Fulham’s U18 Academy side earned a point against league leaders Arsenal last weekend but Technical Director Gary Brazil was clearly disappointed not to have taken all three points from the game after Fulham dominated proceedings during the first half.
"It was an enjoyable game to watch and from a coaching point of view it was a challenging game,” Brazil explained. “There was a lot going on from both benches, with formations and how we were playing against each other, so there was was a good chess match going on.
"If you go out and play an open game against a team like Arsenal they can really hurt you because they have some very good individuals. So we spent a bit of time during the week organising ourselves as to how we would nullify their strengths and stop them playing an open game. It worked fantastically well in the first half. Not only that, we were also gaining possession in really dangerous areas. With a little bit more care with our final ball and our runs off the ball we could have hurt them even more. We were well worth our lead at half-time.
"For the first 15 or 20 minutes of the second half they upped the pace and we went incredibly loose. We've got to learn that if we're doing something well, and it's working, you stick to the script. Arsenal were in the ascendancy during that period and we stopped doing what we were doing really well in the first half. They scored from a header and we were clinging on for a period of time.
"Part of working with boys of this age and part of their education is that if they want to make the next step, in terms of going into Billy McKinlay's squad and hopefully at some point Roy Hodgson's squad, they've got to be able to concentrate and keep doing what they're being asked to do for 90 minutes.”
Despite letting their first half lead slip, the U18s rallied back and took the initiative for the final twenty minutes of play. Brazil was delighted with the character and work ethic his side showed last weekend but will be looking for specific improvements from his players against Charlton this weekend.
""One thing I will say about this group is that they hang in there and they work very hard. We were fighting to stay in the game but by going back to the foundation of what we were working from at the beginning of the game, we managed to pick it up again and get a foothold back in the game.
"We came back incredibly strong for the last twenty minutes. It could have gone either way but I don't think it would have been unfair for us to have won the game. We had some very good penalty claims and the performance warranted a stronger result than a point.
"Overall I was pleased with the performance and the boys should have learnt a lot from Saturday's game. That is, if we work from a script and we do it well, it will bring us joy against the very best teams. We've got a lot of first year boys in the squad that are fresh into the Club and they're learning. It's part of the learning curve to take these things on board. They need to understand why it didn't quite go right for us during the first twenty minutes of the second half and make sure it doesn't happen again.
"Anyone who came down to watch the game against Arsenal last weekend at Motspur Park will have enjoyed what they saw. Fulham and Arsenal are two teams that try to play the right way. I think the people who came down for the first time may have been surprised at the quality of what we offered. I'll be looking for specific improvements and that lessons have been learnt when we face Charlton this Saturday."
Fulham's U18 Academy side take on Charlton Athletic at Motspur Park Training Ground this Saturday (Kick-Off 11am). Admission is free for supporters wishing to attend the game.
