Claudio Ranieri watched his side defeat Southampton 3-2 in his first game since taking over from Slavisa Jokanovic.
Claudio Ranieri made a triumphant return to the Premier League on Saturday as he led his new Fulham side to a 3-2 win over Southampton.
The victory hasn’t quite lifted Fulham from the bottom of the table though. They remain there on goal difference, level on points with Cardiff and the Saints. However, they are no longer cut adrift and just two points separate them from 14th place Huddersfield Town.
But that wasn’t the only takeaway from Fulham’s win, as it was also a reminder of just how good they could become if Ranieri does what he’s great at.
The typically Italian coach is known for his defensive work and sorting out Fulham’s incredibly leaky back-line will have been the main goal when appointing him.
While Saturday showed he still has work to do, this is the coach that turned Leicester City’s defence from relegation battlers into the second best in the country – if he does similar at Craven Cottage, Fulham will be special.
Slavisa Jokanovic may have struggled defensively but he certainly had Fulham attacking well enough; the Cottagers’ 14 goals is as good as anyone else in the bottom half, despite their struggles.
We saw just how good it still is against Southampton as they bagged three top goals, with Andre Schurrle’s looking particularly good.
If Ranieri can fix the defence while still keeping most of their attacking flair, Fulham will have a side capable of shooting high up the table.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
