Alex Iwobi shower praises on Willian as Fulham coach commend Adarabioyo and Bassey
Alex Iwobi shower praises on Willian as Fulham coach commend Adarabioyo and Bassey
Fulham star Alex Iwobi singled out teammate Willian for praise after their side hammered Nottingham Forest at Craven Cottage Wednesday night.
Iwobi was speaking on Prime Video alongside Tom Cairney after the Whites recorded their biggest win of the season.
It was a performance that many Fulham fans would have sensed was on the horizon after the latest international break.
Scoring goals has been Fulham’s big problem this year, with avoidable mistakes creeping in at the back.
However, Fulham looked assured from the 20th minute onwards, and against a lacklustre Nottingham Forest side, they took full advantage.
Forest went behind to an Alex Iwobi goal that was set up by a pinpoint cross from Willian.
He went on to score a brace as did Raul Jimenez who finally discovered his shooting boots after a tough start to the season.
Club captain Tom Cairney completed the rout and is showing with each game that he’s more than capable of controlling a midfield in the Premier League.
The silky midfielder was exceptional, but Willian once again showed his class out on the wing and it showed just how in control Fulham were that Silva felt he could substitute the Brazilian after an hour.
Asked about the 35-year-old winger, Iwobi said: “Yeah, I mean we know he’s quality, we see it every time in training and everyone’s seen it in the Premier League.
“Willian’s such a great player, he makes it easy for us because you just run into the box and he’s able to find you nine times out of ten.”
Willian has had an up-and-down season compared to his first campaign at Craven Cottage.
He was very good against Wolves last week and played a part in Fulham’s third goal at Liverpool on Sunday.
Forest simply couldn’t deal with the likes of Iwobi and Willian in wide areas and the Nigerian managed to score the first brace of his professional career.
Silva bringing Willian off after an hour shows that he needs to manage his minutes during the busiest period of the season.
It will be interesting to see if he retains his place in the side against West Ham on Sunday, or if Harry Wilson will be given the nod.
Marco Silva has insisted that Tosin Adarabioyo is a key part of his plans after the defender made his first start of the season in the 5-0 win over Nottingham Forest.
Tosin, who is out of contract at the end of the season and yet to agree with terms on a new deal, was preferred to skipper Tim Ream to partner Calvin Bassey at the heart of the Whites defence and produced an impressive display.
The former Manchester City centre-back almost moved to Monaco in the summer only for groin surgery to put paid to a switch to the Ligue 1 side, and boss Silva hinted the 26-year-old will keep his place in the side to face West Ham on Sunday.
“Tosin is not been available for the matches since the beginning of the season after surgery,” Silva said.
“We have been working with him over the last few weeks and the international break as well to get him sharp as we need to get him in the best physical condition.
“He is not right now, it will take more time, but he is a key player for us and the way I want to build.
“He is a player that has some leadership skills and that is important in our team.
“I am
pleased for him and for him to come in for his first game of the season and keep a clean sheet is good.
“Bassey played on the left-hand side, which is usually Tim’s role, and it was nice to see him perform as well.”
