Slavisa Jokanovic will not compromise Fulham's style to stop Tottenham

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James Benge16 August 2018

Slavisa Jokanovic insists his Fulham side will not compromise their proactive style of play when they take on Tottenham and other top six sides in their return to the Premier League.

Fulham reached the top flight with elegance and ambition, becoming favourites among many neutrals for a possession-focused game that brought the best out of exciting young playmakers such as Tom Cairney and Ryan Sessegnon.

There were no signs of that being abandoned in their first top flight game for four years but at times there was a sense of naivety in their 2-0 defeat to Crystal Palace, where all the ball dominance Craven Cottage could offer did not stop them being taken apart on the counter; most notably by the individual brilliance of Wilfried Zaha.

Palace’s attacking options pale in comparison to those of Tottenham, who have an expansive Wembley pitch to express themselves on, but Jokanovic will not respond to Spurs’ threat by playing in any way other than that which got Fulham to the top flight in the first place.

In Pictures | Fulham vs Crystal Palace | 11/08/2018

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“We believe it’s our best way to be successful this season,” he said. “If we believe now it’s a better way to give Spurs the ball and wait for them on the edge of the box and try to finish the game 0-0, I’m not sure that would be the best plan for us.

“We know it’s a tough game ahead of us. It’s only Manchester City and Juventus that have won there [sic. Chelsea and West Ham also won at Wembley last season]. For another side it’s a great opportunity for us to test our possibilities against one of the top English and European teams.

“This question about the style: I am here to choose what is best for the time. Everyday I try to understand what are the qualities and characteristics of my team.

“We have to be solid and work off the ball. We know this team will take possession off us and we must be ready to work all together and suffer and show great effort. In some parts of the defensive work you don’t have to be so talented but you must be clever, organised and show great decision-making for working off the ball.”

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Jokanovic will have to carry out that defensive rearguard without three senior centre-backs. Denis Odoi is still carrying his suspension from the Play-Off Final while Tim Ream and Alfie Mawson are injured. New signing André-Frank Zambo Anguissa is also not expected to feature having only begun training on Thursday.

Anguissa was one of five deadline day additions to Jokanovic’s squad and it could be some time before the benefit of Fulham’s late business is felt.

“We need time, like all the teams,” he insisted. “It’s not easy for us, its not easy for them too and it’s natural.

“We must be patient and we believe we sign quality players but without any work it’s so complicated for them.

“This week, we start to be complete and start working with all the people available. Step by step we will improve.”

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