ClaretandHugh’s PlayerWatch reporter Danny Leach puts Declan Rice under his microscope tonight as he playedhis first game since announcing that he will be available to England at international level. He also took a look at Manu Lanzini on his long awaited return
1 – Clears away a cross in the box from Odoi
7 – Mistimes clearance as Ream heads the ball in midfield
12 – Stands up and makes a crucial tackle on Seri after cutting in to shoot
19 – Makes a slide tackle on Odoi in midfield starting a counter attack for us
57 – Cairney skips past Rice and Noble with ease as Fulham attack
64 – Tackles the ball for a throw as Odoi attemps to dribble on the right wing
81 – Tackles the ball out of play as Markovic attemps to dribble on the right wing
86 – Intercepts Nordtveit’s pass out from the back before shooting on the edge of the box but the ball goes wide
89 – Sticks close to Cairney and hustles with him before tackling the ball
Verdict – 8 – He continues to impress and the striking thing is, is that it was a normal performance for his standards. After the first 25 where we struggled to contain Seri, he bossed the midfield making tackles, interceptions and great passing throughout the match. His tactical and positional awareness is so developed in his game given his age. England is waiting for you!
Sub watch special: Fulham at home – Manuel Lanzini
We also took a look at Lanzini as he makes his long awaited return after his ACL injury.
75 – Comes on for Anderson
77 – Arnautovic passes the ball to him as we counter and shifts the ball on his left but instead of shooting he rolls the ball back to Snodgrass who crosses for Arnautovic but the ball goes wide
82 – Trips Cairney and is booked for his offence
85 – After Arnautovic squares the ball to him he is tackled before he can make the shot
Verdict – 6 – It was great to watch Lanzini come back with so much energy and he got plenty of touches on the ball. Understandably it will take a bit before he returns to his full sharpness but considering he hasn’t played a competitive game in 9 months his physical condition is remarkable given the nature of his injury. He was very close to scoring tonight and I’m sure we will see him return to prolific form soon.