Fulham Head Coach Scott Parker has channelled his focus on preparing for the Manchester City game on Saturday.
“I pick the best team that I think will have the best effect on the game and get points from the game,” he started. “We have a winning team that got a good result, so they’ve put themselves in a position to start but I have a group of players here, and with the schedule coming up, I’ll pick the best team available.
“I haven’t really thought about the captaincy. Joachim was captain against Leicester. The other players weren’t on the pitch. He’s done a fantastic job; my main focus is preparing a team for a very tough game.”
Manchester City pose a daunting test for Parker’s side, but his squad have been buoyed by an excellent result in Leicester on Monday night. A performance that has injected confidence.
“I can’t imagine we will go there and dominate possession,” he admitted. “Is that to say you can’t get a result against them? We showed that against Leicester. There’s no denying it will be one of our toughest fixtures this year, any team in the Premier league will say the same thing. We’ll need to be at our best to get a result.
“Monday’s done a lot for morale. I harp on about keeping morale and spirits high. That has been the case. We haven’t won many games but when you get a positive result against a tough team it helps. With that brings extra confidence and belief, it’s something to build on - not just for Saturday but the remainder of the season.”
A trip to the Etihad is a fixture that many teams in the Premier League would balk at, but preparation is key for Parker.
“We all realise how hard it’ll be. I believe if you go there in the right frame of mind and build your moments you can get a result there. I’m positive about it but it’ll be a tough ask.
“We don’t have any fear. It’s a game we are looking forward to. We understand the challenges against Man City who are an excellent side, whoever you’re interviewing will probably say the same thing. It shows the quality they have and the task ahead when you play them. Let’s see, this is football, if you prepare sometimes you ride your luck and show your quality - you never know.”
As always, a team news update was provided by the Head Coach, who confirmed he is at full strength barring Kenny Tete, who has been sidelined since the Aston Villa defeat.
“No fresh injuries. Kenny won’t be available this weekend, it’s still too early. He’s in a good way in terms of where he is. Other than that, it’s a full squad, everyone else is fit.”
The 40-year-old has been posed the question on several occasions as to whether his side ‘clicked’ on Monday. He feels his team have done so in patches this season, but Leicester was a complete 90 minutes.
“We’ve had a lot of games where we have clicked this season, in the all round 90 minutes, probably not. We were exceptional against West Brom, but Monday night was just an exceptionally professional performance. Away from home against a side who could’ve gone top on the night.
“No doubt penalties have been an issue. If you miss penalties that cost us points, there is something there. It’s an ongoing process to work on and we hope the hard work will pay off. It was pleasing for that one to hit the back of the net.”