Marco Silva Discusses Injuries, Team Response, and Tactical Approach Ahead of Tottenham Match

Fulham manager Marco Silva addressed reporters in anticipation of Sunday’s Premier League fixture against Tottenham, scheduled for a 13:30 GMT kick-off. The following are the main points from his press conference: Silva verified the unavailability of Harrison Reed, Joachim Andersen, and Jorge Cuenca, noting that Andersen is expected to be “out for some games.” Additionally, Ryan Sessegnon’s participation is considered a “doubt.” Addressing the team’s reaction to the significant loss against Wolves last weekend, Silva stated: “We have bounce-back mentality. Of course the next one is always important. It’s important to analyse and be clear with the message to players to make them understand deeply what happened in the game.” He further elaborated: “In the game, we were there – that result and score does not reflect what has happened on the pitch, that is the first thing. We were the best team on pitch for first 30 minuets – clearly. We did score, hit the crossbar, the game was going in direction it has been at home for us. We conceded a goal where we were flat and not aggressive enough and that changes the story of the game completely.” Regarding their opponents, Tottenham, Silva remarked that their “identity is clear and the way Ange [Postecoglou] wants the team to play,” and that “they have the capacity to create different problems for the opposition.” Consequently, Fulham will need to adopt a “brave” approach in their match against them. When asked if Fulham could draw inspiration from Tottenham’s consistent European competition, Silva responded: “We know what we are going to do and the ambition – no-one is going to take from ourselves. The way I see football, I am not going to be unrealistic… Sometimes you can compare things, but you have to be realistic. The key for you to improve and move forward your ambitions, the first thing is to be realistic and understand the reality of our football club.” Addressing Antonee Robinson’s remarks about the team’s belief in their ability to compete equally with any opponent, Silva commented: “Really important but really nice for me to feel the players have this thought about the game and face the game and prepare themselves. It is a a message that has been throughout the football club the past three seasons.” In response to a query about whether the team was performing better than anticipated despite the defeat to Wolves, Silva stated: “We lost a chance to get clear and get three points in that game. Being us and reaching certain standards we want to reach it was a winnable game. You have to be a certain level in Premier League. Before that game everyone was saying we were brilliant. We had a bad game for us but you have to react and bounce back. We cannot let one game take away the good things we have been doing.”