Fulham boss Scott Parker knows “realism” key in Premier League campaign

BY DANIEL MARSH

Scott Parker shared his disappointment following Fulham’s 3-0 home defeat to Arsenal.

The Whites were dispatched by an early goal in each half from Alexandre Lacazette and Gabriel Magalhes, before Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang killed the contest with an excellent finish.

“Disappointed of course,” said Parker when dissecting the afternoon.

“We’ve lost the game 3-0 and you don’t want to lose football matches 3-0. But there’s also a realism that we’re going to lose football matches this year, it’s plain and simple. But how we react to a defeat, how we move forward as a team and how we progress will be the bigger test for me and my team.

“We all realise the challenge. In saying that, for 45 minutes in that first half, I liked a lot about us. The fine margins at this level means that you probably have to be a bit more ruthless when chances fall. But, in the other side of the box, a little ricochet and they get themselves in front. Even with that, I felt we were positive and I liked the first half.

“The second half, not so much. At times we accepted things and there was a little bit of vulnerability about us in terms of the goals and the way they went in.”

Fulham were tasked with a tough hand for their first fixture back in the Premier League, with Arsenal tipped by many to challenge for the top four. The Whites meanwhile, have been mooted to be competing at the other end of the table, but Parker remained optimistic for the season ahead.

“Listen, this is part and parcel of it. This is our journey. We understand where we are this year and what we need to do. The most important thing is, and I said it to the team at the start, this is a long season for us. We understand where we need to get to and where we need to get to improve. Come Monday morning or come tomorrow, we come in, we’ll look at our mistakes that we’ve made today against a team which when you give them their moments, then they score.”