Fulham manager Marco Silva backed record-breaking Aleksandar Mitrovic to thrive in the English Premier League next season after the Serbia striker took his EFL Championship tally to 43 goals this season in a title-clinching 7-0 thrashing of Luton Town on Monday.
Mitrovic, 27, managed just three goals as London club Fulham were relegated from the Premier League last term, but Silva said: “He will be more confident next season — we need to be that as a club as well.”
“All of us have to improve every single year. We cannot judge him just by the goals he scores next season — we have to analyze many other things from him,” Silva said.
Photo: Reuters
“We have to prepare ourselves. It’s not really different from this season. The challenge will be tougher, but it was tough this season,” he said.
Fulham were already assured of promotion before their final home game of this season got under way, and they gave fans at Craven Cottage even more to celebrate against the outclassed Hatters.
Fulham captain Tom Cairney opened the scoring with a powerful strike in the 29th minute before Kenny Tete doubled the lead from long range 10 minutes later.
Any hopes promotion-chasing Luton had of making a comeback then evaporated during a cascade of Fulham goals in the second half.
“We had a really tough day, but they [Fulham] are the best team in the division, and congratulations to them,” Luton manager Nathan Jones said. “We’ve got nine first-team injuries... What we have to do is make sure we dust ourselves off, and we’re ready to go at the weekend.”
Taiwan’s Lee Hao-yu on Friday went 0-for-3 in his MLB debut for the Detroit Tigers against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park, becoming the 19th Taiwan-born player to reach the big leagues. The Tigers ultimately lost 1-0 in 10 innings, ending their six-game winning streak. The 23-year-old started at third base and batted eighth for Detroit. He was promoted from Triple-A Toledo ahead of the four-game series against the Red Sox at the latter’s home stadium, replacing injured utility player Zach McKinstry. “Being right-handed, and given our schedule, I think six of the next 12 games are going to
Matheus Cunha on Saturday fired Manchester United toward the UEFA Champions League with a 1-0 win at Chelsea, while Tottenham Hotspur remain in the relegation zone after twice blowing the lead to draw with Brighton & Hove Albion. Chelsea failed to take advantage of a United defense ravaged by injury and suspension as a fourth straight league defeat for the Blues left their Champions League hopes in ruins. United have missed out on the riches of Europe’s elite competition for the past two seasons, but are closing in on a return thanks to an upturn in fortunes under interim manager
A new NZ$683 million (US$404 million) stadium that was a symbol of Christchurch’s struggle to rebuild after a deadly earthquake struck the New Zealand city is to host its first match tomorrow in front of a sellout crowd. A magnitude 6.2 earthquake killed 185 people in February 2011 and toppled or damaged buildings, including the city’s old Lancaster Park. The stadium, which hosted international rugby and cricket, and was home to the Canterbury Crusaders, was badly damaged and never reopened. It was bulldozed in 2019 and turned into sports fields, leaving the Crusaders without a permanent home. Government funding for a new stadium was
Italian soccer is at its lowest ebb in nearly 40 years after a wholesale European exodus at club level followed the nation’s failure for the third successive time to qualify for the FIFA World Cup, and compounded a leadership and structural crisis. The exits suffered by Bologna and ACF Fiorentina on Thursday in the UEFA Europa League and UEFA Conference League respectively meant no Italian teams are left in European competition this season. Italy’s last remaining UEFA Champions League contenders, Atalanta BC, went out in the round of 16 last month. It is the first time since the 1986-1987 campaign that Italian clubs
RSS