iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

The Cottage Tactico @cottagetactico.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

Can definitely see why! But there’s so much of Football Twitter still there 🤦‍♂️ Will try to get back to cross posting the big stuff here

010

The Cottage Tactico @cottagetactico.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

Thanks for sharing! And for all the support on posts here 🙏

110

The Cottage Tactico @cottagetactico.bsky.social · 11/04/2026

OPTION 5: Go hybrid 5ATB Even when we play 4ATB this season our RW (often Wilson) works to make it 5 in our lower block Would deploying Ryan Sessegnon in that role work and let Harry focus on being a wizard going the other way? 🪄

020

The Cottage Tactico @cottagetactico.bsky.social · 11/04/2026

OPTION 4: Go pure 5ATB New Morocco international Issa Diop has never let us down this season and some of our best form saw him aggressively defending outside Andersen at RCB in a 5 Even if out of sorts Liverpool do have the firepower to maybe justify calling on him here? 🇲🇦

110

The Cottage Tactico @cottagetactico.bsky.social · 11/04/2026

OPTION 3: Unleash Lukic There was a time when Liverpool (A) meant an automatic Sasa Lukic start providing grit and running cover from the right 8 Fitness and favour haven’t been kind to Sasa lately. But is this one for him and accommodating Iwobi (LW or 10) elsewhere? 🇷🇸

220

The Cottage Tactico @cottagetactico.bsky.social · 11/04/2026

OPTION 2: Solidify without structural changes This has moved about at times this season. But a simple decision to keep Berge right and Iwobi left OOP may offer more cover Similarly would our more defensive LB in Jedi locking down Salah give more confidence across the back 4? 🔒

110

The Cottage Tactico @cottagetactico.bsky.social · 11/04/2026

OPTION 1: Minimal Change Liverpool are likely to play Gakpo LW and both ST options (Ekitike/Isak) like to exploit the LHS Marco may well stick to plan A and trust Castagne + Andersen to deal with the threat But I’m less sure about Joa defending the channel without Kenny 🤷‍♂️

110

The Cottage Tactico @cottagetactico.bsky.social · 11/04/2026

HOW TO SOLVE A PROBLEM LIKE NO TETE With Marco’s #LIVFUL press conference confirming Kenny Tete is out for our trip to Anfield I think we have 5 main options to approach this one and shore up the right side of our defence Which should we go for? Let me know below ✍️👇 🧵 1/6

180

The Cottage Tactico @cottagetactico.bsky.social · 21/03/2026

Sure, you need cutting edge on the ball to beat sides like West Ham, Forest and Burnley with plenty of possession But maybe in the modern PL you also just need to get in their faces, force errors and capitalise on them Could we start with the press dialled up in #FULBUR? 🤞

210

The Cottage Tactico @cottagetactico.bsky.social · 21/03/2026

The current setup there is nowhere near as imposing 🫥 We have recruited technical and creative quality to break sides down but in doing so have reduced our tenacity and physicality It might be time to either tactically or in our selection rediscover some of that bite

100

The Cottage Tactico @cottagetactico.bsky.social · 21/03/2026

Compare the front 5 pressing unit from that Liverpool match and last time out vs Forest. It’s a huge difference 😕 Muniz’s physicality. Iwobi an above average workhorse out wide. Andreas an elite OOP 10. Sess a RW strong enough to play LB. Lukic the 8 jumping to back them up

100

The Cottage Tactico @cottagetactico.bsky.social · 21/03/2026

When you think of #FFC pressing under Marco Silva I think of Andreas. I loved him. Many hated him. But we can all agree he was an OOP menace One of our best games last year was the 3-2 over Liverpool. Most of our chances came about because we were tenacious and got into them 💪

110

The Cottage Tactico @cottagetactico.bsky.social · 21/03/2026

Why? Tactically we still have a decent 2+3 pressing structure 🔎 And whilst we do drop a winger back into a deeper 5ATB more often and perhaps a little earlier than previously I think our problem is not just tactical. It’s personnel

100

The Cottage Tactico @cottagetactico.bsky.social · 21/03/2026

So what about 3️⃣, our press? Marco Silva likes a mid block that then occasionally steps out. We’ve never been a huge pressing team historically under him But our lack of effectiveness in disrupting oppositions has gone from lower middle of the pack to being an outlier 🤨

100

The Cottage Tactico @cottagetactico.bsky.social · 21/03/2026

On 1️⃣ Fulham used to counter loads. But teams are much more reluctant to give those opportunities up these days We do 2️⃣ plenty. In fact fans (not me!) often bemoan our very deliberate build up playing out the back in the hope of cutting through into space with purpose

100

The Cottage Tactico @cottagetactico.bsky.social · 21/03/2026

There are three key moments attacking sides can generally look to generate chaos and get at an unsettled defence 1️⃣ On a traditional counter attack 2️⃣ Via an ‘artificial transition’ playing out from the back 3️⃣ After winning the ball in the press

