Fulham's international players have returned from Qatar without medals – and hopefully without too many bumps and bruises that could limit their participation in the hectic months ahead.
Manager Marco Silva used them sparingly in Saturday's pre-Christmas friendly against West Ham. The stalwart American Tim Ream was the only World Cup man in the starting line-up, playing on the left side of defence with the usual productive outcome.
Without pre-match razzmatazz the teams took the field around 1pm (Fulham in their away strip) and they went into action almost immediately.
Those supporters who did brave the icy blasts, including a sizable contingent from East London, were treated to a decent match with players on both sides enjoying the luxury of passing the ball around without too many disruptive tackles.
It was attractive to watch but generally it lacked an end product. And finished in a 1-1 draw.
A few surprises
Assisted by Wilian, Andreas Pereira stung the palms of Lukas Fabianski but I cannot recall Bernd Leno having to deal with a meaningful attempt on goal. Tim Ream did break ranks by attempting to surprise West Ham with a blast from outside the area, but it landed among the visiting fans at the Putney End.
After a Fulham movement involving nearly all the outfield players that seemed to cover every patch of grass in the Hammers' half before fizzling out Wilian and Kenny Tete displayed the virtues of simplicity when they created a chance for Carlos Vinicius to evade Craig Dawson and nod the ball past Fabianski.
Up to that point, Carlos had impressed with his ball control and his thoughtful distribution but the goal was his first in a Fulham shirt. He is getting nearer to becoming Aleksandar Mitrovic's stand-in.
Replacing Leno at halftime, Marek Rodak must have wondered whether he would see much action, but West Ham showed far more spirit after the interval. The substitute keeper thwarted Pablo Fornais confidently enough but in the 62nd minute Flynn Downes dispossessed Tete and provided Jarrod Bowen with a simple equaliser.
The Welsh wingers Harry Wilson and Dan James plus the promising Luke Harris came on for the closing minutes and it was good to see Harrison Reed wearing albeit briefly the captain's armband.
He has matured so well with Silva's guidance. Neither side could storm to victory but Rodak had his moment of glory when he deflected Tomas Soucek's late header over the bar.
A smile?
Afterwards, Marco Silva allowed himself a rare smile on camera. The 90 minutes had not sprung any surprises, but it did confirm that he has a squad of players eager and skilled enough to play his brand of football even when some of the regulars are unavailable.
The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and unless specifically stated are not necessarily those of Hammersmith & Fulham Council.
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