'They are tough..': Marco Silva's dressing-room message after Sunderland win revealed in behind-scenes footage
Fulham beat Sunderland 1-0 at Craven Cottage on Saturday after a late goal from Raul Jimenez
Marco Silva praised his Fulham players for their performance against a 'tough' Sunderland side in his dressing room address after the game, behind-the-scenes footage has shown.
Fulham have released Silva's post-match address to the players on their social media, after a late goal from Raul Jimenez secured all three points from the home side against a sub-par Sunderland.
In his comments, Silva praised the defensive performance of his side and also the importance of the unity of the whole squad.
Silva says: "I was telling you, the game becomes more difficult and more difficult, but you can never lose the good things, ok? The focus, the composure there, the belief, of course. And after it's a game, a game that you have to make changes to help out the team.
It's not the first time, it's not going to be the last for sure, ok? Important that [we got] a clean sheet, guys, every time you are solid, every time you have this type of behaviour, and you didn't do concede many things for them, to be honest, you didn't concede many things for them. And they are tough to play, they are a tough team to play against, I think they conceded 4 or 5 goals away. Just difficult to score against them, and you created enough to win the game, and I have to congratulate you.
"And you have to build from this type of situation, ok? The third clean sheet of this season at home so far, and you have to try to replicate this away from home. Ok, very important. And as I told you before the match, it doesn't matter where you are, we are going to be higher on the table, but it doesn't matter.
"For me it's always, I love this type of challenge. Here, where you are right now, has to be a privilege for us. We have to do it with a smile on our face.It's a privilege, you love what we do, we have to love this type of normal pressure, it's a football match, at home, away, whatever, and we have to do it. Believe in me, and I'm going to share one thing to you. It's my job, and I do it naturally. I just have one tough day, every single week, one tough day, to be with you here. It's when I have to put, and our squad is short, to make the squad list. It's the only tough day that I have here, because some guys, they do their maximum, and I have to let one or two, ok? Right now, I let two players out of the squad, one player out of the squad list, apart from the injured players.
"That is the only moment that is tough for me, and I have to do it naturally, I have to look always for that thing that is best for the team. And I know that it's tough for some, it was tough for Issa [Diop] this afternoon, like it's being tough for some of the good examples that you have in our dressing room. All the other moments, guys, I'm going to face all of them.
Sometimes I have the braveness that I have, I want you to go in the same direction, ok? You are going to have tough moments, you are going to have much more good moments like we have this afternoon, for sure, if you keep this energy between ourselves. Because it's not always sunshine, this afternoon was that and we win again. Ok guys, congratulations."
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What Régis Le Bris said about Sunderland’s performance at Fulham
“It's a good reminder about our basics, if you don't win many duels, if you don't win the second balls, it's not possible to impose something," Le Bris said.
“We struggled to create, we struggled today to manage for example when they went long our man from our press we were not efficient, the intention was really positive, we wanted to impose something defensively but we were not good enough to manage the duels so we had to defend probably around our box just after, probably too often and second balls after their long play as well, so basics are really important in football and if you don't win this part, at least 50-50, you can't impose anything.
"I think it's another good lesson, we have to be at our best, otherwise the opponent can exploit their strength."
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