Last season was more than forgettable for Fulham fans. They suffered through two managerial changes, slow-motion football for the first half of the season and ultimately relegation from the Premier League after 13 years of eating at the top table. Felix Magath, who tried but ultimately failed to keep the club in the top flight, has been retained for the promotion push, but how are things looking with just under two weeks until the start of the new season?
1. Squad changes
It is safe to say that this has been a summer of transition for the Whites. The squad is almost unrecognisable from the one that failed so badly last season, and it is likely that there is more of a shake-up to come. No fewer than 15 players, including several of the first-team squad from 2013/14, have been sold or released in what is a typical Magath summer. Few can argue against most of the sales, except perhaps Pajtim Kasami and the release of captain Brede Hangeland.
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In their place have come a number of players from Germany or with links to Magath. Tim Hoogland has come in to replace Sascha Riether, John Arne Riise left, with Kostas Stafylidis from Bayer Leverkusen recruited on loan, with the big money signing of the summer so far being Ross McCormack from Leeds United. The signings seem intelligent and experienced and on paper at least should be capable of performing in the second tier.
2. Youth players
As well as the more experienced incomings, Magath has been busy bringing down the overall age of the squad with a few younger signings - such as Shaun Hutchinson from Motherwell and Adam Taggart from Newcastle Jets - as well as phasing in a lot of the club's academy players.
It is clear from the teams selected in the pre-season games so far that Magath has a lot of confidence in the youth players. Where that puts the team in terms of their readiness for the Championship is unclear, but they will have the advantage of hungry, hard-working players.
In the recent friendly against DC United, Moussa Dembele bagged a very intelligent hat-trick and showed some fine link-up play with Chris David. The Dutchman, in particular, has shown a great deal in the friendlies so far to suggest that he could be a key player for the team this season. The futures of the likes of Bryan Ruiz and Kostas Mitroglou are still unknown, so Magath has done the right thing by integrating the players who want to remain at the club.
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3. Tactics
Magath has used a number of different lineups in the friendly games so far, so the team to open the season against Ipswich Town is not clear, but he has tried to get the players used to the tactic that he has used a lot in his career so far. Fulham have started frequently with two strikers and a diamond midfield - David at the point and, more recently, Hoogland at the base.
This tactic explains the introduction of the attacking full-backs Stafylidis and Kay Voser, who will provide the width to a more narrow midfield, but early indications are that the players have taken to the system well. Not many goals have gone in so far, and results have been promising, so there is plenty to indicate that this work-in-progress could lead to a strong season.
Training has also been hard, as it so often is with Magath. Within the diamond system, the players will need to cover each other so starting the season with high levels of fitness might lead to Fulham getting out of the blocks quickly. They will need to, certainly, with a very tricky start to life in the Championship. Magath still has work to do on his squad, as it looks a little bare, but the signs are there that the Whites might have a decent chance to push for promotion even with the many changes so far.
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Sports Mole says: It's a tough call with no real indication yet that the new players are of the required standard, but things are going well and at least a playoff spot looks likely.
Matt Domm
