Lewis Holtby was one of Fulham's bright sparks in a dark afternoon for the London club. The former Schalke midfielder worked tirelessly for his team and, although you can see he is lacking match sharpness, there were moments of quality which suggest there is more to come. However, a disappointing aspect of Holtby's game yesterday was Meulensteen's decision to start the attacking midfielder out wide. The German international of course gave a professional and committed performance, but you could not help think he would have been more effective in the middle. Throughout the game Holtby did drift in field, clearly eager to influence the match from an area where he would see more of the ball. It was in those central positions that the on loan Spurs player looked his best, opening up the Saints defence from time to time. Since his move to English football in January of 2013, Holtby has really struggled to carry over the promise he showed while in the Bundesliga. Never a regular for Tottenham and often shunned out wide, Fulham need to realise that they only have a quality player if he is used correctly. The statistics tell it all. In 24 league games for Spurs, Holtby managed 1 goal and no assists. In 46 Bundesliga outings for Schalke he netted 10 times. Holtby is undeniably a brilliant signing by Meulensteen and he will give 100% no matter where he is ask to play. But if Fulham want to maximise the 23-year-old's talent then they must play him in the centre.
Simon is an NCTJ qualified sports journalist. He has conducted interviews with Tony Adams and Peter Shilton, while also having work published in The Daily Telegraph and The Sun. Follow him on Twitter via @sr_collings.
