Despite Fulham’s loss to Tottenham last weekend, no newly promoted side with eight points from their first five Premier League games has ever been relegated.
While this stat is in no way definitive, early season performances have been so good that they have given Fulham fans a legitimate reason to look beyond a fleeting 10-month stay in the top-flight.
Amidst these excellent displays is one man whose power and aggression have propelled the Cottagers into the promising position they currently find themselves – Aleksandar Mitrovic.
The Serbian has six Premier League goals in six games and is the division’s second-highest scorer behind Manchester City’s Erling Haaland.
The Fulham number nine netted his 102nd goal for Fulham against Spurs on Saturday after four-and-a-half seasons with the club, but just under half of his total goals (49) have come since Marco Silva took over in July 2021.
In his first full season working with Silva, Mitrovic scored more goals in one season than he had in the previous three combined.
The Portuguese manager has given Mitrovic more freedom to express himself on the pitch, which normally involves hyper-aggressive battles with centre halves that are, for the most part, fairly contested.
Silva’s crowning achievement as Fulham boss is harnessing that level of aggression and instilling it throughout the Fulham squad.
Players like left-back Antonee Robinson and winger Neeskens Kebano, who are not famous for their aggressive temperaments, suddenly look like they are champing at the bit.
Robinson, Kebano, and Mitrovic are examples of how Fulham have become a horribly awkward team to play, and it’s within this style of football the Serbian striker has found the form of his life.
Mitrovic has always been able to throw his weight around – this has been one of his defining qualities since his introduction to English football at Newcastle United in 2015.
But he has added so much maturity to his game since then, using not just his considerable size and strength, but guile and precision to hold off and bully top defenders.
Brighton captain Lewis Dunk recently caught Mitrovic on one of his best days, falling foul to several of the forward’s tricks during their 2-1 loss to Fulham last week.
Receiving the ball on his chest and backing into the defender, winning free-kicks all over the pitch, turning into space, and being a constant presence in the Brighton penalty area made Mitrovic an absolute nightmare to deal with.
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Dunk capped off a miserable evening with an own goal, quite likely due to the enormous pressure he had been put under by the Serb throughout the game.
The Brighton skipper is not the only one – Virgil van Dijk, Pontus Jansson, Gabriel and Cristian Romero have all quickly discovered what Mitrovic is about this season.
His striking instincts are better than ever, so often in the right place at the right time, while his dribbling and ball retention have both drastically improved.
His propensity to drive forward, either with a pass or a dribble, is often the catalyst for a Fulham attack, and conversely, his ability to hold onto the ball under pressure makes him an invaluable calming presence at the back.
After the Brighton game, Silva said: “He was unbelievable, he was everywhere, even some moments in positions that I would see sometimes too low (down the pitch).
“He is completely connected with the team and the team with him. I don’t like to speak about individual players because we are much more than one or two players, everyone is on the same page, but he deserves all the words.”
Mitrovic has always had a temper and you can still see it boil over sometimes – his furious finger-wagging in the face of Stuart Atwell on Saturday was enough proof of that.
But last season, Marco Silva encouraged Mitrovic to channel his aggression into his game and use it as a tool – the result being a record-breaking 43 Championship goals.
The only worry for Silva and Fulham fans is their star player’s fitness as he is so integral to the way the team play.
The club had a relatively successful summer transfer window, spending around £60m to bring in 11 new players including former Tottenham striker Carlos Vinicius, who scored six goals in 23 matches last season for PSV Eindhoven whilst on loan from Benfica.
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It was a position Fulham desperately needed to fill as their only other striker, Rodrigo Muniz, has been loaned out to Middlesbrough until the end of the season.
Having also brought in Dan James, Willian and Manor Solomon, combined with the injured Harry Wilson, Bobby Decordova-Reid and Kebano, there should be enough attacking players available to be able to rotate the forward line.
Nevertheless, such is the richness of Mitrovic’s form that it would still be a huge blow for Fulham if he got injured.
For now, though, he will be the first name on the team sheet every week and is looking like scoring at least 15 goals for Fulham this season – gold dust for a newly promoted team.