Fulham have rolled the dice one last time in the 2013-14 season. Felix Magath took over last Friday at Craven Cottage with the small task of keeping the Premier League's basement club in the top flight. There have been a lot of reports claiming he can do it with just as many to the contrary.
The fact remains that he has 12 matches to secure Fulham's short-term future. Can the man that they call 'The Firefighter' pull off what to the casual observer looks an impossible task? Sports Mole considers his chances.
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The situation on the banks of the Thames looks dire. Fulham have been playing terribly all season with their previous two bosses - manager Martin Jol and head coach Rene Meulensteen - managing an identical league record: 10 points from 13 games. That is not good enough and now the Whites need closer to 20 points from 12 games to even stand a chance.
The biggest aspect of Magath's management style that has been highlighted is his discipline. Some reports have claimed that his tough training regime has led to players complaining about his management style, while others hold him in high regard for getting the best out of a squad at hand. And this is the key point. He has no transfer window and a squad compiled by two previous regimes, so getting them singing from the same hymn sheet is the first battle. If he wins that quickly then he might succeed.
Magath was critical of what he perceived as unstable tactics from Meulensteen during his 75 days in charge. Under the Dutchman Fulham started brightly, before slipping into familiar sideways passing ahead of finally trying to park the bus to gain points. Magath knows how he wants to play and he will be able to translate that to his players.
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Another criticism of Magath is that he has not previously managed in England. He has only - and only is used in a very loose sense - won titles and saved other clubs from certain relegation in Germany. It is quite an easy argument against a new manager coming to England, but with football being a global and European game is this actually much of a problem?
For a start, the Premier League and the Bundesliga are as close as two leagues can get in terms of tactics and style of football. Both are full of attacking play and both have room within that for a well-drilled, stable team to overachieve. Just look at Roy Hodgson's success with Fulham for proof of that, which is not dissimilar to the way Magath managed to keep Stuttgart up before propelling them to the top quarter of the table in the early 2000s.
Another point here is that football is constantly evolving. What works in one league might not in another right now, but with coaches hopping across countries and taking styles of play from where they came there is not a set formula for how to succeed in a particular top flight. If Magath gets the Fulham squad to back his methods then there is no reason why a lack of experience in the Premier League should hinder him.
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Even if the German gets his new squad to buy into him 100% there still remains the question whether Fulham's players are even good enough to survive. After all, many of the current team are the ones who got them in the current mess in the first place. The January business done by Shahid Khan and Alistair Mackintosh has given the Cottagers a strong chance of survival - if they are managed properly.
The likes of Lewis Holtby, Kostas Mitroglou and William Kvist - who all arrived in the summer - are all too good to be in a relegation scrap, but equally importantly they are hard workers too. Holtby, of course, has worked with Magath as a youngster although he was twice loaned out. Magath's first task will be to stop the defence leaking goals, but second to that will be getting the best of a Champions League-quality player who has the ability to lift Fulham out of their current mess.
Magath has used 4-4-2 - or a variation of - almost everywhere he has managed. Even with Mitroglou having arrived in the summer, Fulham do not look as strong up front as they do in other areas. He is also an advocate of using players on the flank who can cross but also have the ability to tuck inside, combined with attacking full-backs. His first week of training will have been important to decide on the right system to take Fulham forward.
Of all available managers, Magath is the one out there who will offer Fulham the best chance of survival. Whether he is a long-term option is another matter, but perhaps with an immediate improvement and at least a point against West Bromwich Albion, Magath could turn out to be a shrewd appointment.