100

The Cottage Tactico @cottagetactico.bsky.social · 21/03/2026

But I’ve spotted something else 🧐 On this week’s Fulham Focus pod I introduced the idea that our off ball weakness may be part of our seeming bluntness in attack Why? Because oppositions are so well drilled defensively now, moments of ‘chaos’ are deciding PL football matches

100

The Cottage Tactico @cottagetactico.bsky.social · 21/03/2026

When teams start to struggle in front of goal (none in our last 3 for #FFC) it’s natural to focus on what they’re doing on the ball Too slow? Too safe? Too wide? Sure. All are criticisms of Fulham in settled possession at times this season 🥱

110

The Cottage Tactico @cottagetactico.bsky.social · 21/03/2026

What has happened to the Fulham press? 🤔 This season we have forced our opponents into THE FEWEST dangerous losses of possession in the PL What is that all about? Why does this OOP trend hurt us in attack? And could it matter in #FULBUR? New analysis (finally!) 👇🧵 1/11

131

Reposted by The Cottage Tactico

Fulham Focus @fulhamfocus.bsky.social · 20/03/2026

🎙️PREVIEW POD: Burnley (H)🎙️ 🧠 Can Marco show us (and Parker) that he’s still a genius? 🤞 If Burnley’s season is over would a win here keep ours alive? 🇳🇴 Should Sander Berge start against his old club? 🇺🇸 And is Ricardo Pepi the answer to our recent bluntness?

121

The Cottage Tactico @cottagetactico.bsky.social · 08/02/2026

Did part of Fulham’s successful on ball gameplan in the first half of #FULEVE end up exposing a soft spot defensively in the second half? 🤔 More on that and other musings on what went wrong for us in this week’s match thread 👇

050

The Cottage Tactico @cottagetactico.bsky.social · 08/02/2026

Bang on! You can see that in the data here too 👇

120

The Cottage Tactico @cottagetactico.bsky.social · 08/02/2026

Pressed us a touch more. And in doing so turned it over a bit so they could attack an unset defence. Then when we went long they just bullied Raul aerially. Also seemed to spot our weak point down their left. But even then could and should have won or drawn 🤦‍♂️

000

The Cottage Tactico @cottagetactico.bsky.social · 08/02/2026

That lack of pure physical presence means unless we batter teams and score multiple goals we’re always vulnerable. Not least from set pieces A familiar tale of Leno weakness and not enough effort to protect him cost us and without a shakeup I worry the pattern will repeat 🤦‍♂️

100

The Cottage Tactico @cottagetactico.bsky.social · 08/02/2026

Fulham over successive windows have tried to address a known weakness breaking sides down in settled possession, prioritising technical and creative quality But it’s come at a cost exacerbated by our starting XI choices here. We lack physicality in a very physical PL 💪

200

The Cottage Tactico @cottagetactico.bsky.social · 08/02/2026

I don’t like criticising players. But I called for three changes to the backline headed into this one. I got just one (Sess) 🤨 For all his on ball responsibility, Andersen needs freakish off ball help either side of him. Tete + Bassey suit that much more than Castagne + Cuenca

110

The Cottage Tactico @cottagetactico.bsky.social · 08/02/2026

I’m generally baffled as to why we suddenly looked so shakey to start the 2nd half and why Marco didn’t make changes to address that earlier Whilst Everton weren’t outstanding quality wise it’s clear they did up the press to unsettle us with their physicality 📈

200

The Cottage Tactico @cottagetactico.bsky.social · 08/02/2026

Everton started to get real traction down that side (their left) 2nd half. They exposed Andersen for KDH's opener and the requirement for Castagne close to him got them 1v1 vs Wilson on other occassions I’m astonished we didn’t see Tete on earlier to help lock this down 🔒

100

The Cottage Tactico @cottagetactico.bsky.social · 08/02/2026

But structurally this has a downside. With Wilson often high and Iwobi skewed left there was space for Everton to target with passes in front of Castagne + Andersen down our right Neither are overwhelmingly athletic or suited to being the point of stress for our backline 😬

100

The Cottage Tactico @cottagetactico.bsky.social · 08/02/2026

Our positive left sided attack in the 1st half fascinated me. Having spoken pre-game about my desire to have Iwobi at LCM, Marco kept him RCM but let him float across to overload in possession when we attacked down the left On the ball it helped us look hugely dangerous 🇳🇬

100

The Cottage Tactico @cottagetactico.bsky.social · 08/02/2026

A more clinical team would have gone in more than a goal up We were excellent. Particularly down our left with ESR, Chukwueze and Sess combining well But we all had a horrible premonition that a combo of bad luck (crossbar), poor finishing, and decent saves would hurt us 🔮

