Can Everton Prevent Fulham's Record Point Tally?

Everton travel back to London for consecutive away games as David Moyes’ Blues travel to Craven Cottage to face Fulham.

Both sides have nothing to play for; obviously, there is the pride of winning and the desire to finish as high up the Premier League table as possible, but in the grand scheme of things, this could be a perfect opportunity to switch the teams up a little bit, a time to experiment perhaps. However, it is hard to see Marco Silva, ex-Everton manager for 60 matches between May 2018 and December 2019, going ahead with this plan, as it is possible for the West London side to match their record point tally in the league, which is 52. Fulham are only a point away, and it is extremely important, especially for Marco Silva: "No doubt about it. Of course other teams are fighting hard as well. But as you mention, we have a position in the table that is important for us. After the FA Cup final, you do not know what is going to happen to the places for European competitions. And to break the points tally record is very important for us. The commitment, the attitude and the ambition from ourselves, being at our best level, we played some great football, too, and of course, now we want to fight very hard to achieve the things that are there to be fought for."

It may be difficult for Fulham, however, with a few key players missing. Harrison Reed, Timothy Castagne, Sasak Lukic, Rodrigo Muniz and Reiss Nelson all remain out for Fulham. Last time out for Fulham, it was an expected slender defeat to Aston Villa, who are thriving for a major European spot alongside many other clubs. An early corner crossed in by Scottish midfielder was landed onto the head of Belgian midfielder Youri Tielemans, and even though Bernd Leno got a strong hand on it, it wasn’t enough to stop the velocity of the ball, giving Aston Villa the lead and the only goal of the game. However, the game before that was a lot more vibrant for Fulham. Going behind in the 14th minute against bottom-of-the-league, already relegated Southampton was a shock to the system. However, Fulham’s late fightback, a 72nd equaliser by Emile Smith Rowe, and a 92nd-minute winner by Ryan Sessegnon sent the away end into pandemonium, with Marco Silva stating his side deserved to win the game and the chances of European football are still alive.

Although both clubs are opposed in terms of position in the table, both Moyes and Silva have expressed the necessity for a summer plan. In his pre-match press conference, Marco Silva explained that he “already has my plan; the board knows that as well. I hope they can match the plan. I have trust we can do it." On the other hand, there will definitely be some work at Finch Farm this summer, following Abdoulaye Docuoure’s recent actions. Off the pitch, Docuoure went on a podcast with ex-Premier League goalkeeper Ben Foster, FozCast, talking about his future at the club: ”It’s funny because now I hear, especially on X and Instagram, that Everton fans were saying, 'We love Doucouré to stay, but he has to lower his wages,’ and I’m amazed. Why are they talking about my salary? To be honest I deserve to have my salary right now… And to be honest I won’t reduce my salary to stay at the club because I don’t think I deserve to reduce my salary. I’m playing every season, I’m scoring important goals, and I’m very important for the club. No, I should have an increase.” It is reported that Doucouré is on £130,000 a week, far too high. Many Evertonians have stated online that the money should go elsewhere, perhaps to new signings who are younger—Doucoure is 32, like Jarrad Branthwaite and Harrison Armstrong—who can become top talents at the club.

The rumours for the summer are already brewing, with ex-Everton player Richarlison being linked back to the club per Sky Sports. Unfortunately, in his pre-match press conference, Moyes was reluctant to give anything away, dismissing the claims. Also in his press conference, Moyes spoke about the unity in the side, especially in the backline, which has been solid all season, expressing that “We have got a long way to go. There is an incredible spirit among the players, and they look out for each other. But we want to try and make it better and keep building on it… If you are good at the back, it gives you a great platform to build on. We have tried to add more chances and score more goals – I think we have done that as well.

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Premier League Matchweek 36:

Saturday 10th May:

Fulham 15:00 Everton

Ipswich 15:00 Brentford

Southampton 15:00 Man City

Wolves 15:00 Brighton

Bournemouth 17:30 Aston Villa

Sunday 11th May:

Newcastle 12:00 Chelsea

Man United 14:15 West Ham

Nottingham Forest 14:15 Leicester

Tottenham 14:15 Crystal Palace

Liverpool 16:30 Arsenal

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Thank you for reading my pre-match article!