Marco Silva unique: Fulham head coach says membership should embrace strain of European push and club-record factors whole bid | Soccer Information

Seven video games to set a club-record Premier League factors whole and earn a European spot. Are Fulham going to really feel the strain?

“We set the goal at the start of the season for us to reach within the ultimate phases combating for one thing essential,” head coach Marco Silva tells Sky Sports activities.

“It isn’t further strain or extra strain for us. It’s a privilege to have any such factor. It’s what I would like.

“It’s the strain that I placed on myself, my workers, my gamers and now if we have now the possibility to battle [for it], we have now to embrace it.”

Fulham are on a excessive once more after changing into solely the second aspect this season to topple Liverpool and the primary to do it on residence turf. The victory got here on the finish of their hardest second of the season, an FA Cup quarter-final defeat at residence to Crystal Palace after which a loss at Arsenal.

“What makes the distinction between the traditional sides and the great sides is the best way you’ll be able to bounce again and the best way you’ll be able to present the character and the character as a staff,” says Silva, whose staff want two extra wins to surpass the Premier League document Roy Hodgson’s staff set in 2009.

The end result was an announcement in how Silva has aimed to vary the membership’s mentality when enjoying towards the highest sides. They’ve crushed Nottingham Forest and Newcastle twice this season, plus Chelsea.

“I bear in mind the primary season within the Premier League, towards groups that had been under us, more often than not we had been in a position to get the factors. Towards groups that had been above us, we weren’t in a position to,” says Silva. “It was one thing that I used to be questioning nearly each single week.

“It was one thing that we modified utterly by way of our mindset. Slight issues within the method, however mindset way more. Our bravery and our ambition for these video games and to not change something. To respect our id and our philosophy as effectively.”

Between 2018 and 2022, Fulham had been both promoted or relegated every season however since returning to the Premier League below Silva, they’ve completed tenth and thirteenth with out the specter of relegation.

They’ve accomplished it after shedding their two finest gamers within the final two summers, striker Aleksandar Mitrovic and midfielder Joao Palhinha. “Different groups after they promote their predominant strikers, they go and so they spend all the pieces of their place. We’re not in a position to do it. We remedy it otherwise.”

Raul Jimenez and Rodrigo Muniz have each hit double figures in all competitions. Antonee Robinson’s 10 assists is probably the most of any defender within the Premier League. Alex Iwobi and Calvin Bassey have each improved to grow to be key gamers.

In a season the place the three promoted golf equipment, Southampton, Leicester and Ipswich, are all more likely to go straight again down, it’s a important achievement that Fulham have established themselves within the prime flight.

It’s why Silva has been linked with jobs at Manchester United and Tottenham. Fulham shall be determined to maintain him with a yr left on his contract. Does he deserve extra credit score?

“That isn’t for me to speak about. My focus is absolutely on my job, what I can management,” he says.

“What I can management is the best way my staff goes to play. It is the philosophy that I would like within the staff. The id that I all the time strive for my gamers to have, to make them higher gamers individually and collectively. To make the membership higher each single week, each single month, each single season. That’s the predominant factor for me.

“Now we have been doing incredible issues on the pitch.”

Fulham have exceeded expectations below Silva and now he has the possibility to cement his legacy.

Watch Bournemouth vs Fulham from 6.30pm on Monday Evening Soccer, stay on Sky Sports activities; kick-off 8pm