100

The Cottage Tactico @cottagetactico.bsky.social · 08/02/2026

On the balance of play I think we really did deserve more. Fulham totally dominated the 1st half, Everton had the impetus in the 2nd 🤷‍♂️ But there were clear signs of the game drifting away from us after the break that we were simply too slow to address with either subs or tweaks

100

The Cottage Tactico @cottagetactico.bsky.social · 08/02/2026

It’s rare I get rattled by a defeat, but finding a way to lose #FULEVE in the second half was maddening 😤 And it also highlighted a genuine problem for a #FFC side that suddenly for all its technical brightness looks a bit… soft? Here’s your match analysis 👇 🧵 1/10

260

The Cottage Tactico @cottagetactico.bsky.social · 07/02/2026

My one tactical thing to watch for #FFC in #FULEVE 👀 We’ve finally settled on Alex Iwobi as an 8. And I love it! But the side of midfield he plays on is a big factor in passing angles available to him Marco switched Alex RCM to LCM last game. I hope he starts there today!

020

The Cottage Tactico @cottagetactico.bsky.social · 07/02/2026

Start match day the right way by listening to the Fulham Focus Preview Pod 👇 You’ll hear me make the case for a totally unrealistic level of Starting XI surgery in #FULEVE 😅 Doubt Marco goes for it. But what do you think? 🎧: pod.fo/e/389b0c

010

The Cottage Tactico @cottagetactico.bsky.social · 29/01/2026

Hahaha you don’t need to apologise! Just always a joy to be back to talking FFC. And thanks for listening 🙏

010

The Cottage Tactico @cottagetactico.bsky.social · 24/01/2026

Just for clarity - this was phrased to refer to the xG of those goals themselves. So 8 goals with a cumulative xG value of 0.84. The ‘best’ chance he converted was 0.18. 4 goals were less than 0.1 Wider xG for the season is 3.88. I’m pretty sure he’s still the highest xG overperformer in the PL

021

The Cottage Tactico @cottagetactico.bsky.social · 24/01/2026

Harry Wilson’s 8 PL goals this season have come from chances worth a cumulative 0.84 xG 🤯 Out. Of. Nowhere. Again and again and again!

3182

The Cottage Tactico @cottagetactico.bsky.social · 18/01/2026

The Q becomes you want Harry Wilson to be doing that currently when he’s basically our man final third threat with other key ones missing? He said no. But that Diop + Castagne is too defensive. Hence Sess RW 🤷‍♂️

110

The Cottage Tactico @cottagetactico.bsky.social · 18/01/2026

I think I’ve confused people a touch with this one (in the other place too!) Basically my wider point is there’s little difference between our 4 and 5ATB systems these days as Marco tends to want a RW to drop in to a situational 5 when we play 4 more often than not

110

The Cottage Tactico @cottagetactico.bsky.social · 18/01/2026

The result was a huge onus placed on progression tight to the touchline. Particularly down our left Jedi seemed extremely rusty and at times looked bambi-like when pressed in a way he hasn’t for years No reliable basis to build attacks meant no joy for #FFC 😞 🧵 4/4

120

The Cottage Tactico @cottagetactico.bsky.social · 18/01/2026

The key difference for me was Lukic + Berge as the midfield pair They were clearly deployed to match Leeds physically in the middle of the park, but after a decent enough opening simply couldn’t get on it and impose order on a stodgy game and control things centrally 🧵 3/4

121

The Cottage Tactico @cottagetactico.bsky.social · 18/01/2026

Wilson was still playing high closest to Raul and drifting more freely either side rather than holding width ESR was still coming inside from the left, dropping in as needed with Jedi outside him Both were features of our good results against Liverpool and Chelsea 🧐 🧵 2/4

110

The Cottage Tactico @cottagetactico.bsky.social · 18/01/2026

Confused seeing people critique Marco Silva for ‘changing system’ by bringing Sess in for #LEEFUL I saw next to no difference in what Fulham did structurally due to that switch 🤷‍♂️ If anything Sess just played the Castagne role more aggressively, RW slotting in at RWB 🧵 1/4

241

The Cottage Tactico @cottagetactico.bsky.social · 10/01/2026

A reminder. This is Marco Silva’s second choice system! We are not a pure 5ATB team and already seemed more fluid and effective with it on the ball than I ever saw say, Amorim’s Man Utd who tended to make build up look like some sort of impossible challenge Great coaching 👏

171

The Cottage Tactico @cottagetactico.bsky.social · 10/01/2026

Was very taken by just how flexible the #FFC build up was during #FULCHE even prior to the red card 5ATB base structure shifting into 4ATB build. Consistent dynamics but plenty of rotation and players comfortable everywhere These examples all came from the opening 5 mins! 👇

170