Lazy and out of ideas? Fulham’s lack of creativity could cost Jol his job

Fulham find themselves in trouble. After Saturday’s 3-1 defeat to Manchester United at Craven Cottage they find themselves in 16th place, just two points above the drop zone.

One problem is their lack of creativity, especially in midfield. Despite an array of talent including Adel Taarabt, Patjim Kasami, Damien Duff and Alexander Kacaniklicamong others, they have only scored ten goals in their opening ten matches.

What is more worrying is they have only made 60 key passes this season, the second lowest in the Premier League with only Cardiff making fewer. It is also some way off the third worst in terms of key passes, Hull City, who have made 71.

If you take into account that Fulham have scored three of what you would classify as solo goals this season, then their 60 key passes have resulted in just seven goals.

Taarabt joined in the summer to mixed reviews. He is an obvious talent but he can also be problematic. Some questioned whether he could work well with the equally laid back and often labelled lethargic, sometimes mercurial, Dimitar Berbatov and Bryan Ruiz. As it stands, the answer is a resounding no. In just six matches he has made one key pass.

However the most creative midfielder, Kasami, has only made six key passes, with Duff and Kacaniklic making five each. In fact it is the forwards, Berbatov and Ruiz who have made the most, nine each, along with right-back Sacha Reither.

In fact Kasami, the best key pass making midfielder in the Fulham ranks is 106th in the Premier League in Squawka’s ranking tables when it comes to key passes.

Maybe the Cottager’s have such a low shot accuracy, just 53% on target, because the strikers are not the ones on the end of the majority of the key passes and they themselves are laying on the opportunities for those who are not as good at finishing and whose job is not necessarily to put the ball into the net.

The centre of midfield are doing their job quite well. Steve Sidwell has won 96% of tackles this season and completes 84% of passes while Scott Parker wins 74% of tackles and makes 90% of passes.

They are winning the ball back and distributing it to the supposed creative forces in the side however they are not producing the goods and creating the goals needed.

Fulham clearly have a number of players who can create chances and pull strings but they are not doing it for some reason at the moment. Maybe they are in a collective bout of poor form or maybe the tactics are not working for them.

Tactically Martin Jol could be filling the team with too many creative players, all trying to occupy the same roles and the same spaces, and not enough clinical finishers and goal scorers.

They need to improve though, especially with all the teams in and around them, bar Cardiff, being more creative than them.

If they do not get their act together their slide down the table will continue and they will find themselves in a relegation battle and the players could find themselves shipped out come January whether it is by Jol or his impending successor.