Man of steel loves to play with style
FLAIR POINT: Jokanovic will not betray principles IF teams embody the characteristics of their managers, then Fulham’s Slavisa Jokanovic hides the playful, flamboyant side of his nature well.
His stern exterior is supplemented by the imposing physique that served him well as a midfielder for Partizan Belgrade, three Spanish clubs, Chelsea and the old Republic of Yugoslavia for more than a decade.
In press conferences, the Serb fixes his interrogator so firmly in the eye you wonder if you have asked the wrong question.
And any Fulham players contemplating looking over to the touchline for guidance from their head coach would be forgiven for thinking better of it for fear of being frozen by the dark eyes glaring at them. Yet this most serious of demeanours belies Jokanovic’s insistence his side play with joy in the heart, on the ground and with a pace and intricacy that make them irresistible to most defences.
They may need a dozen chances to take one but Fulham create so many it is surely a statistical anomaly they have only managed one goal per game this season.
Wednesday’s 2-1 win over Hull means that, even after a fitful start, Fulham lie only two points off the play-offs and six off automatic promotion places.
“Many people want to compare my team to last season but I cannot compare it,” said Jokanovic, 49. “It is 11 new players and we are waiting for some important players to come back. I cannot be satisfied. I’m satisfied by the effort, the spirit, but at the moment we haven’t built a winning spirit. Hull didn’t put us under stress, we put stress on ourselves.”
Last season’s late surge into the play-offs saw Fulham sweep aside opponents, even if Jokanovic did not betray his satisfaction on the outside.
Where he is just as open as his team is in his willingness to go beyond the usual trite cliches trotted out by managers – often filling programme notes with details of specific areas on which his staff have been working with players – he also says gaining points at any cost is not his way. For the visit of Hull, he wrote: “It’s important we don’t move away from our philosophy; we try to be true to our style against all opposition.”
A hallmark of his management is the meticulous preparation and understanding what the opposition are likely to do.
Hull had lost 5-0 at Derby last Friday and Jokanovic guessed they would switch to 3-5-2. They did and Fulham were ready.
His approach has already brought success in England. Three seasons ago, he joined Watford in October and left in May having guided them into the Premier League.
You get the feeling he wants to stay around a while longer this time. ●SKY BET are the title sponsors of the EFL and are making Away Days better for EFL fans. Follow @SkyBet to see how they are helping your club.
We put stress on ourselves