things that everybody in football at this level is searching for, it doesn't
07:06 matter what race you are, what type of goals you have, it is about consistency. It is really
07:13 something that they have been always there in the last many seasons. Even when they weren't
07:22 champions, they were fighting there. This is because of what Arsenal have been doing
07:30 so far this season. In football the most difficult thing is to get consistent in terms of performance
07:36 and the results and they have been achieving that. It doesn't matter the opposition, it
07:43 doesn't matter what type of teams they are playing against, the process is there, you
07:49 can see it. They have enough maturity to go in that direction. We prefer to look for ourselves,
07:56 there is much more to talk about City, I prefer to talk about myself. They deserve to win,
08:01 they got the three points, credit to them and we have to move on.
08:05 One more question.
08:06 One more game to go, has this been a good season for you?
08:11 No doubts, no doubts about it. It has been a very, very good season for Fulham Football
08:18 Club, it has been another great season for us. Of course it is difficult, you know myself,
08:23 when you come here to talk about the whole season when you have a defeat and a heavy
08:27 defeat at home, it is not an easy one to take. The mood is not the same and you can feel
08:35 it for sure in my face and all that stuff. But if you have to look overall for the season,
08:40 I have to say it is not just good, it is a very good season for us. Successful again,
08:47 a team that lost its main goal scorer last summer and if you look for all the Premier
08:55 League sides, how many they have to sell their main striker, no one. Unfortunately it was
09:01 not easy for us, we were not able to go in the market to replace him really strong for
09:10 many reasons, I already explained that. We rebuilt from the players we got inside our
09:16 squad, we got confidence again in Raul, we developed Rodrigo to play at his level again
09:24 and to score important goals but we did with the players we had inside. I think three or
09:30 four very good signings from us made a huge impact in our squad, like Calvin, Timo, Timothy
09:37 and Alex for example, as the others. I have to say when you play at our best level we
09:46 were really a fantastic team to see, to enjoy, even myself I managed to enjoy because sometimes
09:53 I like to enjoy my team playing football too. We had some fantastic performances at home
09:59 this season, we beat some great sides as well, away from home as well, some great wins too.
10:06 We reached for the first time in the club story the semi-finals of the Carabao Cup and
10:11 I'm saying all these things when everybody was talking at the beginning of the season
10:16 about the second Premier League season syndrome, all that stuff. After the first six, seven
10:22 months no one speaks no more about Fulham in that position and again just speaks about
10:27 ourselves and what we have been doing. If you ask me if my ambition is to get more and
10:32 go more on the table, I'm not 100% sure. I have to be honest with you after the last
10:35 international break, after when we beat Tottenham or Brighton, I don't remember what game we
10:42 had in that moment. We were in a very good moment of form with almost all of our squad
10:48 available. We talked and our ambition inside was to fight for something more, to try to
10:52 climb more on the table. For different reasons it was not possible, that consistent that
10:57 we were searching, we didn't achieve during that period. The Premier League is really
11:02 tough and competitive and now is the moment for me as I manage to analyse why and to see
11:07 and try to improve for next season, to be clear with the board again, to be clear with
11:11 this football club, the steps that we should give if we want to keep improving.
11:16 Thank you.
11:18 Thank you.
11:19 (gavel bangs)