When Aleksandar Mitrovic departed Fulham in the summer, manager Marco Silva was far from happy. His talisman, top scorer and most consistent performer, who had lit up Craven Cottage since his arrival from Newcastle in 2018, left rather acrimoniously for Saudi Arabia. Silva’s good work from getting Fulham promoted and stabilising them in the Premier League, was in danger of unravelling.
The situation with Mitrovic came out of the blue somewhat. He was a fan favourite who seemed settled in West London, performing at a level, that he long promised to, but often didn’t reach in Tyneside. Fulham were a force to be reckoned with, who could legitimately aim for Europe after a strong campaign under Silva. This came after years of battling relegation and promotion in intermittent years. That sense of structure, stability, and consistency was not taken lightly; all of a sudden it was gone.
While Mitrovic opted to take the huge wages on offer in Saudi Arabia, Silva turned them down. Despite his obvious disappointment with the way the summer panned out, especially with the near exit of Portuguese midfielder Joao Palinha on deadline day, he still managed to keep Fulham competitive for a top half finish. He’s done it without a big money replacement for Mitrovic, too.
Brazilian striker Rodrigo Muniz’s emergence has been something of a slow burner. Fulham, initially beat Middlesbrough to the 22-year-old’s signature in 2021; he hadn’t featured much because of Mitrovic’s presence, general inexperience, and the time it took to adjust to the rigours of the English game. At the start of this campaign, he wasn’t featuring much, and Fulham signed Chelsea striker Armando Broja, himself a highly rated forward with a £50m price tag at Stamford Bridge, on loan until the end of the season.
Since then, Muniz has exploded. With eight goals in his last nine matches, he has proven himself one of the most exciting players in the Premier League. Still raw, Muniz needs to prove that he can continue in such a vein of form, but his clinical finishing, pace, movement and intelligence certainly give him a good base from which to work. Tuesdays defeat at Nottingham Forest was a bad day all round, especially coming off the back of a chaotic draw at Sheffield United, but Muniz showed what he was about at Bramall Lane.
In a tight, flat first half, which Fulham dominated without forcing the issue, Muniz was unlucky to squander the best chance in front of goal. He turned in the area, direct team shot goalwards, but only found the post. When the rebound came back to him, he fired over the bar. After the break, he hit the woodwork again, this time with a brilliant looping header. Although Sheffield United were racing into a 3-1 lead, he is a constant thorn in their defence’s side. After Bobby De Cordova Reid pulled a goal back on 86 minutes, Muniz snatched a point with a superb bicycle kick in stoppage time.
Unsurprisingly, after the game, Silva was asked about his emerging star.
“It was nice to see him handle the whole game and be decisive,” he told reporters. “He had a tough week; 10 days ago he got injury in a training session.
“He just trained the last two days for the match. He hit the post twice; the header is great, it would be an unbelievable goal. He kept his composure and trust in himself and scored a great goal.”
On Saturday, Fulham welcome Newcastle, and Muniz will surely be licking his lips in anticipation. The Magpies have kept just one clean sheet in 11 games, dating back to the FA win at Craven Cottage. At the other end of the pitch, Alexander Isak is another striker in good form, and it could be that whoever comes out on top in that battle is decisive overall.
After the sale of Mitrovic, Fulham really could’ve been in danger. Because they struggled in years gone by, doubters were expecting them to have difficulty this season. Safely in mid table, they are hunting a top half finish. Muniz is crucial to that, but Silva and Fulham will surely do their utmost to keep him for next season.
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