It has been said before, but it needs to be said again - Fulham have to stop leaking goals. The Cottagers have not kept a clean sheet since December 8 versus Aston Villa and have the worst defensive record in the league. As Meulensteen pointed out during the press conference, the issue does not appear to be down to the collective but the individual. Riether's ill-timed tackle on Sturridge for the 90th minute penalty is a testament to this. The back-four seems to work well as a unit, however it is when they are exposed one-on-one that problems arise. Whenever Suarez could isolate Dan Burn or Jonny Heitinga, the duo looked nervy and out of their depth. Meulensteen must be hoping that the addition of William Kvist will provide extra protection for the defence. The defensive midfielder, on loan from Stuttgart, appears well equipped to break up the play and allow the back-four some breathing space. What makes Fulham's defensive concerns all the more frustrating, is the fact that they are scoring goals. The Cottagers have scored more goals than Hull, who lie in 13th, but worryingly they have let in nearly double the amount in comparison to the Tigers. It would be unfair to say that Meulensteen's side are already down, especially when they are 12 games to go. However, unless the Dutch manager finds a way to plug the leaky defence then Fulham will have little hope of survival.
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.
