If you switch the ball enough, Fulham will become pinned back in their own end because they commit a lot of numbers to the ball side. They have to maintain a high level of intensity, but one switch opens them up, like the one in Manchester United’s goal.

Fulham were aggressive in the tackle because they had to be once they committed all those numbers to the ball. Not to say this can never work, but to make it work, you can’t drop the intensity of the press.

This was a risk, being that it was the first match of the season, and teams weren’t going to be fully ready to run for 90 minutes.

This season’s Bayern Munich would love to play against a team that plays like Fulham. Not the quality of the players, the positioning, because they would be stretched if the attacking team worked the ball horizontally up the pitch.

If Fulham can keep that intensity up, constantly look to switch play on the ground or through the air. Seven men can’t all chase the ball back and forth across the pitch.

Play one pass, and then those seven men have to file back into their own end and wait for the ball to come to them.

I didn’t like how slowly United were moving the ball across the pitch, when they trapped Fulham on the one side. It wasn’t until the second half that they realized how significant switching the play was to help stretch Fulham.

As the game wore on, that intensity dropped off. Bruno Fernandes breaks down the wing, switches to Joshua Zirkzee, and then he turns to play the ball to the right wing.

Fulham are vulnerable on the far side, and then United can attack the goal centrally with Zirkzee and Scott McTominay crashing the box. Goal, game won. United should have scored on at least two to three other occasions, but a win is a win.

Fulham aren’t the same yet without Joao Palhinha. When they become stretched, the gap to play through is between the center-backs.

Match: Manchester United 1-0 Fulham, 16 August 2024