Marco Silva happy for the extra preparation time after international break

Planet Sport writer
22 October 2023

Fulham manager Marco Silva says playing Tottenham Hotspur on Monday night has given his squad an extra couple of training sessions to get back into the groove.

After Saturday’s round of fixtures, Fulham are currently 13th in the table with three wins and three losses from their opening eight league games.

Their last match before the break saw goals from Bobby De Cordova-Reid, Willian and a Wes Foderingham own goal earn a 3-1 win against Sheffield United.

Players have been returning to clubs from international duty and when asked if having a game on a Monday was helpful, Silva admitted the additional preparation time was beneficial.

He told a pre-match press conference: “Definitely, for us and for Tottenham it’s a difference scenario.

“Normally you have these games on a Saturday or at least on a Sunday and it’s different.

“Some players have trained on Friday morning and when you have more than two days to prepare the game is always a good help, you cannot hide that situation for us and for Tottenham.

“As you know we had a very important result before the break, when you have just nine senior players, of course it’s not the best number.

“We had some young players to complete the sessions so that we had more numbers to do what we wanted to do in that period.

“It was a good moment to keep the shape in most of them and to improve the physical condition from others that needed it as well, they have been working hard.”

Silva confirmed that there are no fresh injuries from the international break, but Issa Diop is now sidelined along with Adama Traore, Kenny Tete and Tosin Adarabioyo.

Diop sustained an injury in the Sheffield United clash and was substituted, but Silva acknowledged how important the defender is in terms of carrying the ball forward on the attack.

He added: “It shows the way we try to play and what we demand from our central defenders at certain moments, it is something that is in our model.

“It’s something we want and we encourage and we demand from our central defenders when you create the space for them to step in and to carry the ball, that is a big part in our game.

“It reflects what we prepare with them and what we demand from them.”