The Premier League season is just over the horizon and the main bulk of Fulham’s pre season has been completed after our training camp in Portugal. Two decent performances against decent opposition in Benfica and Sevilla yielded one win and one defeat. But what did we learn from these two games, and where does it leave us going into the final week of preseason?
New signings starting to bed in.
All three of Fulham’s new senior signings gained valuable minutes, mostly in the second fixture against Sevilla. Ryan Sessegnon had already come on as a substitute against Benfica before starting at left back against the Spanish side. Fulham’ Sess looked rusty at times, but that’s to be expected for a player who has had such vast fitness issues in recent seasons. If Silva can ease him in gently and work out his best position, he could play a big part this season on his return to the Cottage.
A lot of excitement has been in the air in recent weeks with the impending arrival of England international Emile Smith Rowe, and his debut against Sevilla only added to the fanfare surrounding his transfer. Even before he’d got his name on the scoresheet, some of the touches he made on the half turn with his back to goal in the Sevilla half showed the class he possesses. His headed finish showed a determination not only to burst into the box to get on the end of the delivery, but to put his head where it hurts in a goalscoring position too, something we have lacked from our number 10 in recent seasons.
Jorge Cuenca was perhaps the most impressive of the three debutants, despite having the least anticipation made of his arrival. The Spanish centre back was faultless at the back.
