João Palhinha dissected Fulham’s 2024 so far when he sat down with Premier League Productions ahead of our game against Bournemouth on Saturday afternoon.
Despite positive performances on the pitch, results haven’t been going our way, which is something acknowledged by João when asked about the opening month to the new year.
“I think the results was not what we wished,” he started. “I think we have been playing well.
“We are controlling most parts of the game that we have played but unfortunately the results haven’t appeared, but I think it will change.
“The team is playing better, playing good football. The only thing missing is scoring goals, but we are ready to go again this weekend against Bournemouth and hopefully with a victory which is really important for us.”
Our midfield enforcer added to his goal tally in the last match round, taking his total to three Premier League goals this season, which is equal to the total tally he achieved last season.
“It's not something that I’m really focused on,” João added. “Of course, when you score a goal, it makes you really happy.
“I could have more goals than I have now because I’ve had some chances, especially on set pieces.
“Hopefully I score more goals for the rest of the season but if I could swap these goals for victories then I would change it for sure.”
Unfortunately, João’s goal could only contribute to a draw against Burnley after David Datro Fofana’s double saw the points shared at Turf Moor. With some time having past since Saturday, João was able to reflect on the day.
“The game against Burnley, I feel especially frustrated because after the match we felt like we controlled the most part of the game,” he said.
“The game changed when they scored and they started to grow on the game.
“It’s something we need to control; the emotional balance. The clean sheet is important for us.
“We know that if we don’t concede goals, we will be a really tough team to beat.”
Looking ahead to this Saturday, the Portuguese star anticipates a difficult game against Bournemouth but hopes to turn recent form around.
“We know that they are a nice team who play really nice football,” was João’s assessment. “We need to go with everything that we have.
“We play at home which is always special for us, for me and my teammates and for the fans, and hopefully with their support, we can get a victory and that’s the only thing I’m focused on.”
