Fulham manager Marco Silva bemoaned his team’s soft approach as he felt they were too weak in dealing with the opposition in their 2-0 defeat to his previous employers Everton. Before behind closed doors games because of the coronavirus pandemic, the Blues won 22 consecutive home games against Fulham in the league over a 57-year period.
But the Cottagers went unbeaten on their last five trips to Goodison Park, including a penalty shoot-out victory in the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup.
Silva, who was Blues boss himself for 18 months between May 31, 2018 and December 5, 2019 before being sacked after a 5-2 defeat at Liverpool left his side in the relegation zone, said: “It was a disappointing result for us, but more than the result, it was a very disappointing performance.
“We got what we deserved from the game, definitely.
“We played 20 minutes in all the game, I think. We lost the game through the physicality, we could not handle at all the physicality of Everton side.
“You can see throughout the game, all the chances – even the disallowed goals – they created. They came from the second action after long throws, corners or wide free-kicks.
“When these type of things happen, it is not a bad tactical point of view, it’s a moment that you have to use certain type of tools that the Premier League demands of you, it’s as simple as that.
“Some teams play one way, others play another and you have to be able to handle it.”
The 48-year-old Portuguese coach added: “We have been losing rather than winning games away from home and so far this season it has not been at the level of the last three seasons.
“The last three seasons have been very balanced in terms of results away and at home but this season it’s completely different so far, we have to change it.
“We have had injury problems like we did this afternoon, but we have always been competitive throughout the games.
“That was not the case this afternoon.
“In my opinion, you can lose football matches because of other things, like they are better than you, but you cannot lose football matches because of the physicality of the football match – never.
“You have to reach certain standards that need to be there and this is what disappoints me more because at this level, it’s not negotiable.”
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