Fulham’s Flair Forwards Must Improve Or Gritty Relegation Battle Looms

Martin Jol has broke the news to Fulham fans that Dimitar Berbatov will be fit to play against Crystal Palace on Monday evening as the Cottagers look to build on their slender victory over Stoke City before the international break.

Jol released his statement at a press conference on Wednesday, saying that he would have the Bulgaria legend available for selection.

“Berbatov will be back and Aaron Hughes will train on Friday. Everything is fine because all the international players came back and looked good.”

Despite his dreadful form this season, Jol still looks to Berbatov as the key man to steer Fulham away from the relegation zone and thinks he will work well with new signing Darren Bent.

“Last season Mladen Petric wanted to go to the ball and so did Berbatov. Fortunately enough, Bent doesn’t want to go to the ball – he wants to go to the goal.

“So I think they are a good ­combination.” said the former Spurs manager in a recent interview.

It isn’t just Berbatov form that has slumped this season though; last season’s other top performer, Bryan Ruiz, has also lacked quality in the attacking third. The two finished 5th and 6th respectively in last years Performance Score table for forwards, but have both found themselves in negative figures during this season’s opening 7 fixtures.

Top Performance Score Strikers

As you can see from their totals for this campaign, Berbatov and Ruiz have been slacking off – creating only 9 chances between them, with Ruiz scoring the solitary goal for the languid duo.

Dimitar Berbatov Season Stats

Bryan Ruiz Stats This Season

Despite being rock bottom of the Premier League table Crystal Palace have one of the top performing defenders at present and Fulham will have to be on their game if they are to get the better of Joel Ward. The Portsmouth academy product has won 24 of the 25 tackles he has attempted this season, conceding only 1 foul along the way – an admirable achievement for a player turning out for a relegation candidate.

Ward isn’t fighting on his own though, and Mile Jedinak has continued to display the sort of tenacious performances that earned him the captain’s armband last season. The midfield enforcer will make life hard for Berbatov and co. on Monday as the Eagles look to pick up only their second win of the season.

Although it’s still early in the campaign you could argue that this is a key game for both managers – with every point so precious in the Premier League they would be foolish not go for the win in a game that both teams are capable of winning.